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HISTORY 



OF 



GORHAM, ME., 



BY 



HUGH D. McLELLAN 



COMPILED AND EDITED BY 



HIS DAUGHTER, 



^.9. 



KATHARf.NE B. LEWIS 






•-"/NGTONA^- "^ 



portland\ 

SMITH & SALE, PRINTSERS,V^ 



1903. \ <^ 






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70 O 

m -p. 

rn -X 

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COPYRIGHT, 

KATHARINE B. LEWIS, 

1902. 



V. A 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER 



Preface, .......... 7 

I. Introduction, ....... 9 

II. Narragansett War and Grants, . . • 13 

III. The Indians in and about Gorham, . . 34 

IV. Military Matters, ...... 43 

Soldiers in the French and Indian Wars — The 
Militia. 

V. The First Settlement and First Surveys, . 74 

VI. From 1745 to, and Including, the Incorpora- 
tion OF the Town, ..... 93 

VII. The Revolution, . . . . . . 106 

VIII. Politics — The War of 1812 — -The Separa- 
tion OF Maine and Massachusetts, . . 150 

IX. Meeting Houses and Ministers of the Stand- 
ing Order, ....... 169 

X. Other Religious Societies, . . . . 200 

Come-outers, or New Lights — Free -Baptists — 
Calvanist Baptists — Methodists — Shakers — 
Quakers. 

XI. Education, ....... 222 

Town Schools — Gorham Academy and Seminary — 
Normal School. 

XII. Agricultural Interests — First Mills — Bury- 
ing Grounds, ...... 245 

XIII. Different Villages in the Town, . . . 262 

Business Centres — Northeast Part of the Town 
— White Rock — West Gorham — Gambo — Malli- 
son's Falls, and Little Falls. 



2 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTF.K PAGE 

XIV. Physicians and Lawyers, . . . . 281 

XV. Condition of the Roads in and about Gokham 

IN Early Times, ...... 288 

Brandybrook IIiLi. — lIoRSE Meadow Road — Mails 
— Railroaiis. 

XVI. Slaves — The Town's Poor — Changes of Bound- 
ary Line — Old Bells — Town Clock — The 
Red Stone Monument — Tomatoes — The 
Pound — Fire Engines, .... 296 

XVIL Fires in Gorham, 306 

XVI IL Taverns — Temperance — Libraries, . . 317 

XIX. Early Society in Gorham, and Some Facts 

about Gorham for the Year 1780, . . 323 

XX. Civil War of 1861-65, ^^d the Soldiers' Mon- 
ument, ....... 340 

XXI. Nails — Clocks — Velocipede — Organs — 
Button-Hole Machine — Mechanical Inven- 
tions — Carpet Weaving — Tanneries — 
Other Manufactures, .... 356 

XXII. Fire Insurance Companies — Secret Societies, 362 

XXIII. Centennial Celebrations, .... 368 

XXIV. Lists of Town Officers, etc., . . . 373 

Genealogy, .......■• 383 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Hugh D. McLellan, 

Fort Built on Fort Hill, 1745, 

Plan Showing Location of First Settlers' Houses 

Mary Gorham Phinney, 

Plan of the Thirty Acre Lots, 

First Parish Meeting House, 1798, 

View from Normal School Building, 

Rev. Asa Rand, .... 

Rev. Thaddeus Pomeruv, 

Rev. John R. Adams, D. D., 

Methodist Church, Gorham Village, 

Levi Hall Schoolhouse, 

Gorham Academy, Erected 1805, . 

Female Seminary, 

LuciAN Hunt, 

Normal School Building, and Frederick Robie Hall, 

Site of First Mills, 

Great Falls Village, 

Mains House, 

West Gorham Chapel, 

View at Gambo, 

Little Falls Village, 

Elihu Baxter, M. D., 

Dr. Alden T. Keen, 

John A. Waterman, 

Residence of Mrs. J. G. Tolford, 

Old Hay Scales, 

Harding's Store, Built 1779, 

Dana Estes, 

J. McGregor Adams, 

House Built by Prince Davis, 



rontispiece 

45 
56 
78 
82 

173 
^74 

193 
194 

196 
216 

226 

230 

241 

243 
244 
252 
266 

269 

272 

274 
277 
282 

283 

287 
308 
314 

317 
321 
322 
325 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



House Built by Elder Hugh McLellan in 1773, 

Lieut. Col. Henry R. Millett, 

Residence of George L. Day, 

JosiAH Pierce, 

Celebration of 150TH Anniversary of Settlement 

Selectmen's Office, 

Residence of Dr. Elihu Baxter, 

James Phinney Baxter, 

Solomon Brown, ... 

Residence of George W. Crockett 

Simon Elder, .... 

Randall J. Elder, . 

Daniel C. Emery, 

George B. Emery, 

Moses Fogg, .... 

Edward Gould, 

RoscoE G. Harding, 

Mrs. Angelina (Tukesbury) Harding, 

Capt. David Harding, Jr., 

Mrs. Temperance (Davis) Harding 

Stephen Hinkley, Jr., 

Dr. Henry H. Hunt, 

Gen. James Irish and Family, 

Parson Jewett House, 

Indian Camp Brook, 

George W. Lowell, 

Capt. Joseph McLellan, 

Mrs. Mary McLellan, 

Residence of Lewis McLellan, 

JosiAH T. McLellan, 

Lewis McLellan, 

Marshall M. Phinney, 

William Prentiss, 

Rev. George L. Prentiss, D. D., 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Joseph Ridlon, 

toppan robie, 

Frederick Robie, 

Residence of Hon. Frederick 

Elizabeth (Ross) Tyng, . 

Col. William Tyng, 

William Appleton Rust, 

Nathaniel J. Rust, 

Cornelius Waters, . 

Mrs. Abigail (Irish) Waters, 

Merrill Whitney, . 

Robie Whitney, 

John Wingate, . • . 

Oliver Winship, 

Mrs. Clementine (Morton) Winship, 

Plan of the Town of Gorham 











739 










743 










745 


Robie, 








746 
748 
749 
753 
753 
806 
806 
836 
836 

839 
840 


Kinship, 








840 



PREFACE. 



IT is with no apologies that we offer the following chapters to the 
reader. The author, Hon. Hugh D. McLellan, a member of 
the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, during 
his entire lifetime took a deep interest in all things relating to the 
history of his native town, and when but twenty years of age com- 
menced to gather its historical material that it might not be lost. 
People in the town, knowing his fondness for such things, often pre. 
sented him with old books, records and papers then considered of 
but little more value than to make a nest for the mice, or to swell the 
sacks of some travelling tin peddler, but of inestimable worth to 
the future historian. Stories, anecdotes and traditions were also 
written down from the lips of those now long since passed beyond 
recall. Col. McLellan's father-in-law, Hon. Lothrop Lewis, beside 
being chairman of the board of selectmen for twenty-four years and 
taking a very prominent part in town affairs, was the last clerk of the 
old Proprietary, and left a mass of papers, documents and records 
pertaining to the early town and parish doings, to be found nowhere 
else. 

Since Col McLellan's death in 1878 the manuscript has been 
carefully edited and brought down to date. Owing to the necessary 
limits of such a work the genealogical section has been confined to 
those families coming into town prior to 1850, and of these even, 
it has not been possible to insert all. There is no such thing 
in this world as perfection, as no one knows better than he who 
would undertake to compile genealogical records. For instance, the 
town book gives a certain date for a man's death, the family Bible's 
record gives another, and very likely his gravestone furnishes a 
third date, all for the same event, — members of the same family 
differ as to certain dates, and who shall say which is right? The 
inscription on a gravestone is said to be good legal evidence, and 



8 PREFACE. 

yet in this very town there is a stone erected to the memory of a 
man, whose inscription proclaims to the reader that this man departed 
this life on the thirtieth day of February. No pains, time or money 
has been spared to insure correctness in this volume, and it is hoped 
and believed that but few errors will be found. In connection with 
editing the genealogical section of this work the subscriber, during 
the last five years, has visited nearly every house in town, and has 
written innumerable letters, — which latter have as a rule been 
answered promptly and fully, — the object having been, so far as 
possible, to have some member of each family look over the records 
of its own particular branch. Many fires in Gorham and dates of 
fires will be found missing in the chapter on " Fires in Gorham," as 
owing to lack of sufficient data it has been found to be impossible 
to complete the list. 

The work of editing and completing this history was undertaken at 
the request of Ex-Gov. Frederick Robie and the late Stephen Hinkley, 
representing a committee chosen by the town to see if arrangements 
might be made for the acquiring by the town of the manuscript. 

We wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who have so 
kindly aided us with the fruit of their own research, and with the 
loan of valuable family documents and papers. 

KATHARINE B. McLELLAN LEWIS. 
Gorham, Me., June i, 1902. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

It is a good sign that in these da3-s, throughout New England a 
quite general interest is taken in town histories. It shows that we 
are appreciating the importance and value of such records. The 
great river that Hoats the ship is nothing but the collected water of 
rills and brooks, which of themselves are only large enough to float 
small chips. Enough chip floaters added together make a ship 
floater. So a great State is only a collection of towns and munici- 
palities, each one having a life and history peculiar to itself. These 
stories of the towns constitute the material, out of which state and 
national histories are made. We can never understand the full 
history, save as we learn it from an acquaintance with the parts. 
A no less authority than John Fiske says, " Town histories, though 
seldom written in a philosophical spirit and apt to be quite amorphous 
in structure, are a mine of wealth to the philosophical student of 
history." 

The town was the first political creation of our New England 
fathers. Whether they knew it or not, the Republic was born when 
our Puritan ancestry met together at convenient points and discussed 
their aftairs familiarly in town meetings, and decided questions of 
public concern by voting. Every town, begun in colonial days, has 
done something to help make the modern State ; as every single 
letter of the alphabet plays its part in the oration of the statesman. 
The more we know of these early beginnings of the country, the 
better do we understand our own times, and appreciate the life and 
institutions of to-day. 

It is as one of the creative agents of the State of Maine, as this 
State appears at the dawn of the twentieth century, that we present 
the History of the Town of Gorham. While this was not one of the 
first settled towns of the State, and had also the disadvantage of 
being somewhat inland, rather than on the seaboard, yet Gorham 
has played no inconsiderable part in the fortunes of Maine. She 
has had force and weight in the State because of the character of 
her citizens. In the Senate of the United States it matters little 
whether a member comes from the East or the West, from a large 
State or from a small one. A man's influence in that body depends 
upon himself, — has he the personal qualities of greatness ? If he has — 



10 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

then he becomes a power in the councils of the nation. So we may 
say of Gorham ; while it was later than some others in the date of 
its settlement, and was an inland town, cut off from shipping and 
commerce, which things one hundred and fifty years ago were large 
factors in town building, yet the men and women who came here 
and took up the land and cleared the forests and plowed the fields, 
were such men and women as gave high character to the town, and 
at once made it influential beyond its own narrow limits. They 
were hardy, heroic, intelligent and pushing people who believed in 
God first, and in themselves second ; people who plowed and sowed 
their lands, and built their houses, and established schools and 
churches, and fought the savages, in the interest of a high and pure 
civilization. While their immediate object was their daily bread, yet 
in religion and in education they were working for a future. The 
present history would emphasize the moral fiber of the men who 
came to Gorham, when Gorham was a wilderness, and caused it to 
blossom as the rose. Gorham did not attain its wide infiuence in 
the Province of Maine by reason of its extent, — it was only six miles 
square. Neither did it gain influence by reason of its vast and over- 
powering wealth, — there was comparatively little of this. There 
were neither mines nor quarries here to attract adventurers and make 
them suddenly rich. There was indeed a good body of timber 
growing on the hills and along the vales and some of this was fairly 
valuable. When pine trees were large enough to have the broad 
arrow of the king cut in their bark, which signified that they were 
destined for masts in the royal navy, they gave to the settlers some 
bright visions of gold and silver. There were on this tract quite a 
goodly number of such trees. Then there was much timber here of 
a smaller size, which became quite valuable in course of time. Ikit 
timber at the best is a crop which yields its harvest only at long 
intervals, and therefore, while it brings into a region laborers and 
teams and builds camps there, the occupancy is temporary. Lum- 
ber does not bring permanent settlers ; it does not bring civilization. 
Gorham was settled because after the trees were cut away the land 
was left, and the land of that place was good. It was, perhaps, not 
altogether of the variety of an Iowa prairie, of which it has been 
said that " when tickled with a hoe it laughs with a harvest," but it 
was good, honest, hearty soil, that paid back many fold in produce 
for any work that was done upon it. This certainly was good basis 
for a town, and the town came. 

This section of territory was one of the townships granted by the 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

General Court of Massachusetts, as payment for service rendered in 
the old King Philip's War. In the seventeenth century Massachu- 
setts was poor, and the colonies had little or nothing to pay their 
soldiers with, except land. In no very long time after the long con- 
test with the Narragansetts was ended in 1677, by the almost total 
extinction of the tribe, they who remained alive of those who had 
participated in the war, and the heirs of those who were dead began 
to petition the General Court for some remuneration for military ser- 
vices. The claim was acknowledged and finally some unsettled 
townships of land were, by vote of the Assembly, set apart for this 
purpose. One township was given to the soldiers who dwelt in one 
section of the country and another one assigned to those who dwelt 
in another section. What is now Gorham, then known as Narragan- 
sett No. 7, was granted to the parties who were dwelling at Barnstable 
on Cape Cod and the region adjacent, to the number of one hundred 
and twenty. These people were all of Pilgrim and Puritan stock and 
when they came here, they brought with them their Puritan faith, 
traditions and practices. They were sturdy religionists from Massa- 
chusetts, and this meant a good deal. When they came to tfie 
Province of Maine they did not come to a region that was altogether, 
or even to any large extent, under the dominion of puritanic ideas. 
The early settlements along the coast of Maine were not made under 
Puritan patronage. Gorges, who not far from 1640 was made Lord 
Proprietary of Maine, was a Church-of-England man and was in full 
sympathy with Charles and Laud. Our State, therefore, was never 
any refuge for persecuted Puritans. The earliest settlements here 
were for the sake of trade and agriculture. Men came to Maine, 
not so much to find a freer atmosphere for their religious faith, as an 
opportunity to better their worldly fortunes. It was quite otherwise 
in Massachusetts. That was colonized by Pilgrims and Puritans, 
who came there on purpose that they might be free from any over- 
lordship of Episcopacy. In several instances indeed whole church 
organizations were transferred from one side of the Atlantic to the 
other. The history of Massachusetts Colony is church history, for 
the entire colony was a church, or rather according to the Puritan 
idea, a collection of churches. There was no settlement there, prior 
to the church — the settlers were the church. 

In Maine, however, a good many years elapsed between the settle- 
ments along the shore and the organization of churches. When 
migrations began to take place from the Massachusetts Colony to the 
District of Maine, they were Puritans who came and they brought 



12 HISTORV OF GORHAM. 

with them the church and the minister. The owners of the Gorham 
township were Puritans, and in this respect differed from the large 
majority of those then living in the District. The early history of 
this town, like that of a great many others, shows a good deal 
of ecclesiastical disturbance and unrest; but it was a friction pro- 
duced inevitably by certain religious principles and ideals coming 
into and establishing themselves in a region of country where the 
prevailing sentiment was not sympathetic. It would be very strange 
if a Puritan church sentiment had not found more or less trouble 
with such an environment as Maine furnished a hundred and fifty 
years ago. Differences of sentiment among neighbors and troubles 
in the immediate church were no doubt largely incident to this 
broader and more general state of affairs. However, it is no sign 
either of mental weakness or of moral infirmity that there should be 
sharp differences of opinion touching church doctrines or church 
policy. The best of men cannot always agree. Cranmer as Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury might dispute with Sir Thomas More and help 
forward his execution. But to-day we recognize both of those men 
as being intellectually great and morally good. So it is nothing 
against the intellectual and moral qualities of Gorham that her his- 
tory shows some ecclesiastical storms and some calling of hard 
names. It argues rather a pronounced individuality among her citi- 
zens, an independence of thought, and a disposition to rely on one's 
own judgment, that are always elements of personal strength. And 
this may be said concerning the average of Gorham citizens, that 
they have been men of strong character, men of great independence 
of thought and of self reliance, men who felt that they had some 
errand, some business in the world, and who gave themselves to the 
performing of that errand. The early settlers of the town were not 
time servers or timid folk, but were people of strong fiber and with 
resolution of an heroic cast. That first generation left its image and 
superscription behind it, and succeeding generations have not worn 
out the stamp. Gorham has always been a strong and weighty town 
throughout the State. The solid character of her men has given to 
her an influence in the commonwealth to which the mere number 
of her inhabitants would never have entitled her. Gorham has been 
a town of large influence. This influence has been the result produced 
by a high average of personal character on the part of her citizens, 
and we present here a book whose aim is to perpetuate the memory 
of those men, and to keep alive the knowledge of institutions that 
have sprung from manly brains and Christian hands. 



CHAPTER 11. 

NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 

To the Narragansett war the town of Gorham owes its origui and 
settlement. It is one of the seven townships granted by the General 
Court of Massachusetts to eight hundred and forty persons, who 
were either " personally present at the fort and fight at Narragansett, 
or descendants from those who were, or in the strictest alliance with 
them." Since our existence as a town is due to this war, and to the 
consequent grants, it may not be unprofitable or uninteresting to 
touch lightly upon the history connected with these matters. 

The war with the Narragansetts, commonly called King Philip's 
war, began in the Plymouth Colony, and spread in extent about three 
hundred miles through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and the 
Province of Maine. Within the space of one year the tribes of 
savages in New England were, with few exceptions, drawn into it 
against the settlers. Philip, the second son of Massasoit the firm 
friend of the whites, had on the death of his brother Alexander, 
succeeded to the chieftainship of the Pokanokets, or Wampanoags, 
and like him was the determined enemy of the white man. Many 
reasons combined to produce this hatred, one of which was the not 
infrequent summoning of Philip and other chiefs to Boston and 
Taunton to make explanations of their conduct, which proceedings 
they naturally resented, as insulting to their dignity and independ- 
ence. They also began to find their hunting grounds invaded ; their 
ancient domains narrowing and slipping from them. In a letter 
dated May i, 1676, Gov. Winslow says, "I think I can clearly say 
that before these troubles broke out the English did not possess one 
foot of land in this Colony, but what was fairly obtained by honest 

purchase of the Indian proprietors And lest yet they 

should be straightened, we ordered that Mount Hope, Pocasset, and 
several other necks of the best land in the Colony, because most 
suitable and convenient for them, should never be bought out of 
their hands," etc. While this is undoubtedly true, the Indians did 
not at first comprehend to what their frequent sales of land were 
tending. Probably, they did not fully realize the binding nature of 
the deeds and grants which they made to the whites, and as they 



14 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

found themselves more and more circumscribed, their suspicions 
and hatred of their white neighbors grew apace. 

In 167 I Philip pretended that injuries had been done to him by 
the English, but when he appeared at Boston to lay his claims 
before the authorities, he could prove nothing, and he again signed 
articles of peace, and covenanted " to pay one hundred pds of such 
things as he had, and five wolves' heads yearly to the governor of 
Plymouth, and not to make war without the Governor's approbation." 
But shrewd, crafty and ever hostile to the whites even while professing 
friendship and signing treaties of peace with them, he was nourishing 
a deep laid plan for revenge, and sent messages to all the Indians 
to engage in war, telling them that the English were preparing to 
invade the Indian country; and soon under his wise and skillful 
leadership the Indians were plotting the entire destruction of the 
colonies. The murder, by order of Philip, of Sausamon, a friend to 
the English, who had disclosed to the authorities a plot of the 
savages to blot out the whites ; and the subsequent punishment of 
the murderers by the authorities in 1675, undoubtedly caused Philip 
to fear for his own safety, and hurried him on to take vengeance, 
and by this very thing defeated, in great measure, his own plans for 
the extermination of his hated foes. 

Cotton Mather tells us, "Things by this time began to have an 
ominous aspect. Yea, and now we speak of things ominous^ we may 
add, some time before this, in a clear, still, sunshiny morning, there 
were divers persons in Maldon who heard in the air, on the south- 
east of them, a great gun go off, and presently thereupon the report 
oi small gims \\Vq. musket shot, very thick discharging, as if there 
had been a battel. This was at a time when there was nothing 
visible done in any part of the colony to occasion such noises ; but 
that which of all astonished them was the flying of bullets^ which 
came singing over their heads, and seemed very near to them, after 
which the sound of drums passing along westward was very audible ; 
and on the same day, in Plymouth colony in several places, invisible 
troops of horses were heard riding to and fro. Now, reader, pre- 
pare for the event of \\\q's,q prodigies, but count me not struck with a 
Livian superstition in reporting prodigies, for which I have such 
incontestable assurance."' 

The Indians began their bloody work in June, 1675, falling upon 
the town of Swanzey in Plymouth Colony (now Bristol, R. I.,) 
burning the town, and killing, it is said, nine English. Deso- 
lation and devastation reigned throughout the country. The 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 15 

Indians, from their knowledge of the country, and their acquaint- 
ance, in time of peace, with the settlers, and their mode of life, were 
well prepared to fall upon them in their unguarded moments, after 
the fashion of Indian warfare. It is well nigh impossible for us at 
the present day to realize the state of affairs, the terror and suffer- 
ing that prevailed. From official records it is estimated that in the 
space of one year several towns were nearly or wholly destroyed, 
six hundred buildings, mostly dwelling houses, were burned, and at 
least six hundred inhabitants were slain, either in battle, or mur- 
dered by the Indians. An early and reliable historian of the times, 
Trumbull, says after careful consideration, that one out of every 
eleven men capable of bearing arms was slain, and one-eleventh of 
all the dwellings in the united colonies burned in the war with 
the savages. There was mourning throughout all New England,' 
for few were the homes where death had not entered during the 
strife. 

The Narragansetts were a numerous and powerful tribe, number- 
ing many warriors. Though under a treaty of neutrality with the 
whites, suspicions began to arise of them. It was believed that 
they welcomed and gave shelter to the Indians returned from the 
western frontier along the banks of the Connecticut. They were 
jealous of the English and ot the Mohicans, who remained friendly 
to the English. It was thought that they had joined the confederacy 
under King Philip, now numbering some three or four thousand 
warriors. The commissioners of the united colonies agreed to raise 
an army of one thousand men, and as many friendly Indians as 
could be persuaded to join them, and to march against this foe. Of 
these men, Massachusetts was to furnish 527, Plymouth 158, and 
Connecticut 315. There were two Plymouth companies, one under 
Capt. John Gorham of Barnstable. It is interesting to note, from 
the Message sent up from the House of Representatives to the 
Council in 1731, what manner of men these were who engaged in 
this fight. It specifies that those who fought to rid the country of 
those enemies, before whom even Boston trembled, were not vaga- 
bonds and beggars and outcasts, but they were some of the best of 
our men, and the fathers and sons of some of the greatest and best 
of our families. 

It was now, 1675, in the midst of a winter of unusual severity, 
with a great depth of snow, but it was deemed dangerous to wait 
until spring, lest the great numbers of Indians known to be gathered 
together might rise then and destroy all before them. The leaves 



IG HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

of summer covering the thickets would furnish hiding places and 
ambuscades for them, from which to dart upon their victims, and in 
which they could vanish secure from pursuit. It was decided 
to proceed at once upon the enemy in their stronghold in the coun- 
try of the Narragansetts. There could be no hesitancy in fighting 
against the Narragansetts, as there was now no question as to their 
hatred of the whites and their treachery toward them. The Mas- 
sachusetts forces were mustered at Dedham plains, Dec. 9, 1675, 
and to Gen. Josiah Winslow, Governor of Plymouth Colony, was 
given the command of the army. That same day they marched 
twenty-seven miles on their way. On Dec. 18, the whole force 
reached Pettisquamscot, where they had hoped to rendezvous at 
the garrison of one Jerry Bull. They found the house in ruins, 
it having been burned three days previous by a party of Indians, 
and seventeen people at this garrison had been killed. As there 
was no shelter left our army was compelled to march on in the cold 
stormy evening, and to pass the night with no covering save the 
drifting snow and the darkness. Before dawn on Dec. 19, piloted 
by Peter, a friendly Indian, they recommenced their journey, and 
waded through the deep snow until one p. m., without stopping to 
warm themselves, or to take food, " save such as they could chew 
in their mouths." After proceeding in this way some fifteen or 
sixteen miles they came to the borders of the Pettisquamscot swamp, 
where the fortress of the Indians was situated. This fort was on 
rising ground on an island of some acres in the middle of the 
swamp. There were some hundreds of wigwams surrounded by 
palisades four or five feet high, and the whole by a wall or hedge 
of brush a rod in width. There was but one entrance to the fort, 
and this by a fallen tree four or five feet from the ground above the 
water. This was protected by a kind of blockhouse over it, and 
many were killed in trying to force an entrance. There was a fierce 
and bloody fight, in which six English captains were killed, but at 
length the enemy was driven out, and the huts within the enclosure 
were set on fire and consumed, thus leaving no shelter for either 
party, and our men retired to their quarters of the night before, 
carrying their dead and wounded. That night a tremendous snow 
storm raged, and the severity of the cold was fearful. They had no 
provisions, and Mr. Dudley says the whole camp must have perished 
but for the arrival of Goodale next morning. 

It was told afterwards by the Indians that one-third of the Narra- 
gansetts were killed by the English, or perished in the cold of that 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 17 

night. It has been estimated that the Indians lost that day seven 
hundred men, and that three hundred died afterwards of wounds. 
This, with the burning of their wigwams and the losing of their 
provisions, was a blow from which they never recovered. The Eng- 
lish lost eighty killed ; about one hundred and fifty were wounded, 
but recovered. Tw^enty men of Major (Capt.) Bradford's and Capt. 
Gorham's Plymouth companies were killed. 

The Narragansett's, though reduced in numbers, were still a for- 
midable and dangerous foe, and urged on by hatred and desire of 
revenge, did not abandon hostilities. Under their dauntless leader, 
Canonchet, they continued to strike terror to all hearts by burning, 
plundering, slaying and destroying. Our army was ordered to pur- 
sue them, and did so for many days, until provisions failed them, 
and the pursuit was abandoned. The men suffered so intensely 
from privation and hunger on this expedition that it is known in 
history as " the hungry march.'' 

The Narragansetts joined themselves to Philip and his forces, and 
after the capture of Canonchet, and his execution by order of the 
authorities, Philip still continued his bloody work. One reverse, 
however, after another overtook him, and many of his followers for- 
sook him. He scornfully rejected all overtures of peace, and struck 
dead an Indian who ventured to suggest submission to him. His wife 
and son were captured, and the boy sold into slavery. In less than 
a year from the great battle in the Swamp, Philip, to quote from an 
old writer, was, "by a divine mandate sent back there, (Mt. Hope) to 
receive the reward of his wickedness where he first began his mis- 
chief.'' He was killed, August 12, 1676, by the brother of the 
Indian whom he had slain for advising him to sue for peace. With 
his death hostilities ceased. Some of the Indians submitted to the 
authorities of the colonies, and some betook themselves to remote 
tribes, and welcome peace reigned once more. 

We learn from the Message, mentioned above, given in full else 
where, that a proclamation was made to the army in the name of the 
government, before they began their march against King Philip, that 
if they would play the man and take the fort and drive the enemy 
out of the Narragansett country, they should have a gratuity of land 
besides their wages. As early as 1685, the officers and soldiers of 
the Narragansett War commenced to petition for the promised 
land bounty, or for a tract of land eight miles square, and the 
grant was made the same year, as the following documents will 
show : 



18 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 



Action of thf, Gf.xeral Court on the Petition of William Basset 

and others. 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, June 4, 16S5.) 

" In ans'' to the petition of VV'" Basset, Jn" Lynsey, Robert Porter, 
Sen, (S: a twenty two more inhabitants of Ljn, Jeremiah Swayne, 
Samll Damon, Sam Lambson, W"^ Robbins, James Pyke, Jun, & 
James Nicholls, of Reading, W" Raymond & 5 more of Beverly, & 
Samuel Lyncolne, & three more, of Hingham, as on ye peticon on file, 
the Court judgeth it meet to grant the peticoners a tract of land, in 
the Nipmug country, of eight miles square, for their encouragement 
and others that were serviceable to the country in the late Indean 
warr, to a competent number, who shall see meet to joyne themselues 
to them in order to the making of a plantation or touneship, provided 
it be lajd out so as not to interfere w''^ any former grants, & that an 
orthodox minister, on their settlement of thirty familjes. be settled 
w'''in the space of fower yeares next coming." 



B. 

Action of the General Court on the Petition of Joseph Sill 
Praying for a Grant of Land. 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, November 17, 16S5.) 

"In answer to the peticon of Joseph Sill, humbly desiring the 
Courts favor to grant him some lands where he can find it, hauing 
binn imployed in the country^ service in y*^ late Indean warr, — 

" VPON the consideration that this Court hath already granted a 
plantation of eight miles square, in the Nepmug country, for the 
accomodating such as were souldiers in the late warr, w''^ whom 
the petitioner may haue liberty to come in for a settlement, if he 
thinke good." 

One of the conditions of the grant here was actual settlement, and 
as this and other conditions were not performed the land was after- 
wards sold by the colony. The Nipmuck territory included some of 
the best land in the colony, being land near the great ponds in the 
towns of Webster, Oxford and others in Worcester county. 

After this the matter of the land grant seems to have rested many 
years. July i, 1727 the General Court took the following action on 
the petition of Samuel Chandler and Jacob Wright, and again at the 
fall session Dec. 14, 1727, on the same : 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 19 

c. 

Action of the General Court on the Petition of Samuel 
Chandler and Jacob Wright, (post, " d.") 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, July i, 1727.) 

"A Petition of Samuel Chandler & Jacob Wright in Behalf of 
themselves and a great Number of other persons, SHEWING that 
the General Court of the late Colony of the Massachusetts Bay 
in the Year 1685, did in answer to the Petition of divers Persons 
of the Towns of Hingham, Lyn, Reading, & Beverly grant them a 
Tract of Land in the Nipmug Countrey of eight miles square for 
their encouragem' & others that were serviceable in the late Indean 
war ; w*^'* Grant was not persued to Effect, and for as much as the 
Petitioners were either personally present at the Fort & Fight at 
Narraganset or Descendants from those that were or in the strictest 
alliance to them; THEREFORE Praying that a Grant maybe made' 
them of such vacant Lands as may Serve the Petition"'^ for Settle- 
ment under such Restrictions & Limitations as this Court shall 
judge fit. 

" In the House of Represef^^ Read and In answer to this Peti- 
tion, RESOLVED that Major Thomas Tilestone, Capt. John Alden, 
M'' Edward Shove, M"' Samuel Healy of Newton & M"" Samuel 
Chandler of Concord be a Committee fully authorized & impowered 
to survey & lay out the Contents of eight miles square in some of the 
unappropriated Lands of this Province, and that the said Lands be 
granted & disposed of to the Persons (whether Oiiticers or Soldiers) 
belonging to this Province, who were in the Service of their Country 
in the said Narraganset War or to their legal Representatives, as a 
Reward for their publick Services, and is in full Satisfaction for the 
Grant formerly made them by the Great & General Court ; and for as 
much as it is the full Intent & Purpose of this Court that every 
Officer & Soldier who served in the said War should have a Compen- 
sation made them over & above what wages & Gratuities any of them 
have received already, THAT the said Committee give publick Notice 
in the NEWS LETTER, or otherwise, six months at least before their 
meeting, When & where they intend to meet, so every Officer & Sol- 
dier that served in the said War, or the lawful Representatives of such 
as served and are since Deceased may have an Opportunity of enlist- 
ing their Names \vith the said Committee, who are hereby directed to 
take a List accordingly; and when & so soon as the said Committee has 
received a compleat List of the names of such Persons as have served 
as aforesaid or their legal Representatives ; which they are enjoined 
to do with all convenient speed, the Grantees shall be obliged to 
assemble within as short a time as they can conveniently, & proceed 
to the Choice of a Committee to regulate the Propriety, who shall pass 
such Orders & Rules as will effectually oblige them to settle sixty 
Families at least thereon with a learned orthodox Minister within the 
Space of seven Years from the Date of the Grant ; PROVIDED never- 



20 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

theless, if the said Grantees shall not effectually settle the said number 
of Families, & also lay out a Lot for the first settled Minister, one for 
the Ministry & one for the School, they shall have no advantage of 
but forfeit the Grant ; any thing to the Contrary herein contained 
Notwithstanding. 

" In Council ; Read e\: Refer'd for further Consideration to the next 
Fall Session." 

After this postponement by the Council, the petition was again 
brought up before the House at the fall session, when a grant was 
made of two townships, each six miles square, with the same condi- 
tions as before. In this the Council concurred. 



D. 

The General Court Again Took Action on the Petition of 
Samuel Chandler and Jacob Wright. — (Ante, "C") 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, December 14, 1727.) 

"On the Petition of Samuel Chandler, Jacob Wright (S:c in Behalf 
of themselves & others Praying as Enter'd July i, 1727. 

In the House of Represent^'^^ RESOLVED that Major Thomas 
Tilestone, Capt. John Alden, M"" Edward Shove, M"" Nathaniel Healy 
of Newton, M'' Samuel Chandler of Concord John Wainwright & 
Ezra Bourn Esq''^ (^'^y four of whom to be a Quorum) be a Commit- 
tee fully authorized & impowered to survey and lay out two Tracts of 
Land for Townships of the Contents of six miles square, of the 
unappropriated Lands in this Province, and that the said lands be 
granted & disposed of to the Persons, whether Officers or Soldiers, 
belonging to this Province, who were in the Service of their Country 
in the said Narraganset War, or to their lawful Represenf^*^^ as a 
Reward for their publick Services & in full satisfaction of the Grant 
formerly made them by the Great & General Court ; and for as much 
as it is the full Intent & Purpose of this Court that every Officer & 
Soldier who served in the said War should have a Compensation 
made them over & above what Wages & Gratuities any of then have 
already received, THAT the said Committee give publick Notice in the 
NEWS LETTER or otherwise six months at least before the Time of 
their Meeting, where & when they intend to meet, that so every 
Officer & Soldier that served in the said War, or the lawful Repre- 
sentatives of such as served & are since Deceased, may have an 
Opportunity of enlisting their names with the said Committee, Who are 
hereby ORDERED to take a list accordingly; and when and so soon 
as the said Committee has received a compleat Li.st of the Names of 
such Persons as have served as aforesaid or their legal Represent^*^^ 
(which they are enjoined to do with all convenient speed,) the 
Grantees shall be obliged to assemble within as short a Time as they 
can conveniently & proceed to the Choice of a Committee to regulate 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 21 

each Society, who shall pass such Orders and Rules as will effectually 
oblige them to settle sixty Families in each Township with a learned 
orthodox Minister within the Space of seven years from the Date of 
the Grant, PROVIDED nevertheless that if the said Grantees, shall 
not effectually settle the said Number of Families in each Township & 
also lay out a lot for the first settled Minister, one for the Ministry 
& one for the School in each of the said Townships, they shall take no 
advantage but forfeit the said Grant, any thing to the Contraiy 
contained Notwithstanding. 

" In Council ; Read cV Concur'd with the Amendments" 

The next June there was further action taken in refrence to the 
laying out of these two townships, and the notifying of all persons 
surviving who were in the fight, and of the legal representatives of 
those deceased, in order that a full list of the claimants could be 
presented to the Court as speedily as possible. To this end, public 
notice was to be given in the NEWS LETTER, and the following 
advertisement posted up in every town in the Province : 

" Advertisement. These may Certify whom it may concern. That 
the General Assembly of this Province at their Session began and held 
the 29''^ of May 1728 Pass'd a Resolve for granting two Tracts of 
unappropriated Land for Townships of the Contents of Six Miles 
square each, to the Persons whether Officers or Soldiers, belonging 
to this Province, who were in the service of their country in the Nar- 
raganset War ; And all such officers and Soldiers now surviving, and 
the legal Representatives of those that are Deceased, are desired to 
give or send into the Secretaries Office Lists of their Names and 
Descent, to be laid before the General Court at their next Fall 
Session. ^ 

J. WTLLARD, Seer." 
{Massachusetts Archives^ Vol. 72 : 367.) 

On Dec. 18 following, plans were given in by Major John 
Chandler, Mr. Edward Shove and Mr. John Hobson, a Committee of 
the House, describing the bounds of land laid out for the two town- 
ships. These plans were accepted by the House, and the land 
described confirmed to the soldiers ; the Council concurred, and the 
Governor, W. Burnett, consented thereto. 

The next April, 1728-9, a Committee was appointed in the House 
"to take & Examine" a list of the claimants to the lands lately 
granted to the Narragansett soldiers, and to make report on their 
doings at the next May session. This list was presented, and Dec. 
20, 1729, the House voted that the land should be granted to the 
persons contained in the written list, and that the Grantees should 



22 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

meet at Boston if the small-pox should not be there. If so, at Cam- 
bridge on the hrst Wednesday of the following June. This time was 
changed, by order of the Court, to the second Wednesday of the next 
fall session, and by an order in October, the place of meeting was 
appointed to be at Boston. 

It seems that the list of claimants for the lands proved to be larger 
than was at first anticipated, and petitions were presented to the 
Court, by a committee of the Narragansett officers and soldiers, ask- 
ing for a larger grant of land, and more time to perfect the list of 
claimants. On these petitions action was taken by the House, in 
which the Covmcil concurred, that the time for persons to bring- 
in their claims to the Narragansett lands should be extended to the 
first Wednesday of the next April ; and a further grant of land be 
made to the petitioners, of a township of the contents of six miles 
square to each hundred and twenty persons, under the same condi- 
tions and limitations with those already granted. But notwithstanding 
this, we find two months later, the following action on the petition of 
Thomas Hunt and others: 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, February 17, 1730.) 

"A PETITION of Thomas Hunt & others a Committee for the 
Narraganset Soldiers, setting forth that their number is so great that 
the Grant of Land already made will not be sufficient, when it comes 
to be divided among them all, to make any tollerable Lots for settlem' 
and therefore PRAYING an Enlargem' of the s'^ Grant, as also that 
further time may be allowed for Persons to put in their Claims to said 
Land. 

"In the House of Represent^"^^ Read & ORDERED that there be 
Liberty given to the persons to bring in their Claims to the Narra- 
ganset Lands to a Committee to be appointed by this Court until the 
first Wednesday in June next ; and that such further Grant of Land 
be made to the Petitioners, as that each One hundred & twenty 
Persons, whose Claims are or shall be allowed of by this Court, may 
have a Township of the Contents of Six Miles square, under the 
same restrictions & limitations, with those already granted, and that 
the Committees formerly appointed to lay out the Towns for the 
Narraganset Soldiers, & for examining the Claims of said Soldiers be 
the respective Committees for performing the like services as above 
directed to, and that the PROVINCE be at the Charge of laying out 
the Land to be granted as above into Tracts of six miles square, but 
not of any subdivisions to particular Grantees. 

"In Council; Read & Non Concur'd, & ORDERED that there be 
Liberty given to all Persons concerned to bring in their Claims to the 
Lands granted to the Officers & Soldiers in the Narraganset War, 
unto the Committee formerly appointed by this Court for that service, 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 23 

until the first Wednesday in June next, & that the Lands already 
granted by this Cowrt to the said Officers & Soldiers & their legal 
Represent^'^* under certain Conditions and Restrictions be & hereby 
are absolutely given & granted to such Persons whose Claims are or 
shall be allowed by this Court & to their Heirs & assigns for ever ; 
any former Order of this Court referring to the said Grant notwith- 
standing." 

The petitioners, however, still further pressed their claims express- 
ing their discouragement as to settling the lands formerly granted, and 
calling to mind the vote of the two Houses to give each hundred 
and twenty claimants a town of six miles square, to which the Council 
had not agreed ; and again prayed for an additional grant of land and 
more time to prove their claims. Once more the House extended the 
time, and again voted the additional land, and once more the Council 
refused to concur. Then followed the sending up from the House 
the message to which reference has already been made in these pages. 
This message goes over the whole ground with great skill and weight 
of argument. It shows most clearly the claim the soldiers had for 
the grant of land (Gorham as well as the other Societies). This 
message was read in the Council, but action on it was deferred. 

The message. 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, January 19, 1731.) 

"In the House of Representat^" ORDERED that y'^ following 
message be sent up to the Hon^'e Board. Viz — WHEREAS there 
have been several Endeavours to accommodate the Narrhagansett 
Soldiers & their Descendants with a Sutable quantity of Land for th'' 
Settlem' as an acknowledgement & Reward of their great Service to 
this Country which have failed hitherto of the desired Success ; This 
House have thought it might tend to promote a good understanding 
& Harmony in this Court to lay before the Hon^ie Board, WHERE- 
FORE it is that the Represent""^^ have come into the Grant of a Tract 
of Six miles square to Each number of One hundred & Twenty 
persons which they have made this Session in answer to the Petition 
of Thom^ Tilestone & others a Comm'^^ in behalf of themselves & the 
rest of the Soldiers & their Descendants, who were in the Narraganset 
War. AND one great Reason is that there was a Proclamation 
made to the Army in the name of the Governm' (as living Evidences 
very fully testify) when they were muster'd on Dedham Plain where 
they began their March, that if they played the man, took the Fort & 
Drove the Enemy out of the Narraganset Country, which was their 
great Seat, that they should have a gratuity in Land besides their 
Wages ; and it is well known, & our Sitting to hear this petition is 
an Evidence that this was done ; and as the Conditions has been 



24 HISTORY' OF GORIIAM. 

performed, certainly the promise in all Equity & Justice ought to be 
fultilled ; and if we Consider the Difficulties these brave men went 
thro' in Storming the Fort in the Depth of Winter, & the pinching 
wants they afterwards underwent in pursuing the Indians that escaped 
thro' a hideous Wilderness famously known throughout New England 
to this Day by the Name of the hungry March; and if we further 
Consider that until this brave tho' small army thus played the Man, 
the whole Countrj' was filled with Distress & fear, & We trembled in 
this Capital Boston itself & that to the Goodness of God to this army 
We owe our Fathers & our own Safety & Estates, We cannot but 
think y' those Instrum** of our Deliverance & Safety ought to be not 
only justly but also gratefully & generously rewarded &: even with 
much more than they prayed for, If we measure w' they receive from 
us, by w' we enjoy & have receiv'd from them, We need not mention 
to the y^ Hon'^''^ Board the Wisdom Justice & Generosity of Our 
Mother Country & of the ancient Romans on such Occasions, Tri- 
umph, Orations Hereditaiy Honors & privileges all the Riches, Lands 
& Spoils of War & conquer'd Countrys have not been thought too 
great for those to whom they have not owed more if so much as We 
do to those our Deliverers ; and We ought further to observe what 
greatly adds to their merit that they were not Vagabonds & Beggars 
& Out-casts, of w* Armies sometimes are considerably made up who 
run the Hasards of War to Avoid the Danger of Starving; so far 
from this that these were some of y^ best of Our men, the Fathers & 
Sons of some of y^ greatest & best of Our famil^^ & could have no 
other View but to Serve y^ Country & whom God was pleased 
accordingly in every remarkable mann"" to Honour & Succeed. Of 
these things the Hon'^'*= the General Court of the Late Colony of the 
Massachusetts in those days was not insensible & accordingly gave 
to y^ Soldiers being upward of Five Hundred, ab* Two thirds of the 
Army that went from y^ Massachusetts, & the late Colony of Plimouth 
a Tract of ab' forty thousand acres in the Nipmug Country, this or 
the Value of it these Soldiers would be contented with & take in their 
Brethren of Plimouth too, tho' that sh'' take away two thirds of w' 
was granted them & would after that have more in Value than w^ they 
now ask for them all, for every one must own that 40000 acres in the 
Heart of the Country as the Nipmug Country is, is of more Value 
than five times that quantity remote in the Borders & in Danger, if 
there should be a french War, as is & would be the Case with all the 
unappropriated Lands of the province, wh*^*^ they now ask for. — 

"IT IS HOPED THAT the neglect of these petition--^ so long or 
the provinces having disposed of the Nipmug Country to others & so 
defeated their ancient (Grants will not be thought to wear out any 
more than it rewards their merit. The Grant seems to be made in 
acknowledgm' both of y"' promise & of y"" fulfilling y«= Condition & 
being well entitled to it, «& there is great Reason to fear that publick 
(kiilt w'' ly upon the Country if we should neglect and continue in the 
Breach of this promise after it has been made & omitted for above 
fifty years. As to the late Grant of two Townships to Seven or Eight 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 25 

hundred of these Soldiers, It is so far below the Value of the Land 
they Conquer'd, & the Price the province had for it when it was sold, 
& the money divided to the Colonies that carried on the War, It is 
such a Pittance of w' they obtained for us, so exceedingly beneath w' 
the province has defeated them of which was granted to ab^ Two 
thirds of them in the Nipmug Countiy, that it is rather mocking & 

deriding them to offer it. Beyond w' has been oft'ered it sh'^' be 

Considered that to Grant the present petition, & give such a quantity 
of Land as may be worth Settling, & upon Conditions of bringing 
forward Townships is much more agreeable to Charter & for the 
publick Good than to Give away Tracts of Land & suffer & even 
tempt men to let them ly waste & unimprov'd, for in the way that 
has been proprosed & in which some Progress has been made, the 
Lands will be divided into such Scraps that they will not be worth 
receiving. 

" In Council read " 

A year from this time the matter was again brought up by a second 
petition from Thomas Tilestone and others; and in June, 1732, on a 
third petition from the same the following action was taken : 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, June 9, 1732.) 

"A PETITION of Thomas Tilaston & others a Committee in 
behalf of the Officers &^ Soldiers in the Narrhaganset War, PRAY- 
ING the Revival of a Vote pass'd by both Houses on their former 
Petition given in at the last winter Session for Enlarging the Grant of 
Land formerly made to them in Consideration of their great Services 
to this PROVINCE in the S^ War — In the House of Represent^^" 
Read & in answer to this Petition, — ORDERED that such further 
Grant be made the petition''^ as y* Every One Hundred & Twenty 
Persons whose Claims have been or shall be allowed of by this Court 
within four months of this Time may have a Township of the Con- 
tents of Six Miles square under y^ same Restrictions & Limitations 
with those Towns already granted, & that the Comm"^^ formerly 
appointed to lay the Towns of the Narraganset Soldiers be a Com- 
mittee to lay out the Land above granted, & the PROVINCE be at 
the Charge of laying out the Same, but not of any Subdivisions to any 
particular persons. 

" In Council Read & Concurred 

Consented to." 

An additional list of officers and soldiers of the Narragansett war 
was presented to the General Court, and the following action taken, 
April 26, 1733: 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, April 26, 1733.) 

" A PETITION of a Comm''^'^ for the Narraganset Soldiers, SHEW- 
ING that there are the Number of EIGHT HUNDRED & FORTY 
persons Enter'd as Officers & Soldiers in the late Narraganset War^ 



26 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

PRAYIX(} that there may be such an addition of Land granted to 
them as may allow a Tract of six miles Square to Each One Hundred 
& Twenty men so admitted. 

In the House of Represent^'^'^ Read & ORDERED that the Prayer 
of the Petition be granted and that Major Chandler M'' Edward 
Shove Coll : Tho** Tilestone M"" John Hobson & M"^ Samuel Chandler 
(or any three of them) be a Comm*'^'^ fully authorized &: impowered to 
Survey & lay out five more Tracts of Land for Townships, of the 
Contents of Six miles Square each, in some of the unappropriated 
Lands of this province & y' s"^ Lands (together with the two Towns 
before granted), be granted & disposed of to the Ofttcers & Soldiers 
who were in the Narraganset War, or to their lawful Represent^*^^ as 
they are or have been allowed by this Court being Eight Hundred & 
forty in number in the whole, and is in full Satisfaction of the Grant 
formerly made them by the General Court as a reward for their 
publick Service ; and the Grantees shall be obliged to Assemble 
within a short Time as they can conveniently, not exceeding the 
Space of two months & proceed to the Choice of Comm"=^^ respectively 
to regulate Each Propriety or Township wh* is to be held & enjoyed 
by One Hundred & twenty of the Grantees each & in equal propor- 
tion who shall pass such Orders Sz Rules as shall effectually oblige 
them to Settle Sixty Families at least within each Township with a 
learned orthodox Minister within the space of Seven Years from the 
Date of this Grant, PROVn:)ED always that if the said Grantees 
shall not Effectually settle the s'^ Number of Families in Each Town- 
ship & also lay out a Lot for y^ first Settled Minister one for the 
Ministry & one for the School in Each of the said Townships, they 
shall have no Advantage of, but forfeit their respective Grants, any- 
thing to the Contrary contained Notwithstanding ; the Charge of the 
Survey to be paid by the province 

"In Council; Read & Concurr'd. — Consented to J BELCHER. 

In this we find the rule of settlement for the five last townships 
granted, which includes Narragansett No. 7. 

The Narragansett battle took place in 1675, and by the time the 
Grants were made by the General Court in 1733 it will be seen that 
besides those that perished in the fight, most of the survivors, by 
reason of the lapse of time, must have passed away ; and it would be 
but natural that there should be many conflicting claims among the 
heirs. To settle these claims and rectify mistakes in the list of 
Grantees, committees were appointed from both Houses to attend to 
the affair. On April 18, 1734, 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, April 18, 1734.) 

" Thomas Palmer Esq"" from the Committee of both Houses on 
the Affair of settling the Towns granted to the Narraganset soldiers 
gave in the following Report ; viz. 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. J< 

"The COMMITTEE to whom was referred the Affair of the 
Narraganset Claimers are of OPINION that the Consideration of 
Admitting such Claimers as heretofore omitted presenting or proving 
their Claims should be refer'd to the Session of the General Court in 
May next ; THAT the true Intent & Meaning of the Grant made of 
Lands to those that were in that War was that the Persons who were 
in that War, only should be entitled, if alive, whosoever put in his 
Claim, and if deceased, then his legal Represent^*^^ were entitled to 
benefit thereby, in such way as was consistent with the Conditions & 
Limitations of Settlement &c, upon which said Lands were granted ; 
which it was never supposed a Deceased Claimers Heir (in ordinary 
Cases) could or would receive where there were more than one on the 
Conditions of the Grant, but that where there were divers descend- 
ants of a person that had a Right they would agree & consent it 
should belong to one only; but WHEREAS in some cases by reason 
of an evil Mind & turbulent disposition, & in others by reason_ of 
Minority there is a great difficulty ; We propose that it be RESOLVED 
& ORDERED That where the Person is deceased who was in the 
service, the Grant shall be and belong to his legal Represent^'^^ in the 
following manner; viz. THAT the oldest Heir Male, if such there 
be, otherwise the oldest Female, if they please shall hold the Land, 
paying to the other descendants or Heirs such proportionable parts 
of Ten Pounds (at which we judge a Right ought ' to be valued) as 
such descendants or Heirs would be entitled to in the Land, if such 
Land descended according to the Law of this Province for the Settle- 
ment of Intestate Estates: & also pay what charge any of said 
descendants may have been at to prove or bring forward such claims ; 
and if any dispute shall happen about the Person or charge, the 
Settlers or Grantees in such of the Towns shall fix and settle it by a 
Major Vote. THE COMMITTEE IS FURTHER OF OPINION 
that the seven years for settling the Towns granted to the Narragan- 
set Claimers as well the two first as the five last be computed from 
the first day of June next: In the Name & by the order of the 
Cornm''^'^ Tho. Palmer. 

" In Council ; Read and ORDERED that this Report be accepted : 

In the House of Represent^'^'* Read and Concur'd; Consented 

to, J. BELCHER." 

The eight hundred and forty grantees met on Boston Common in 
1733, where on the 6th of June, at an adjourned meeting, it was 

" Voted that the Grantees allowed by the General Court amounting 
to the Number of Eight hundred & forty in the whole be divided into 
Seven distinct Society^ : each Society to Consist of One Hundred & 
Twenty of the old Grantees which Society shall be Intitled to one of 
the Townships Granted to the Narrogansit Soldiers 

"That one of the said Societys shall Consist Mostly of the pro- 
prietors belonging to the Towns of Barnstable Yarmouth Eastham 
Sandwich Plimouth Tisbury Abbington Duxbur}^ & one of Scituate." 



28 HISTORY OF OOKHAM. 

It was also voted that Col. Shubal Gorham, Mr. Timothy White, 
and Robert Sandford should be a committee for this .society, to form 
a part of the Joint Committee of twenty-one members — three from 
each society — to assign the different townships. This committee 
met at Luke Verdey's in Boston, on the seventeenth of October, of 
the same year (1733), and proceeded to number the townships. It 
is said that No. i (Buxton), on the Saco river, was first assigned to 
the society from Ipswich and vicinit}^ and that the remainder were 
then disposed of by lot, which resulted as follows : Narraganset No. 
2, at " Wachuset," now Westminster, Mass., to Jas. Lowden and 
others; No. 3, at " Souhegan-West," now Amherst, N. H., to Richard 
Mower and others ; No. 4, first laid out at " Amoskeag Falls," on 
Merrimack river, now Goffstown and a part of Manchester, N. H.. 
and, subsequently at what is now Greenwich, Mass., to Edward 
Shove and others ; No. 5, called " Souhegan-East," now Bedford, part 
of Manchester and part of Merrick, N. H., to Col. Thomas Tileston 
and others; No. 6, now Templeton, Mass., to Samuel Chandler and 
others; and No. 7, now Gorham, Me., to Shubael Gorham and others. 

Following is the list of Grantees of Narragansett No. 7, together 
with the number of the lot, consisting of thirty acres, and bearing the 
same number as the right, aftixed to each Proprietor's name. 





BARNSTABLE. 




Mary Douenour, 


38 


John Phinney, 


87 


Jacob Hinkley, 


122 


Joseph Bearse, 


81 


John Carmon, 


22 


Samuel Hinkley, 


80 


George Lewis, 


14 


Samuel Davis, 


98 


John Hathaway, 


40 


Samuel Allyn, 


70 


Joseph Higgin, 


86 


John Lewis's heirs. 


I 


Samuel Bryant, 


54 


Caleb Lumbert, 


19 


Richard Ellingham, 


21 


Joseph Gorham, 


64 


Samuel Childs, 


118 


Josiah Davis, 


23 


Samuel Barnam, 


13 


Ebenezer Goodspeed, 


85 


Samuel Linnell, 


89 


Ebenezer Clap, 


100 


Dr. Matthew Fuller, 


69 


Lot Conant, 


33 


Samuel Fuller, 


20 


Jedediah Lumbert, 


47 


Thomas Fuller, 


25 


Samuel Cops, 


97 


Increase Clap, 


16 


Joseph Blush, 


27 


Joseph Taylor, 


72 


John Howland, 


i 1 1 


John Duncan, 


>5 


John Clarke, 


115 


Bartholomew Hamblen, 


88 


Shubal Gorham, Jr., for his 




Eleazer Hamblen, 


42 


father John, 


(^i 


Thomas Huggins, 


141 


Joseph Crocker, 


114 






John Goodspeed, 


1 12 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 



29 



Samuel Barker, for his 
father, Samuel, 

William Gray, for his 
father, William, 

John Thatcher, 

John Matthews, 

William Gray, 

Samuel Hall, 

Joseph Hall, 

Nathaniel Hall, 

Samuel Thomas, 

Samuel Jones, 

Thomas Felton, 

William Fellows, 

Ananias Wing, 

John Chase, 

Richard Lake, / 

Henry Gage, 

John Pugsley, 

Jonathan Whites, 

William Baker, 



Timothy Cole, for his 
father, Timothy, 
Jonathan Grew for his 
father-in-law 
Daniel Cole, 
Thomas Paine, 
Eliakim Higgins, 
Benjamin Downings, 
Jonathan Sparrow, 
Samuel Atkins, 
Thomas Mulford, 
John Walker, 
Nathaniel Williams, 
Joseph Harding, 



YARMOUTH. 






Richard Taylor, 


120 


74 


William Chase, 


"3 




Capt. Jno. Gorham, 


96 


71 


Thos. Ba.xter, 


84 


3' 


John Hallitt, 


93 


55 


Thos. Thortons, 


3 


4 


James Maker, 


6 


5 


James Claghorn, 


7 


119 


Samuel Hedge, 


83 


8 


Joseph Wildens, 


30 


34 


Jonathan Smith, 


17 


9 


Richard Tayler, 


18 


TO 


John Gage, 


52 


12 


William Gage, 


49 


I 10 


John Crowell, 


-75 


I 08 


Henry Golds, 


60 


102 


Jabez Gorham, 


109 


50 


Yelverton Crowell, 


62 


106 


Daniel Baker, 


107 


78 


Samuel Baker, 


79 


43 






EASTHAM. 






Jeremiaji Smith, for his 




41 


father, Jeremiah, 
Joseph and Samuel 
Doan, for their 


91 


59 


father Sam' Berry, 


36 


94 


Jedediah Higgins, 


65 


II 


Joseph I^ownings, 


104 


'03 


John Freeman, 


34 


92 


John Knowles, 


73 


67 


John Doan, 


51 


90 


Daniel Doan, 


29 


53 


John Myrick, 


82 


58 


Josiah Cooks, 


76 


39 


George Brown, for his 






father George, 


44 



Jonathan Morrey, for 
his wife's brother 
Foster, 
Samuel Gibbs, 
John Davis, for his 
brother Ben, 



SANDWICH. 

Samuel Tobey, for his 

uncle Samuel Knott, 48 
68 Nathaniel Wing, for his 

37 father Nathaniel, 45 

James Atkins, 61 

56 JehosophatEldridge, 35 



30 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 





rLVMOUTH. 


William Ring, 


46 Peter Tinkman, for his 


Thomas Savery, for his 


father I'eter, 


father Samuel, 


26 




TISBURV. 


Jonathan Liimbert, 


'17 




ABBINGTON. 


William Ilarrage, 


66 




DUXBURV. 


Robert Barker, 


1 01 Robert Sandford, for h: 


Thomas Bonney, 


32 father Robert, 


Stephen Sampson, 


97 Thomas Hunt, for his 


Thomas Standish, for his 


uncle Thos. Hunt, 


uncle Henry Clark, 


105 




SCITUATE. 


Timothy White, for his 




father Timothy, 


116 



95 

77 



That the committee appointed to rectify the list did not perform 
their work very thoroughly is shown by the following petition, which 
we find in the old Proprietors' Records : 

"To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq., Captain General and 
Commander in Chief, in and over his Majesty's Province of the 
Massachusetts Bay in New England, &c. 

"To the hono:^''^ the Council & Representatives now sitting, April 
7, 1741, Humbly sheweth Shubal Gorham, Esq in Behalf of several 
of his neighbours & at their requests, 

"Thatwheras the General Court some time since made a Grant 
of Lands to the Soldiers of Narrogansett Fight so Call"^. & a List of 
Names of such was accordingly Taken ; But so it was in the perfect- 
ing or Taking said List By Mistake of the Clark, or scribers, the 
names of some was wrong Entered viz.* in said List is Entered 
Richard Tayler alive and Richard Taylers heirs, wheras the Latter 
should have been Jn° Taylers heirs ; There not being Two Rich^. 
Taylers in said Company, But that there was one Jn° Tayler : & 
another viz.» Entered W" Gray For his Father VVill"^ cS: Will-^ Gray:s 
heirs, there not Being two W'" Grays in said Company, But that their 
was one Edward Gray: & another viz' Entered Joseph Croker 
wheras It should have Been Josiah Croker. Your Memoralist well 
knowing their mistakes to be so & that there was no such person as 
Joseph Croker of Barnstable in said Company in Service, But that 
there was Josiah Croker in said Company; & that their several 
heirs have Carried on the Charges of Bringing on the settlement & 
performed the order of Court Accordingly. Wherfore your Memor- 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 31 

alist in Behalf of his neighbors humbly Moves that an order of This 
Court may Be, so that the Names of the said John Tayler Edward 
Gray & Josiah Croker may be Entered & that Their several heirs 
may Accordingly Enjoy the wrights of Their said Ancestors, & your 
Memoralist in there Behalf, as in duty Bound, Shall pray. 
April 8, 1 741. Shubal Gorham. 

"In the House of Representatives April 10, 1741. • 

Read & Ordered that Y" prayer of The Petition Be Granted & the 
Mistakes Mentioned are allowed to be Rectify'd Accordingly. 

Sent up for Concurrance 

J Quincy Speaker. 
" In Council April 10, 1741, 
Read &: Concurred, J. Williard Secty. 

Consent'' to J Belcher." 

In 1736 Shubael Gorham received the following order from the 
General Court : — 

(From the Massachusetts Court Records, July 5, 1736.) 

" In the House of Represent^ ORDERED that Shubal Goreham 
Esq"" be and hereby is fully authorized and Impowered to Assemble 
and Convene in some Suitable place and as soon as may be the 
Grantees of the Narragansett Town Number Seven, adjoining to 
Falmouth, & Pesurnpsutt River, in the County of York, made to the 
Narragansett Officers and Soldiers in the Company Under the Com- 
mand of the late Cap' Goreham dese^, and in answer to the petition 
of the said Shubal Goreham Esq'' That the said Grantees in such 
time and place make choice of a proprietors Clerk and pass such 
Rules and Orders as may be agreeable to the Conditions of the 
Grant for bringing forward the Settlement of the Township and also 
to agree on Some Regular method how to Call proprietors meeting 
for the future. 

" In Council Read & Concur'd Consented to J BELCHER " 

A meeting, in accordance with the above order, was held, and after 
choosing a clerk, adjourned for further business. (This was the first 
meeting called.) The adjourned meeting failed on account of the 
clerk not appearing at the meeting, as the following taken from the 
Massachusetts records will show; but of these meetings no record, 
so far as we are aware, has been preserved. 

(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 114, pp. 670-2.) 

" To his Excely William Shirley, EsqS Cap' Gen' c^- GoV in Chief, 
the hon'^'% the Council & Represent^*^^ in Gen' Court assembled 
1 1 Aug. 1741. 

" The petition of Shubal Gorham Esq' for himself & rest of y^ pro- 
prietors of the Naraganset Township No Seven joyning to Falmouth 
& Pesumpsutt River in the County of York 



32 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

*• Humbly Sheweth : 

That on the fifth of July 1736 by an Act of the Gen^ Court 
the s^' Shubal was impowered in some suitable place as soon as might 
be to convene the Grantees of the s^ Townships for divers purposes 
& among the rest to agree upon some regular method how to call 
proprietors' meetings for the future. 

That he then accordingly called the s'' meeting & did several 
things & adjourned to a future day, when they should have proceeded 
upon further business &: particularly to agree on y*^ method for call- 
ing future meetings, but that adjournment failed by the clerk's casual 
absence, & so they are disabled to call any meetings as their present 
occasions necessarily require 

Wherefore y"" petitioner humbly prays that he may be anew empow- 
ered to convene the Grantees & proprietors afores'' to do what their 
present occasions require & agree on some proper method to call 
proprietors' meetings for the future «& y'' petitioner as in duty bound 
shall ever pray. 

Shubal Gorham. 
"In Council Oct. y'^^ 1741. Read and 
ORDERED that the prayer of the Petition be granted & that the 
Petion'' be & hereby is empowered to convene the Grantees &: Pro- 
prietors within mentioned for the Purposes mentioned in the Petition 
• — Sent down for Concurrence 

J. Willard Secry. 
"In the House of Represent'''^^ Read & Concur'd 
J. Hobson Spkr 
"Consented to W. Shirley." 

Upon receipt of this order, Col. Gorham issued this warrant for a 
meeting : 

"To the Proprietors or Grantees of the Narrogansett Township 
No. 7. Persuant to the Authority to me for This purpose Granted 
by the Great & General Court you are here by required to assemble 
& meet at the dwelling house of Mr. John Phinney at the aforesaid 
Township at Tuesday the 24th of November Next at Ten of the 
Clock before Noon & there to Chuse a proprietors Clark & to Agree 
on some Methods for Calling Meetings of said Proprietors for the 
future as also to Take the proper measure for defraying the Needful 
Charge that May arise in Erecting a Meeting house for the Public 
worship supporting a Minister in the Winter season or otherwise as 
said proprietors shall agree & to act & Transact such Other Matters 
& things as by the said proprietors shall then be thought Necessary. 

Given under my hand & Seal this 18th day of October Anno 

Domini 1741 

Shubal Gorham." 

The meeting was held Nov. 24, 1741, and is the first meeting of 
which we have any record. At this meeting Moses Pearson was 



NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS. 33' 

chosen Moderator, and John Gorham, Clerk. It was adjourned until 
the 26th, when among other business done, it was voted to build a 
meeting house. This meeting was adjourned till April 27. As Mr. 
Pearson, being a member of the General Court, could not attend this 
adjournment, Shubal Gorham, Esq., again, April 23, 1742, petitioned 
the General Court for liberty to call another meeting, and liberty was 
granted him to call a Proprietors' meeting, which was notified to 
meet at the house of Moses Pearson at Falmouth, May 19th, at 10 
o'clock A. M. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE INDIANS IN AND AHOUT GORHAM. 

The history of the Indian tribes that inhabited the region of coun- 
try now known as the County of Cumberland, in the State of Maine, 
in or about the year 1736, when the white man first attempted a 
settlement in the town of Gorham, is involved in much mystery. 
Historians at that day were few to chronicle their deeds of arms and 
civil and religious history. They noted only those deeds which were 
called Indian aggressions, and Indian murders. The settlers were men 
who had other business on their hands, which to them was of more 
vital importance. Most of these men were poor, and came here for 
the purpose of making a settlement and getting a living, having fam- 
ilies to provide for; and all their time was required to procure even 
the bare necessaries of life for their support, and they were often 
much harassed, and their lives jeopardized by the very people with 
whose history we at this day would be glad to be made more 
acquainted. 

At the time of the first settlement of Maine, the country was not 
very thickly settled by the natives ; disease and other casualties had, 
we have reason to believe, much thinned their numbers, but those 
that remained were a brave, hardy race, inured to a cold climate and 
the hardships of the chase and of war. And as we wish to confine 
our history to a small space of territory, we do not deem it necessary 
to go far into the history of the Indian tribes of the State generally, 
but will treat more particularly of those of that part now known as 
the town of Gorham, and its immediate neighborhood. The natives, 
that in time of peace were usually met with by the first settlers on 
the above-named territory, were of the Ossipee, Pickwocket and 
Androscoggin tribes. The Ossipee were on the river of that name, 
on the borders of New Hampshire ; the Pickwockets on the Saco 
River, at what is now called Fryeburg, and the Androscoggins were 
on the Androscoggin River. These were the principal locations of 
the tribes, or where they had their villages. At this time these tribes 
were much reduced in the number of their warriors, owing to their 
frequent wars with each other, and their battles with the English, and 



THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM. 35 

the migration which had taken place among them ; many having gone 
to Canada, and joined the St. Francis and other Canadian tribes, not 
choosing to submit to the English. These were much under the 
influence of the Catholic priests, who were French Jesuits, and with 
whom their religion was as much for the service of the State as for 
the salvation of the souls of men, and to the French this influence 
over the natives was of no small consequence. 

Those of the tribes who remained in the neighborhood of the 
English settlements were induced to do so from the fact that their 
local situation was such as to insure them the means of an easy sub- 
sistence. Good fishing-places, and the opportunities of trade were, 
in the opinion of the natives, not to be thought of lightly. And as 
hunting for peltry for the English market was not the work for all sea- 
sons, and as subsistence had to be procured when the chase failed,- no 
place could afford better facilities for this than the seashore. The 
seashore then was as much a summer resort for the natives of the 
forest as now for the more modern inhabitants of the land. Shell- 
fish were consumed by them, as appears from the remains of the 
shells found in large quantities about the shore. The clambake is 
not the invention of modern fashionables, but dates, probably, far 
back with the Red man. The bow and arrow, spear, hook and net 
were used in their hunting and fishing, and besides this, the Indi- 
ans were expert at snaring and trapping. Their arms and implements, 
before acquaintance with the whites, were of rude construction, made 
of bones of animals and hard stones ; and the nets, of twine twisted 
from the bark of trees ; and to ensure success in their use required 
much dexterity, skill and patience. Many of these ancient imple- 
ments are found, at the present day, in the piles of clam shells, 
which accumulated under the hands of the natives on the seashore. 

Previous to the war of 1745, the Indians in Gorham were much 
more numerous than the whites, but were not troublesome, otherwise 
than by continual begging and stealing from the settlers. This was 
often exceedingly aggravating to the latter, as it was only by the 
greatest exertions, and many privations, that they were enabled to 
support their families, and to supply their necessary wants, but their 
situation made it for their interest to keep on good terms with 
their neighbors when the sacrifice was not too much. 

When the first settlers came into the town of Gorham there were 
a number of Indian trails or roads through the town. There was 
quite a resort for the Indians about Sebago Pond, in the vicinity of 
what is called Indian Island. From there they had a trail toward 



3G HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

the southerly part of the town, where it branched toward Porthind 
and Scarborough ; and a trail to all the fishing-places, or falls on the 
river. There was also a thoroughfare through the south part of 
the town, from Saco River toward Saccarappa Falls, and to Portland. 
In the Pond fishing was good, and many salmon were caught on the 
falls on Presumpscot River. 

Gorhamtown was then thought to be far into the wilderness ; the 
inhabitants were few, and suffered many privations, but they were 
stout hearted, and possessed that great resolution and firmness which 
was required to manage their affairs. They knew that their Indian 
neighbors were disposed to favor the French in case of a war, and, 
therefore, as little cause as possible was given them for complaint. 
The English and Indian children were always at play together, and 
when the young Indians would be a little vexed at something done 
by their white playmates they would at once say, " // come tuar by 
aftd by, and me pay you for this ; " and the words of the children were 
deemed to be the echo of the thoughts of the elders. 

When the war was declared between England and France, the 
tribes, to which the scattering Indians about Gorhamtown belonged, 
joined the French, and individually all the stragglers went home to 
prepare for war. This was much regretted by the settlers, as it fur- 
nished the enemy with a great number of rangers and spies who were 
able to lead their friends into the settlements at any time, and who 
knew every individual, with all the resources and means of defence 
possessed by the inhabitants. This gave to the war a bad feature, 
and to the enemy a great and much dreaded advantage. Often when 
war-parties were discovered about Gorhamtown, Indians were seen 
and recognized as those, who, in time of peace, had made the town 
their residence. The young men of the settlement more than once 
met those with whom they had been playmates. In a skirmish, which 
the inhabitants had with a war-party, one of the young Phinneys rec- 
ognized a young Indian of his own age, who grew up in town, and 
with whom he had had many a happy time at play, and in sliding 
down hill in the winter on birch bark. But the meeting now was not 
for play, but for life or death. A few taunting words passed between 
them ; they both fired at the same moment ; the Indian missed, but 
Phinney brought his game, dead, to the ground. 

William McLellan, or young Bill as he was then called, when at 
work one day in the field, saw a young Indian about his own age who 
had often eaten and played with him, and whom he had many times 
hired to help him do his boy's stint that they might have the more 



THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GOKHAM. 37 

time to play. They had often in sport, when at play, threatened to 
shoot or make prisoners of each other in case a war should come. 
Little, probably, did they think of what would really happen when 
war did come. At the time young Bill discovered his friend, he was 
crawling on his hands and knees, trailing his gun, and Billy was hoe- 
ing corn, and his row would lead him directly to the point to which 
the Indian was crawling, from which with a sure aim he could bring 
down his victim. McLellan had his gun in the field, but it was by a 
stump some rods behind him. He soon made up his mind what 
course to pursue. Knowing from appearances that the Indian was 
not aware that he was discovered, he kept on at his hoeing, occasion- 
ally looking in a careless manner back on his work, as if to see how 
it looked, and once in a while stepping back a few steps to strike 
down a straggling weed, that he had left standing. Thus he kept 
along till he had got nearly within gun-shot of the suspicious point, 
where his enemy had secreted himself, when he slowly turned on his 
track, threw his hoe over his shoulder and walked carelessly toward 
the other end of the field, taking the stump in his way. When he 
arrived at the stump, he set down and in a careless way commenced, 
as if at play, to strike his hoe into the ground, and finally moved 
around the stump to where his gun lay, thus bringing the stump 
between him and the Indian. Here he was not inactive, but seized 
his gun, and crawled on his belly some distance, till he got behind a 
clump of bushes, from whence he could have a good view, and here 
waited patiently the movements of the Indian, whom he thought he 
had thrown off the track. As expected, the Indian was completely 
deceived. He thought young William had lain down to rest himself, 
and was still behind the stump, and that he was sure of his prize. 
Could he get at the stump, and surprise his victim, he would make a 
safe and easy job of it. William could but chuckle a little when he 
saw his yo\xx\g friend raise himself up and look cautiously about, and 
with soft and cat-like steps steal his way from bush to stump, 
and from stump to bush, toward the spot where he believed his victim 
lay entirely unprepared for his friendly visit. William was not an 
indifferent spectator, but he lay still till the Indian had got near the 
stump, and in his immediate vicinity, and where he had a clear range 
at him. As the thing stood between them he rather wished to speak 
to his old acquaintance before he fired. And after he had taken a 
good aim, he called out, "You no shoot young Bill this time," but 
was careful not to wait for a reply. His leaden messenger was on its 
way as soon as his words had arrived. The ball took effect in the 



38 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Indian's bowels. He immediately put his hand over the wound and 
made for the woods, calling out, " Bill, you shoot him well." Whether 
the Indian died from his wound was never known. William did not 
think it prudent to follow him. The young Indian was never seen 
afterwards, and no others were seen or heard from about the town at 
that time. It was supposed that this was the first war-path of the 
young brave ; that he had left his company, who had gone to some 
other place, and he intended to have commenced his war-like career 
by the murder of his young friend and playmate. The gun barrel 
with which the Indian was shot is still in the family, and owned by 
the author. 

The Indians had no permanent village within the bounds of Gor- 
ham, but in their migrations to and from the seacoast, the places of 
trade, and their hunting excursions, more or less of them could 
generally be found encamped on the territory where the streams pro- 
duced good fishing and many valuable furs. On the falls along the 
Presumpscot were caught large quantities of salmon, and in the small 
streams, the finest of trout. Many valuable furs, such as beaver, 
otter, mink and musk-rat were taken from the streams about here ; 
and the forest was thought to be good hunting ground. Game was 
abundant, both for food and peltry, such as moose, deer, foxes, 
wolves, and other smaller animals. 

An anecdote is related of the wife of one of the early settlers, 
Mrs. McLellan, wife of Hugh. When they came into town they 
were the owners of an old white horse, but, being old, he soon paid 
the debt of nature, and finished his earthly labors. His death was 
much mourned by the family, particularly by Mrs. M., and she often 
wished that his loss might be made up to them, and that they might 
have another horse, so that when she became homesick and lonely 
she might jump on to his back, and trot off to Portland, and cheer 
up her spirits by having a good time and chat with her friends. With 
this idea in her head, she was standing one day in the door of her 
log house, when a fine looking horse came in sight, trotting directly 
toward her, over what is now the Academy hill. The thought 
occurred to her that he was from below (Portland), and that she 
would stop him, and have at least one good ride before his owner 
should have the luck to recover him. When he came near, she ran 
into the path in order to stop and turn him toward the hovel, or 
barn, and for that purpose shook her apron at him. But instead of 
a horse, it turned out to be a fine large moose, and at this unexpected 
salutation he left in a hurry, clearing fences, bushes, logs and stumps 



THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM. 39 

in his bounds for liberty, and was not seen afterwards to be recog- 
nized, and Mrs. McLellan had for a long time to stand the joke of 
not getting her horse, and of losing the expected ride. 

We have reason to suppose that the Indians about Gorham were 
not wholly dependent upon the chase and the fisheries for a subsist- 
ence. When the whites first came to the town, tradition says that 
there were a number of clear spots of land, where neither tree nor 
bush was found. Some of these clearings were of several acres in 
extent. One was on the Jacob and Joseph Hamblen farm, so called, 
now owned by Henry B. Johnson, about half a mile easterly from the 
village. Many acres of the field north of the buildings on said farm 
were never cleared by the white man. Neither tree nor stump was 
found on them. Here it was believed was an Indian planting place, 
and that here Indian corn was raised before the white man ever set 
foot in Gorham. On this spot the early settlers made a common 
corn field for the benefit of all, while confined to the fort. At times 
when little danger was apprehended from the Indians, the women 
would take their husbands' dinners to them in this field. It is said 
that at one time, when the men were in this field at work, one of the 
women at the fort took her husband's dinner in order to carry it to 
him. Having arrived at the brook near the field, she was in the act 
of passing the stream on a log, when an Indian suddenly sprang 
from a clump of alders to arrest her and make her a captive, or kill 
her. She instantly sprang back, screamed at the top of her voice, 
and fled into the woods. The noise she made was heard in the field 
by the men, who immediately came to the rescue, and the Indian 
made off, with sundry leaden messengers flying after him. There 
was a clearing in the southeasterly part of the town, near the river, 
in the neighborhood of Mr. Riggs's house, where there had been an 
encampment, or Indian village, and it is believed that here was once 
a planting place, or an occasional stopping place of the natives in 
their migrations from Sebago Pond to Scarborough and Portland, 
and from Saco River to Portland. 

When we look over the territory, now Gorham, Buxton and Stand- 
ish, as then, 1736, covered with forest, with its many excellent 
springs, sparkling streams, and clear ponds, and apply our present 
knowledge of the then Indian wants, we cannot wonder that they 
clung to, and lingered around the spot, dear to them by every tie of 
nature. The home of their families, the burying places of their 
fathers, the stately old forest, the trees grown mighty from age, where 
none had roamed except men of their own race ; the abundance of 
game ; the springs of cold water, where they had for ages slaked 



40 



HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 



their thirst ; the streams full of the most delicious fish ; the hunting 
ground affording the finest of furs ; the proximity to the sea, should 
necessity compel them to go there ; the facilities for going deeper 
into the forest, its streams and ponds being navigable for their light 
canoes, which would in a short time take them far to new hunting 
grounds : these things were their life, they knew their worth and vast 
importance to them. 

The Indians were migratory in their habits. Their subsistence, 
and manner of procuring it, required a great extent of territory ; and 
the chase was often precarious, even with a good and large hunting 
ground. This, coupled with their known improvident habits, rendered 
privation and want often known to them. The settlements of the 
whites they looked upon as encroachments, notwithstanding the many 
benefits dealt out to them in the shape of rum and Christian instruc- 
tion. They saw only one side — that the whites were intruders, 
stealing their land, and driving off the game, which they believed to 
be their own private property. The Indians were not insensible 
to their situation. They knew that the advance of the white popu- 
lation, and the cutting and the clearing of the land, were gradually 
circumscribing the limits of their ancient hunting ground. They 
believed that they had much reason to complain of the want of faith 
in the whites, in their not keeping their treaties. Limits to the 
encroachments of the English would be fixed by a treaty, to which 
no heed would be paid. They would settle where they pleased, and 
would be protected; and the poor Indian would have nothing to say, 
only when the next treaty was made, he must enlarge the bounds, or 
give up more of his land, so as to include the squatter. The Indian 
would return home from the Treaty Conventions, believing that now 
he had the bounds of his hunting grounds fixed and secured from 
further aggressions, but this security would be only transient. When 
other conventions would be held to settle difficulties, what would be 
his surprise to see a treaty exhibited to him, made up at some previ- 
ous time, of which he knew nothing, covering territory he believed to 
be his own, and which he had no knowledge of having sold. What 
could he say ? Why the Indians said at once, and probably they 
told the truth, that a gross fraud had been committed on them, that 
their chiefs had been made drunk with the fire-water of the whites 
and made to sign a treaty, when they knew not what they were 
doing ; that they were cheated out of their lands and hunting 
grounds, and also cheated out of their furs, for when a small com- 
pensation was given them for their hard-earned goods, it was usually 
in fire-water, which made them poor and miserable, and was worse 



THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM. 41 

than useless, being often the source of quarrels and bloodshed among 
themselves. " Long and dismal," says the Rev. Mr. Hackewelder, 
"are the complaints which the Indians make of the Europeans' ingrat- 
itude and injustice. They love to repeat them, and always do it with 
the eloquence of nature, aided by their energetic and comprehensive 
language, which our polished idioms cannot imitate. Often I have 
listened to their description of their hard sufferings, until I felt 
ashamed of being a ivltitc man."" 

It is not strange, or to be wondered at, that they should have 
looked upon the English with jealousy and distrust, and with an eye 
of favor on the French, who were far from them, and whom they did 
not meet on their hunting grounds ; who had never cheated them of 
their lands, or of their furs, being from situation so far apart that 
trade could not be conveniently carried on between them. To this 
was added the influence of the priests, who taught the natives that 
the French were their brothers and friends, who would help to exter- 
minate the English, and restore them to their homes and hunting 
grounds. 

There was one class of settlers upon whom the Indians looked 
with perfect hatred, and with whom it was hard for them to keep 
peace. These were the white hunters, who were a class of hardy, 
fearless men, inured to hardship and fatigue ; well equipped for their 
business ; indefatigible in their hunts after game, and who gave the 
Indians much trouble. The latter said that they were thieves, would 
rob their traps and steal their furs. However this may be, there was 
hostile feeling between the hunters and the natives which, it was 
said, often ended only in death, when the two would meet in the 
woods, far from the settlements. Of this class of persons, one is 
known to have hunted on the territory we have described, and some 
small account of him has come down by tradition to our time. 

Bartholomew Thorn, or, as he was called by both Indians and 
whites, "Bart," had hunted over this region, now known as Gorham, 
Buxton and Standish, for some years before the first settlement of Gor- 
ham. Every pond, stream, and hill was known to him. Every Indian 
knew him, and a mutual hatred existed between them, but he was wary 
and brave, of an iron constitution, an athletic and sinewy frame, a 
quick eye, and was a sharpshooter and the possessor of one of the best 
guns in the region, and was a man with whom few were willing to 
engage. He was said to be of a taciturn disposition. It was rare 
that he communicated with any one ; when he did it was on business. 
The woods were his home, where he would spend months, and not 
see the face of a white man. Often, for injuries done, the Indians 



42 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

had threatened, and attempted to take his life ; but as often were 
they, in some way, by his quickness at subterfuge and stratagem, 
baffled in their attempts, and lucky were the ones who made the 
attempt, if they escaped as readily. Tradition says that more than 
one Indian had been missed, when he was about, of whom no 
account could be obtained. His hatred of the Indians did not extend 
to their game or peltries. These things he had a fondness for, and 
was always willing to appropriate them to his own use, however they 
were come at. One day an Indian went to examine his traps, near 
the mouth of Little River, and found the leg, of what had apparently 
been a fine large otter, in his trap, but the body was gone. The leg 
had been unjointed with a sharp knife. The Indian looked a moment, 
and the way the thing was done made it as clear as a plain wTitten 
book to him. He at once believed that Bart was the culprit. After 
a careful examination of his trap, the leg, and the ground, he made 
his conclusion that but a short time had elapsed since his otter was 
taken, and that the robber could be but a short distance from the 
spot, and if he was right and Bart had taken his game, he knew that 
Thorn would not run, and that to get justice he had a desperate 
game to play. He began to look cautiously about, and soon, with 
Indian sagacity, discovered signs indicating the course taken by the 
thief, and followed on. He had not gone far before he discovered 
a smoke where he believed he should find his otter. When he had 
obtained a position giving him a view of the fire, he discovered Thorn 
before the blaze, in the act of cooking some game ; on a log near by 
was what he believed to be the skin of his otter, and the much 
dreaded gun was standing against a sapling a few feet from Thorn. 
The Indian thought that he had things all his own way, and that his 
dreaded enemy was unarmed, and completely in his power; still he 
was unwilling to shoot Bart if he was not the thief. Of this, however, 
he had but little doubt. He cocked his gun, took a good range, and 
then spoke to Thorn and told him that he had stolen his otter, 
and that he must give it up. Thorn replied that the otter was his, 
that he had shot him, and that he should keep him. The Indian held 
up the leg he had found in the trap and asked how many legs his otter 
had. By this time Thorn had got his hand on his gun, and the Indian 
knew the talk must end, that no more words would be used, and if 
he was to recover his property a desperate remedy must be applied 
to the case. He at once raised his gun and attempted to fire, but 
it flashed in the pan. The Indian's time had come, his doom was 
fixed. Instantly the unerring gun of Thorn was discharged, and the 
injured Indian lay a bleeding corpse at his feet. 



CHAPTER. IV. 

MILITARY MATTERS. 
SOLDIERS IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. — THE MILITIA. 

In 1740, after the death of Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, 
Europe became embroiled over the claim of Maria Theresa, his 
daughter, to the kingdoms left by her father. Charles Albert, the 
Elector of Bavaria, also set up a claim to the Austrian States. 
England, in this war, which is known as the " War of the Austrian 
Succession," took the side of Maria Theresa. 

It was foreseen in this country, by both the French and English 
colonists, that France, ever a bitter enemy to the House of Austria, 
would lend its strength to assist the pretensions of the Elector, and 
declare war upon England. A formal declaration of hostilities 
between the two countries was not declared until March, 1744, but 
during the preceding year, 1743, the Indians seemed to be uneasy, 
and things had much of the appearance of an outbreak. The 
Province authorities thought it best to prepare for defence, and 
the General Court took measures for the protection of the eastern 
settlements of Maine. 
"Fryday, Oct. S^^\ 1743. 

In Council Ordered that William Pepperell and Samuel Danforth, 
Esq'■^ with such as the Honorable House shall joyn, be a committee 
to prepare the Draught of a bill for regulating Houses of Defence 
(commonly called Garrisons) for the Security of the Inhabitants in 
the Frontiers of this province. 

"In the House of Representatives read and concurred, and 
Captain Choate, M'' Prout and M'' Leighton are joyned in the 
affair." 

"Fryday, Nov. ii*'\ i743- 

In the House of Representatives whereas it appears necessary 
from the apprehensions this House have of a speedy P.upture 
between the Crowns of Great Britain and France, that the Inland 
Frontiers in this Province be put into a better posture of Defence, 
Therefore, Voted that the following sums be and are hereby granted 
to be paid out of the publick Treasury to be laid out in some of the 
Settlements in the County of York. 



44 HISTORV OF GORHAM. 

• 

"Viz. To Berwick one hundred pounds; to New Marblehead one 
hundred pounds; to Scarborough one hundred pounds; to Gorham- 
town one hundred pounds; to Sheepscot one hundred pounds. * * * 
All of which sums shall be taken out of the Seven Thousand Pounds 
Appropriation provided in the Supply Bill now before this Court, and 
shall be paid into the hands of Messieures Moses Butler, Tobias 
Leighton, Samuel Moody', James Skinner and Jacob Perkins, with 
such as the Honorable Board shall joyn as a committee fully author- 
ized and empowered to receive the same, and (first taking the 
direction of the Captain General) to lay out in the most prudent 
manner, in erecting in each of the before mentioned Settlements, for 
their security during the War, a Garrison or Garrisons of stockades 
or square timber round some Dwelling-house or houses, or otherwise, 
as will be most for the security and defence of the whole Inhabitants 
of each place." 

A committee was sent to Maine to locate points at which to build 
six forts or fortified blockhouses between New Marblehead (Wind- 
ham) and Berwick. This committee was in Falmouth (Portland) on 
the 15th of December, 1743, when they probably fixed upon the 
locations for the several forts. As Gorhamtown was one of the 
places selected by this committee, there could have been no fort 
there before this date. 

The first mention made of the fort in any records in Gorham, is in 
that of the old Proprietors. Falmouth, Aug. 10, 1744, application 
was made by Moses Pearson, Joshua Freeman, Cornelius Brimhall, 
William Cotton and Samuel Moody to John Gorham to call a Propri- 
etors' meeting ; which meeting was called by John Gorham, the clerk, 
to meet at the fort in said Gorhamtown on the 28th day of August, 
1744, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. In his return Gorham says that 
he posted up the notice for the said meeting in the fort in the said 
town, fourteen days before the time of the said meeting, which would 
make it the 14th of August. The meeting was held at the fort on 
said day, when John Phinney was chosen moderator and Moses 
Pearson clerk. 

The fort was situated on the highest land in town, the top of Fort 
Hill, on the thirty acre lot No. 2, on the westerly side of the old road 
to Standish, and a little south of where Mr. Palmer recently lived. It 
was built by the Proprietors of the town, was constructed of hewn 
timber, and was an oblong square about fifty feet long. It was 
surrounded by a palisade of heavy timber, set in the ground. This 
wall was about twelve ieet high, and had watch towers, or flankers, 

iThis was probably Major Samuel Moody of Falmouth, who was one of the Proprietors 
of Gorhamtown. 



MILITARY MATTERS. 



45 



at two diagonal corners. There were two cannon mounted on these 
flankers for the purpose of defence against the Indians, and to warn 
the neighboring towns when these were discovered to be prowling 
about the vicinity. These guns w-ere six-pound swivels, and in the 




time of the Revolution were carried to Portland, and never returned. 
After the burning in 1747, by the Indians, of the log meeting-house 
on Fort Hill, the inhabitants for several years used the southeast 
flanker of the fort as a place for public worship. As the fort was 
bullet proof it was thought by the inhabitants that with a proper 



46 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

garrison it could be defended against any force the Indians could 
bring against it. Happily this point was never tested, as in all the 
trying times through which the first settlers had to pass, they never 
were attacked by a powerful force at any one time. 

The General Court in 1754 voted four hundred and seventy pounds 
toward building and repairing different forts and blockhouses. 
Among those to be repaired were Gorhamtown, Windham and Sac- 
carappa. Repairs were made on the fort as late as 1757, and these 
are the last of which we find any record. At a meeting of the Pro- 
prietors of Gorhamtown, or Narragansett No. 7, held at the house 
of Mr. Joshua Freeman in Falmouth, March 25, 1757, it was "Voted 
there be paid to Hugh McLellan, one shilling and four pence, lawful 
money, per foot for stockading the fort where the walls are defective, 
supposed to be about one hundred feet, and to be done with spruce, 
pine, or hemlock timber, and the bark peeled off, and to be thirteen 
feet long and ten inches diameter, to stand three feet in the ground 
and ten feet above ground, where the rocks will admit of di^^inof 
three feet ; and to be lined with six inch stuff, peeled as the other 
timber, and to be done to the acceptance of Moses Pearson, Esq., 
Messrs. William Cotton and Samuel Crockett, a committee chosen 
to oversee said work." Hugh McLellan agreed to complete the same 
on or before the 15th day of April, 1757, and they then " Voted there 
be raised on each right one shilling four pence, lawful money, for 
repairing the fort." 

The war between England and France quickly spread to their col- 
onies, and the inhabitants of the frontier towns of New England 
found themselves exposed to the murderous attacks of the hordes of 
savages, which the French in Canada poured down upon our defence- 
less borders. 

The French possessed a stronghold called Louisburg, a town situ- 
ated on the island of Cape Breton, and which they had fortified very 
strongly, — a place deemed to be almost impregnable. Notwithstand- 
ing this, however, Governor Shirley determined to undertake its 
capture and reduction, and preparations were begun early in 1745 
for that purpose. 

In 1739, just previous to the breaking out of the war in Europe, 
the York County regiment, at that time commanded by Col. William 
Pepperill, was divided. The command of the new, or Eastern regi- 
ment thus formed was given to Col. Samuel Waldo of Falmouth. 

The Province of Maine had the honor of furnishing the command- 
ing officers for this expedition against Louisburg, who were the two 



MILITARY MATTERS. 47 

colonels just mentioned. The chief in command was Col. William 
Pepperell of Kittery, who received the commission of Lieut.-General. 
Col. Samuel Waldo was given the commission of Brig.-General, and 
appointed second in command. Capt. Edward Tyng, with the com- 
mission of Commodore, was placed in command of the Provincial 
fleet, which consisted of thirteen vessels of war, carrying some two 
hundred and four guns. The expedition was very popular, and there 
was no trouble in procuring men, the enlistment of volunteers begin- 
ning on the 2d of February. Falmouth on the 2Sth held its annual 
Fast, as Mr. Smith says, " Earlier in the year than usual, on account 
of the expedition to Louisburg." The troops numbered something 
short of four thousand men, of whom Massachusetts and Maine fur- 
nished more than three-fourths. At Canseau they were joined by a 
fleet of English men-of-war, under the command of Commodore 
Warren. 

The first attack on th^ place was made on the 2d of May; the 
appearance of the fleet off the port being the first intimation that 
the garrison had of the proposed investment. Some rumors of the 
expedition, which had reached Canada, were regarded as so improb- 
able, that no report of them was made to Cape Breton. After con- 
siderable fighting, Uuchambon, the Governor, becoming somewhat 
discouraged and learning of a contemplated attack determined on 
for the iSth, decided to surrender the place, and on the 17th of June 
Louisburg capitulated, and with all its spoils passed into the hands of 
the victors. There was the greatest joy and rejoicing throughout the 
Colonies on account of this astonishing and resplendent victory. 
Even Europe felt profound amazement, tinged in England with some 
jealousy at our success. 

Col. Shubael Gorham commanded the 7th regiment of Massachu- 
setts troops. The Lieut.-Colonel of the regiment was his brother, 
John Gorham. The ist regiment of Massachusetts troops was com- 
manded by Col. William Pepperill. In this latter regiment the loth 
company, which was raised in Falmouth in March, 1745, was under 
the command of Capt. Moses Pearson of Falmouth. Belonging 
to Capt. Pearson's company were Corporal Gamaliel Pote, and pri- 
vates John Ayer, James Gilkey and Ebenezer Hall. Pote's father's 
family was one of those which left Gorham at the breaking out of 
the war and retired to Falmouth. John Ayer had also been a resi- 
dent. Hall may, or may not, have been the Ebenezer Hall who left 
Gorham at the same time with Pote and others, but it seems probable 
that he was the man. James Gilkey shortly afterwards moved to 



48 HISTORY OF (iOKHAM. 

Gorham, where he settled about 1750. Among the names of sol- 
diers in this expedition appears that of John McDaniel, who belonged 
to York or Wells, but came later to Gorham. 

Capt. Pearson was one of the Proprietors of Gorhamtown, and 
was a man very prominent in the affairs of that place. He was Pro- 
prietors' Clerk for many years, and was usually a member of the 
more important committees. After the surrender of Louisburg, Capt. 
Pearson was appointed agent of General Pepperill's regiment, and 
treasurer of the entire force, to take charge of the distribution of 
the spoils of victory. In 1750 the General Court granted to Capt. 
Pearson and forty-five others, for their services at and around Louis- 
burg, what was known as " Pearsonstown," until its incorporation as 
the town of Standish. Among the names of these grantees are the 
following, who were, either before or afterwards, connected with Gor- 
ham : Gamaliel Pote, James Gilkey, Jeremiah Pote, Elisha Pote, 
John Irish and John Ayer. 

In the spring of the year 1746, the town of Gorham had but ten 
families, some of whom, whose lands were in the immediate neigh- 
borhood, had remained in the fort the preceding winter, while part of 
the others had completed their arrangements, and moved in, thinking 
that probably before many days the Indians would commence their 
depredations. There were still four families out, and these were 
advised to make no delay, but hasten to the fort. Capt. Phinney, 
who held a fatherly care over the weak and unprotected plantation, 
was urgent, knowing that safety depended on keeping in a compact 
body and in a place of some strength, and on not allowing themselves 
to be caught singly and unprepared. The spring was remarkably 
early, and the weather warm and pleasant, which added to the 
anxiety of all, they knowing full well that the Indians would take 
advantage of it, and that some one or more of their number might 
soon feel the effect of their murderous warfare. Still, those out of 
the fort were unwilling to leave their work, knowing that if they 
could not prepare their land and plant their crops, starvation or 
abandonment of the place would be the final result, for the whole 
country was alike subject to the depredations of the enemy, and 
none were able to help, being all equally poor and dependent on the 
labor of their hands for the bread they eat; thus they labored hard 
and fast that they might flee and join their brethren in a place of 
comparative safety. 

On the evening of the i8th of April the McLellan family had fin- 
ished their day's labor, eaten their supper, and were all assembled in 



MILITARY MATTERS. 49 

their log house, talking over their prospects and the probability of 
soon expecting the visits of the Indians, and having, as before said, 
been repeatedly admonished by Capt. Phinney and others to hasten 
their work, came to the conclusion that they would so far complete it 
on the next day as to be able to leave and join their friends in the 
fort. The weather on this evening was warm and pleasant and they 
had not closed the door of their house, near which their old dog was 
lying. Suddenly the dog became much excited ; he sprang on to his 
feet, and made every demonstration, as if he had made a discovery 
of immediate danger, but would not go toward the direction from 
which he evidently expected an attack. His conduct was remarked 
by all; Indians! was the first word uttered, for the expected visit 
was uppermost in their minds. The door was immediately closed and 
the proper fastenings put to it, all the lights were extinguished, not a 
word was spoken except in a whisper, the windows were closed up 
(they were only square holes cut in the logs of which the house was 
built), and blankets and other things were hung around the fire that 
its rays might not discover, through the chinks of the logs, the posi- 
tion of the inmates. 

They had four guns in the house, and two men, Hugh McLellan, 
the father, and his son William, capable of using them, while Mrs. 
McLellan was not much behind her husband in point of courage and 
ability to defend this home in the wilderness. William was then 
about sixteen years old, stout and hardy of his age and abundantly 
able to handle a musket and perform a man's part. When they 
had put their castle in the best possible state of defence that their 
resources would allow, they began to look about and see what were 
their means of continuing to hold out, provided they were besieged, 
and in the words of Mrs. McLellan, when she had lived through her 
many trials and had become an old lady, " We had a milk pan full 
of powder, and lead enough, but it was not in balls." Here was work 
for the female hands ; and while the men lay at the loopholes, with 
one gun by their side and the other pointed into the dark atmosphere 
outside the house, which to them was full of infernal savages ready 
to cut their throats and take their scalps, Mrs. McLellan was by the 
fire behind the screen with her little daughter Abigail, employed in 
melting lead in a skillet and with an iron spoon pouring it into the 
bullet mould thus casting balls, and manufacturing cartridges for 
the use of the little garrison. No eyes closed in that log house dur- 
ing that long night, nor did they much expect to see another rising 
sun ; often were their eyes turned toward the roof, expecting to 



50 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

behold it in flames over their heads, l)eing firm in the beHef that 
they were beset by the Indians, or that these were in their immediate 
neighborhood ; and well may we suppose that their anxiety was 
intense, expecting each moment an attack, and not knowing from 
whence or in what form it would come upon them. More than once 
during this long and anxious night their faithful and intelligent dog 
showed signs of uneasiness, and would move cautiously toward the 
side of the house and give a low growl, and then he would return 
to the side of his master, as if to notify him that all was not right 
outside. Once he made a spring at the door and put his feet against 
it and gave a growl that must have reached the ears of any one 
outside. His warnings were not lost ; never was a garrison more 
watchful than were the inmates of that log house during that night. 

With the watchers the night seemed endless, but at last daylight 
appeared through the loopholes. The morning was warm and pleas- 
ant, the birds sang their songs as if nothing had happened to disturb 
the quiet of the wilderness ; the sun rose bright and clear ; all looked 
peaceful and innocent without. The door was opened and the clear- 
ing was cautiously examined ; the old dog snuffed the morning air 
with apparent enjoyment. He walked about the house for some 
time ; was sent by his master to hunt out the trouble, but returned* 
and by his looks and actions reported all clear. No marks could be 
discovered of visitors, either wild beast, or the more to be dreaded 
wild savages; the cattle were all in their proper places, nothing had 
been moved or disturbed about the place during the night. These 
things were carefully noted, after which their frugal breakfast was 
prepared and eaten, when from all appearances around, it was con- 
cluded that the alarm was false, at least as far as Indians were 
concerned, and that the dog must have discovered some wild beast 
of the forest. 

After due consultation it was decided to put the oxen into the 
yoke, and go on with the work, and as soon as possible get into 
the fort. The men departed for the field, each taking a gun with 
him, being cautioned by the women not to go far from the house. 
As every thing had so pleasant a look the wife was assured by her 
husband that there would be no danger, still he directed her to keep 
the dog at the house, and at the least alarm to blow the horn. 
Before the men left the house, one of their neighbors, Mr. Reed, 
came in to borrow a chain, and to him they made known their appre- 
hensions. He said that he had seen nothing, and did not think the 
Indians had arrived, as no signs had been seen by any one, and he 



MILITARY MATTERS. 51 

should finish his work before he went into the fort. He took 
the chain, put it over his shoulder, went into the house, lighted his 
pipe and started for his home, which was above the McLellans', 
toward the fort. The words and manner of Reed tended to allay 
the fears of the McLellans, and to confirm them in their resolution 
to go on with their work. 

It was learned, afterwards, that Reed, on his way home, had arrived 
at the brook above the McLellan house, when he was suddenly set 
upon by two powerful Indians, who had secreted themselves in the 
bushes, having had notice of his approach by the noise made by 
the chain, which he carried on his shoulder. Reed was a large and 
powerful man, but at this time, unfortunately, entirely unarmed; his 
resistance was manful and long, but the Indians, being two to one, 
finally succeeded in making him prisoner, and bound him fast, with- 
out using firearms, however, for they knew that the report of a gun 
would alarm the inhabitants and probably frustrate all their plans. 

It appears that there were about a dozen Indians engaged in this 
attack on Gorham. They had reconnoitered during the first part of 
the night, and a part of them had been at the McLellan house, which 
was the cause of the dog's uneasiness; and some of them afterwards 
told that they "saw 'Young Bill' and dog go spring for water, not 
take him, fear dog make noise and have to fire gun and make noise 
alarm all people and no make nothing." Thus from true Indian 
policy he was suffered to escape, and the family were preserved, for 
had a rush been made at that time they probably would have been 
taken unnotified; and unprepared as they were, they must have 
fallen an easy prey. 

Thus having made the reconnoisance and arrangements, they 
intended, if possible, to capture or kill every person in town who 
was not in the fort ; and their plan was to do it without firing a gun, 
or doing anything that might in any way alarm the fort. When the 
Indians had completed their plans and had got near to the houses 
of their intended victims they separated to their several works of 
blood ; a part went for the Bryants, a part for the Cloutmans, a part 
for the Reeds and a part for the McLellans. The party sent to 
Bryant's fearfully fulfilled their bloody work ; the wife and children 
were found in the house, and captured without trouble. Four of the 
children were dispatched with the tomahawk and scalped, and an 
infant, two weeks old, had its brains beaten out on the stones of the 
fireplace. The oldest child in the house was a girl about fifteen 
years of age, and tradition says that she would have been made 



52 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

captive with her mother, had it not been that one of her captors had, 
at a previous time, received an indignity from her, for which he had 
promised her that he would have his revenge when war came. Mrs. 
Bryant, in her weak and sick state, was dragged into captivity and 
carried to Canada, where she subsequently married, and soon after 
died. The savages, not finding Bryant and his son at home as they 
had expected, dispatched two of their number to the field to capture 
them. When they saw the Indians the boy ran into the woods and 
thus escaped. Bryant immediately made for the fort. His house 
was in or near the two-rod road running between the land of Isaac 
Dyer, and that of the late Nathaniel Hamblen, and his field was 
where the orchard now is, on the hill above said road toward Fort 
Hill. The Indians followed Bryant; as he ran well they were fear- 
ful of losing him, and contrary to their first intentions one of them 
fired at him and broke his arm. Bryant made his way into the road 
leading to the fort; it was a race for life or death, the bloodhound 
after its victim, and only death could stop this race. The Indians 
were gaining fast, when Bryant discovered on the hill, where the 
Hamblen house now stands or near there, Daniel Mosher with his 
gun on his shoulder coming toward them, evidently unaware of his 
proximity to so fearful a chase. He had heard the gun, but did not 
know the cause of the firing. When the victim and his pursuers 
came in sight he was made aware of the cause, but did not know the 
number of the Indians; he saw two; Bryant called to him to fire on 
them, and instantly sprang over a log into the brook which is at the 
foot of the hill and got behind the log that Mosher might fire with 
more certainty of hitting them, or at least one of them. But Mosher 
was at the top of the hill, a long gunshot off, and almost at the same 
minute the foremost Indian, who had discharged his gun, sprang 
over the log, where a struggle of but a moment took place. Bryant 
was weak from exertion and loss of blood, and the rapid blows of 
the tomahawk quickly dispatched him, and before Mosher had hardly 
become aware of what was going on, the Indians had scalped their 
victim and made their escape into the woods; and Mr. Mosher went 
back and gave the alarm at the fort. 

The capture of Edward Cloutman, whose house was on the farm 
for many years occupied by Col. Nathaniel Frost, and afterwards by 
his son Jeremiah, on the easterly side of the Fort Hill road, so called, 
about half a mile northerly of Gorham Village, was much desired by 
the Indians. He was a powerful man, in full vigor and prime of life ; 
and the owner of a remarkably good gun which was much coveted 



MILITARY MATTERS. 53 

by the Indians, who were well acquainted with its qualities, and well 
knew its value in the hands of a man like Cloutman. His capture 
was looked upon by the enemy as a blow which would be of much 
benefit to them, and which would bear hardly on the settlers. 

Cloutman was at work in his field ; the Indians, not finding him 
at his house, separated and made a reconnoissance, when he was 
discovered, and their plans laid. Two were to show themselves 
between him and his house, while others were to secrete them- 
selves between him and the direction of the fort, thinking that if he 
discovered the open enemy between himself and his house, where 
he could get no assistance even if he should succeed in reaching 
it, he would naturally ilee toward the point from whence he might 
expect succor, and the result proved the sagacity of their plans. 
When Cloutman discovered the enemy between him and his hoiise, 
he was unarmed ; strong as he was, he knew that a contest with two 
well-armed Indians must be to his disadvantage, consequently he 
thought only of making his way to the fort, and commenced his 
flight in that direction, with his two pursuers in full chase. When he 
arrived at the northwesterly part of his field, near the road leading 
to the fort, he attempted to leap the brush fence which he thought to 
be the only barrier between himself and safety, but at this point he 
was met by the concealed party. He made a most desperate strug- 
gle, believing as he did that it was a struggle for life or death, and 
was on the point of freeing himself from his captors, when the arrival 
of the two who were in pursuit, settled the thing. He was quickly 
and most securely bound as a prisoner, to the great exultation of his 
captors. He was taken captive to Canada, in company with Mrs. 
Bryant and Reed. Reed died in prison in Quebec, Oct. 20, 1746, 
but Cloutman made his escape a few days later, never reaching 
home, however. Some effects, known to have belonged to him, were 
afterwards found on the shore of one of the lakes which would lie 
in his homeward track, as well as the body of a man, but in such a 
state that it could not be identified ; this, taken with other well- 
known facts, lead to the belief that on his way home he attempted to 
swim the lake and was drowned. Whether the famous gun fell into 
the hands of the Indians is not now known. 

Cloutman with his family, consisting of his wife and two children, 
had moved to the fort some days before this, but not thinking that 
there were any Indians about, he was out this morning at work com- 
pleting his planting. His daughter, Sarah, married Eli Webb of 
Gorham. From his son, Timothy, who married Katy Partridge, 



54 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

descended a numerous family, many of whose descendants now live 
in town. After the death of Cloutman, his widow married Mr. 
Anderson of Windham, from whom descended also a goodly race of 
citizens now resident in Windham and (jorham. Mrs. Cloutman was 
the grandmother of the Hon. John Anderson, who has represented 
Cumberland district in Congress. 

The party dispatched for the McLellans, having on their way 
so unexpectedly made prisoner of Reed, did not think it prudent, 
being only two and encumbered with a prisoner, to attempt further 
mischief, and made off. The party dispatched for Reed were unsuc- 
cessful, as he had left home and fallen into other hands. The gun 
was heard by Mrs. McLellan, but nothing was known of the havoc 
and fearful struggles that had been going on so near her; there 
all was peace and quiet. The inhabitants were ever alive to dan- 
ger, and the firing of a gun was always cause of inquiry and alarm. 
It was evident that the gun was fired toward the fort, in the direction 
of Bryant's, and they being the nearest neighbors, Mrs. McLellan 
was desirous to know the cause, and directed her little daughter Abi- 
gail to go to Bryant's and ascertain what the gun was fired for, but 
the child, having the fear of Indians in her head and before her eyes, 
secreted herself under the bed, where she remained some time before 
the cheat was discovered. When her mother found her she com- 
pelled a compliance with her orders. The child was not long on the 
road, for fear lent her wings, and she cleared the distance in a short 
time. The sight that met her eyes when she entered the house is past 
the description of any one ; on the floor lay the poor children wel- 
tering in their blood ; they had all fallen under the tomahawk except 
the infant, and their scalps were torn off. The eldest daughter was 
alive and called her by name in a feeble voice, scarcely audible ; they 
had been companions in play, and were nearer of an age than were 
any other girls in the settlement and intimate friends, but what could 
she do. Stricken with horror at the sight before her, she was com- 
pletely paralyzed with fear and her tongue could not utter a word. 
At this moment she heard the Indians talking near by back of the 
house ; instantly she was flying with the swiftness of an arrow toward 
her home. Looking neither to the right nor to the left, she did not 
stop in her course till she fell prostrate on the floor at her mother's 
feet. She caught her up in her arms, her face was as white as mar- 
ble, not a word could she tell of the horrid scenes she had looked 
upon, she was apparently dead. Her mother laid her on the bed, 
flew to the door to blow the horn, and then back to her daughter and 



MILITARY MATTERS. 55 

in a few minutes by the application of proper remedies, animation 
was so far restored that she was able to utter the word " Indians," 
but immediately fainted again. The father and son hearing the note 
of warning, only stopped long enough to cast off from the oxen the 
chain that confined them to the plough, and immediately repaired to 
the house, where in time Abigail was so far restored to conscious- 
ness as to be able to relate the particulars of what she had seen at 
Bryant's. Everything was immediately put in order about the house, 
water was procured, the windows and doors were closed, and all 
things were prepared for a siege. They knew neither how long they 
would be compelled to remain thus, nor how long it would be before 
they would be attacked and perhaps suffer the same fate as the 
Bryants. Nor were they at all sure of the safety of the fort ; if that 
had been taken, they deemed their chances small ; still, resistai>ce 
was all they thought of. Ere long, however, they heard a gun fired 
from the fort ; this they knew was the alarm gun to give notice to 
any still alive that the enemy were about, and to warn them against 
surprise. This gun gave new life to the inhabitants of that log 
house; they knew from that that they were not alone, and that there 
was a small prospect of help. 

Capt. Phinney and the others in the fort were apprised by Daniel 
Mosher of the fact that the Indians were out and that they had killed 
Bryant ; but as to their numbers and the other mischief committed by 
them they knew nothing. With their present uncertainty as to the 
force of the enemy, they did not deem it prudent to venture out. 
The distance from the fort to Bryant's house was not far ; still many 
places along the way to it would afford to the enemy eveiy opportu- 
nity for ambush and surprise, and their own force was not suificient 
to scout the woods. They passed the day putting the fort in the best 
state of defence possible. As none of the inhabitants remaining out 
of the fort appeared during the day, they came to the conclusion that 
the attack and surprise were complete, that all were either murdered 
or carried off as prisoners, and that none were left. 

While the time passed thus with those in the fort, the McLellans 
kept anxious watch in their house through the day and long night 
following. On the next day, the 20th, about noon men were seen 
coming in Indian file toward the house whom at first they took for 
Indians, but when they came near they discovered them to be a 
scouting party going to the fort, and they immediately made known 
to them their situation. The oxen were hunted up and found in the 
woods near by with the yoke still on their necks as left the morning 



56 



HISTOKV Ol' (iOKHAM. 



/. ?t,it tnin. 

Z. J>n<iUn Catnjij. 

J. }crt. 

i. Pond. 

f Caf>i />/tiiittef's //o«*«e. 

f. Pt^it, cf ar^a-nt's dt»tk. 

l\.Ja.Coi, < €eci's 

/^/>/*ee oi^te4'% Capture. 

/<, Q firin f. 




I'LAN SHOWINC; LOCATION OF FIRST SETTLERS HOUSES. 



MILITARY MATTERS. 57 

previous. What worldly goods they possessed were quickly loaded 
on to the cart, and the family started for the fort under the protection 
of the company of scouts, who, having had notice that the enemy 
were hovering around Gorham and Windham, had come up from f'al- 
mouth, now Portland. A portion of their number had gone to 
Windham, to assist the settlers there. When the company arrived at 
Bryant's house they met a party from the fort, who had discovered 
the scouts and had ventured out to ascertain the extent of the dep- 
redations committed by the enemy. The dead bodies were carried to 
the fort and buried with due propriety. It is probable that Mr. Bryant 
and his four children were the first persons to be buried in the old 
burying yard at Fort Hill. The family of Reed was immediately 
removed to the garrison. They did not find Mrs. Bryant and this 
confirmed them in the belief that she had been taken captive and 
carried to Canada, which proved to be the fact. Of the son James, 
nothing could be learned till the next day when he came into the fort ; 
having run from the Indians, when he discovered them in pursuit of 
his father, he had secreted himself in the woods, where he remained 
till he thought the Indians had departed, and the danger had passed. 

From accounts which we have, the Indians must have been about 
in the back-tier of towns from the coast in great numbers, killing 
many of the settlers and carrying off many prisoners. The Indians, 
after they had massacred Bryant and his family, and taken Cloutman, 
Reed and Mrs. Bryant prisoners, made but a short march, not over 
a mile from the fort, before they made a halt, which, by their not 
greatly fearing immediate pursuit, clearly shows their confidence and 
knowledge of the situation in the fort. This stopping place was on 
the bank of Little River below what is now known as Files's Bridge_ 
Here they rested and spent the night, and in the meantime, they 
found and killed John Phinney's "little cow," as some of them after- 
ward boasted, and made a good square meal or two, to strengthen 
them for their long and tedious march to Canada. This camping 
place was found a few days afterwards, when the fort had been 
reenforced by the scouts, showing conclusive signs that the party 
numbered about sixteen persons. 

In the summer of 1747 the Indians were about in considerable 
numbers, around Gorham, Windham, Saccarappa and Scarborough. 
There was great fear of them among the settlers ; and much damage 
was done by them to man, beast and crops. It was at this time that 
Edmund Phinney was fired upon by the Indians when after his cows. 
This attack was made in plain sight of the fort. Instantly, after the 



58 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

firing of the gun was heard, all were on the lookout and could see 
both the Indians and Phinney. Watson, Phinney's brother-in-law, 
with Harvey and Hodgdon it is said immediately went to the rescue. 
They met Phinney running for the fort near where the house of Leonard 
Roberts now stands, and looking across the gulley they saw the Indi- 
ans on the brink of the hill lately owned by Daniel Billings. The 
Indians, seeing the rescue, had come to a halt, and both parties 
thought themselves out of gunshot range. One of the Indians 
made some insulting demonstrations toward the whites, when one of 
these brought his gun into range and fired, giving the Indian a mor- 
tal wound of which he died before he reached his tribe in Canada. 
All the dressing the Indian had for his wound was to chew to a soft 
wad leaves and herbs, which he found on the way, and press them 
into the wound. The report of the Indian's death was brought back 
by one of the returned captives. The following day, Phinney, with 
Hugh McLellan and Eliphalet Watson for a guard, walked to Fal- 
mouth and had his arm set and wounds dressed by Dr. Coffin. In 
scouting around, a few days after, the camping place of these Indians 
was discovered on a little round knoll, not far from what is now 
known as Stephenson's Bridge, on the land recently owned by Mr. 
Sturgis, where signs were found showing the band to have been at 
least a dozen strong, and that they had captives with them, or at 
least, plunder taken from the whites. 

During this war, the Indians made their appearance one spring ; 
the year we are unable to give. Their presence in town not being 
known, or even suspected, the inhabitants were planting their crops, 
taking each farm in succession, the men all going in a company for 
mutual protection, taking the boys along for lookouts against sur- 
prise. All had arms. We have heard the names of only four of the 
boys, Edmund Phinney, William McLellan, Jeremiah Hodgdon and 
Meserve ; probably there were more. When the day's work was 
done, which was on one of the farms southerly of the garrison, they 
all started for the fort. Probably anxiety for their supper carried the 
boys ahead, when, on or near the hill above them near where Bryant's 
house stood, they were suddenly fired on by the Indians from an 
ambush. They gallantly stood their ground, and quickly all that had 
guns returned the fire with good effect. Several discharges took 
place before the arrival of the older members of the party, when the 
Indians made a hasty retreat, leaving five of their number dead on 
the ground ; thus giving the men no reason to fire. On the distrib- 
uting of the honors, they were accorded to William ; he being one of 



MILITARY MATTERS. 59 

the best shots, and having a first rate gun, and a flanl<ing position, 
probably killed three out of the five. 

All the inhabitants were gathered into the fort during these Indian 
troubles, and this place was their home for nearly seven years. Some 
would go to their houses for that part of the winters, when, from 
the depth of the snow, little danger was to be apprehended from the 
enemy, but the fort was never left without some person to take care 
of it, and guard against a surprise. During this time the early set- 
tlers had but very limited means of procuring money, or the necessa- 
ries of life. The provincial government sometimes sent them a very 
small amount of food in the shape of rations, as soldiers in defence 
of the fort. The settlers often, in times of scarcity, were compelled 
to eat up the seed they had laid away for the next year's planting. 
At one time there was great .suffering in the fort from this cause. 
What was the case with one was also that of all ; no food in the 
fort, and scarcely any to be had in Falmouth, and the procuring of 
that little was at the risk of life itself, as the woods were full of Indi- 
ans who were continually on the watch. When the settlers went for 
supplies, they had to carry them through the woods in the night to 
evade the enemy. Though game was plentiful, the hunting of it was 
dangerous in the extreme. Sometimes, some of the females were 
sent off to Falmouth, in the night on horseback through the nearly 
trackless forest, to procure a little meal, while the men remained 
behind to defend the fort. We have one well authenticated case of 
this at this time, and have reason to believe that it was not the only 
time the thing occurred. 

One of the families was nearly destitute of bread, or the where- 
with to make it. With children sick, and nothing with which to 
make them a mouthful of suitable food, something must be done and 
that quickly. As soon as it became dark the wife mounted her 
horse, and was quietly let out of the stockade, courageously begin- 
ning her journey. Through the dark forest she pursued her way 
toward Falmouth, where she arrived about daylight the next morn- 
ing, tarrying with her friends (her husband's sister), till afternoon. 
She purchased half a bushel of Indian corn, expending all the 
money the family possessed, even to the last penny. With the corn 
she started homeward ; arriving at the mill at Capisic, she had it 
ground into meal, and she was often heard to say in praise of the 
miller that he, knowing the sufferings of the settlers in Gorham, 
refused to take toll for the grinding. She remained at the mill till 
dark, and then started again for home, where she arrived before light 



60 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

in the morning. The arrival of a richly laden ship safe in port, 
could not cause more heartfelt joy than the safe return of one of 
these, our early mothers. 

In addition to these privations, in the fall of 1750 there broke out 
among the dwellers in the fort an epidemic of putrid sore throat and 
fever, called also black tongue. Few if any of the settlers escaped 
its ravages, and it proved quite fatal, especially amongst the children. 
Nov. 20th, Parson Smith records in his journal " twenty-five persons 
sick at Gorhamtown garrison, four have died." At one time, notwith- 
standing they had eleven soldiers furnished by the State, they had 
not well men enough to stand guard and the women had to lend their 
aid in doing this necessaiy duty. 

No historian will ever be able to chronicle the many privations and 
sufferings which this small band of hardy settlers endured. They 
have all passed from earth, the written records left us are scarce and 
meagre, and the traditions are nearly lost, yet we know that sickness 
and death often stared them in the face ; hunger and privation were 
their constant companions, but their hearts and their hands were 
strong, and with a pious reliance on the goodness of God, they kept 
a good watch, and persevered in their labors; and who can look over 
this goodly town and not admire the works of our brave and pious 
ancestors. 

In the early part of the year 1747, provision was made for the 
protection of the frontier of Maine by companies of men, whose duty 
it was to scout between the different settlements. Gapt. George 
Berry of Falmouth commanded a company of men, who scouted back 
from the coast as far as Sebago Pond. They served from May 19, 
1746, to Jan. 19, 1747. Among this company of scouts were the 
following Gorhamtown men : 

Benjamin Stevens, Sergeant. 

John Phinney, " 

William McGollinson [McGorrison],Gentinel. 
James Irish, " 

John Irish, " 

George Strout, " 

Gorham-town division — Sergeant John Phinney in command. 
Jacob Hamblen. Jeremiah Hodgdon. Stephen Phinney. 

Clement Meserve. Eliphalet Watson. John Phinney, Jr. 

William McLellan. Edmund Phinney. Hugh McLallan. 

Daniel Mosier. 



MILITARY MATTERS. 61 

Wages of Sergeants, £2 — i^ — z^ per month. 
" " Privates, £\ — \\^ — 3"^ •' '' 

(Mass. Arch. Vol. 92; page 73.) 

Capt. Daniel Hill, who was a native of Newbuiy, Mass., com- 
manded a company of scouts, who had their headquarters at the fort 
in New Marblehead, and scouted through the region above there. 
This company served from March to December, 1748. It contained 
picked men from New Marblehead, Gorhamtown and Saccarappa ; 
the men from Gorham were : 

John Phinney, Sergeant. 

Timothy Collins Cloutman. William McLallin. John Phinney, Jr. 
Daniel Mosier. Jeremiah Hodgdon. Clement Meservey. 

Clement Meservey, Jr. Edmund Phinney. Plugh McLallin. . 

Jacob Meservey. 

On the 2d of July, 1748, news arrived at Falmouth, that Europe 
had agreed upon preliminaries of peace, and a cessation of fighting. 
A treaty of peace, between France, Spain and England, was signed 
at Aix-la-Chapelle in October of the same year, by the terms of which 
each countiy relinquished to their former possessor all prisoners and 
conquered territory. By the stipulations of this treaty, Louisburg 
and the Island of Cape Breton reverted to the French. Notwith- 
standing the nominal peace, however, the settlements continued to be 
harrassed by the Indians, who were secretly aided and encouraged 
by the French in Canada. 

Some time in the autumn of the year 1750, a large body of Indians 
made their appearance in and about what is now the County of 
Cumberland. Some of these committed depredations in the town 
of Windham, and a party of them came to Gorhamtown. The only 
mischief the latter succeeded in accomplishing was the capture of 
Bartholomew Thorn. Fortunately for him, his captors were Canadian 
Indians, who knew but little of the merits of their prize. As we have 
elsewhere said, he was a noted hunter and a desperate Indian fighter, 
much feared by the Indians who knew him. Remarkable for his 
strength, courage, tact and cunning in warfare, he was taken by 
surprise, and unarmed, having been to meeting. He was carried to 
Canada and kept a captive for some time, and was very roughly 
handled by his captors, but made his escape, and came home through 
the woods. From what we have been able to learn, he was a remark- 
able man in his way. He had but little intercourse with the whites, 
and kept no faith with the Indians, of whom he was the sworn enemy. 



62 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

He was of a medium stature, quick in his movements, and always on 
the alert, constantly looking to the right and left at the least noise, as 
if he expected some one was after him ; with a quick, roving eye, 
which it was said never slept. 

The setders in Gorham at this time had all their families in the 
fort for the greater security against the Indians. The inhabitants 
were not aware that the enemy were in their immediate vicinity. As 
it was about harvest time, all the men and boys were in the fields at 
work, and if they did not work with their guns in their hands they 
had them near by, and usually kept one of the small boys standing 
on a stump to look out for Indians and keep watch over the arms. 
For greater safety and to guard against surprise, it was customaiy for 
them in times of danger to work together in a body from field to 
field till all the work was completed. 

It is not known how many of the enemy were concerned in this 
visit to Gorham. The men and boys, as we have said, were all in the 
field. As no Indians had been seen, no danger was apprehended. 
The number in the fort, at that time, is not now known, but there were 
the women and children of probably some ten families. The McLel- 
lan family had an old dog, who, when the men were away, usually 
staid about the fort. This, his mistress had taught him to do, and as 
far as she was able, had instructed him to keep no peace with any 
Indian. The women were busy about their work, when the dog came 
bounding into the fort, showing indications of great anger, and of 
being much disturbed. When his mistress saw him, she said to the 
other women, " There are Indians about," and at once closed the gate 
of the stockade notwithstanding that the others thought her fears 
unnecessar}\ The moment that the dog saw the door closed and 
secured, he became quiet; then Mrs. McLellan said that she was 
certain sure, for Bose knew an Indian. She immediately took a gun 
and went into the watch-box with Mrs. Watson, who, notwithstanding 
old Bose's intelligence, was rather incredulous. After looking in all 
directions for some time, they began to think that perhaps the old dog 
had raised a false alarm ; but Mrs. McLellan was unwilling to doubt 
his sagacity, and still lingered at the loophole. As at last she was 
about leaving, she thought she saw a small bush move. As it was a 
warm day and no air stirring, she at once became interested in the 
movements of the bush, and was sure that either man or beast had 
something to do with it. She put the gun out of the loophole, to 
be in readiness for what might turn up. The two women had not 
remained long in suspense, before there appeared plainly in sight. 



MILITARY MATTERS. 63 

rising cautiously behind the bush, the head of an Indian, who, after 
looking warily about, stepped out from his cover in order to more 
clearly view the fort. Little did he think that admiring eyes were 
watching his beautiful person, and graceful movements. Probably he 
was not so cautious as he would have been but for the fact that 
he and his companions had been to the borders of the field, and care- 
fully counted all the men and boys at work there, and thus knew that 
there was not a man or boy in the fort. All the Indian parties 
usually had with them some of the Indians who had resided, or 
hunted, in the region which they intended to visit. Thus these knew 
that there were none but women and children in the garrison, and 
supposed that there was no danger to be apprehended ; and as they 
thought that the women would be about their work, and the door 
probably not secured, they expected at one blow to capture the f©rt 
and make prisoners of every woman and child in the setdement. 
This was the plan they laid, after having counted the men in the 
field. The Indians, after the war, told that they knew that all the men 
were in the field, and Phinney on the stump. This was probably 
John Phinney, Jr. After their plans were made, with true Indian 
character they went about their execution cautiously, but through 
Divine Providence, this very caution was probably what saved the 
infant plantation, and its early settlers. 

While they were moving stealthily toward the fort, not knowing 
that the old dog had discovered them, and having arrived within gun- 
shot, and, as they thought, near enough to make a rush should all 
things be right, it was necessary to reconnoitre, and the Indian who 
made his appearance from behind the bush was there to make a more 
close and minute survey of the fort. When he showed himself, Mrs. 
McLellan pointed the gun directly at him, but still was unwilling to 
fire, notwithstanding that she thought she could hit him. In a 
moment, he moved a step clear of the bush, thus giving her all the 
chance she could desire, and she was not slow in improving it. The 
gun was discharged ; the Indian gave a leap into the air, and fell on 
his face where he lay a minute, pawing the earth with his hands, as if 
trying to draw himself behind the bushes. His movings were watched 
by the two women with intense anxiety. The other inmates of the 
fort had put no confidence in the news brought by the dog, and 
rather ridiculed the idea of Bose's being able to tell when Indians were 
about ; nor were they aware of the movements which had been 
watched by the two women in the lookout, and when the gun was 
fired they came running to know how many Indians were killed. 



64 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

When told how things were, they looked out, but no dead or living 
Indian was to be seen, for his companions, who were near him, had 
extended an arm, caught hold of his body, and drawn him behind 
the bushes, and immediately made off with him through the woods ; 
well knowing that the firing of the gun was a sure signal that would 
in a few minutes bring a dozen stout men upon them, whom they did 
not think it prudent to face. 

As expected, the men came in haste to the fort to learn what was 
the matter. When told that Mrs. McLellan had killed an Indian, 
most of them partook somewhat of the incredulity of the women, but 
Mrs. McLellan and her companion insisted that she had either killed 
or desperately wounded one. Mrs. McLellan, who was chief gunner, 
would not give it up, and insisted on an examination of the spot where 
she declared the enemy fell. Even this movement required caution, 
if it was true that the enemy were about — not knowing their number. 
After making proper arrangements for defence and against surprise, 
the spot was examined and proof was evident that either death or a 
desperate wound had been the result of the shot. A large pool of 
blood was on the ground, and a trail of blood was seen running some 
distance through the woods, where the lix'ing had carried the dead or 
wounded body of their companion. 

This unexpected repulse the Indians could not account for, know- 
ing, as they supposed they did, that every man and boy, capable of 
bearing arms, was in the field at work. The result of their delibera- 
tions, and their conclusions as to the affair, became known some time 
afterwards, from escaped prisoners belonging to some of the neigh- 
boring towns. The wounded Indian died of his wound before they 
had carried him far into the woods, and when they had reached a 
place fitting for that purpose, his companions held a consultation on 
what was best to be done. They were anxious to strike a blow in 
Gorham, and how they had been discovered, and who it was who had 
fired upon them from the fort, was more than they could divine ; 
never once supposing that a woman could fire a gun, and kill a war- 
rior. They knew that all the men were in the field, and they couJd 
account for w^hat had taken place, in no other way than that a reen- 
forcement of soldiers had been sent to the fort to enable the men the 
more readily to gather their crops ; and their final conclusion was, 
that if soldiers had been sent to the fort, (and certainly that 77inst be the 
case, for no one but a soldier could fire so far, and kill a brave,) they 
could not expect to take the fort with their present force ; consequently 
they moved oft" to do their deviltry where there was less danger. 



MILITARY MATTERS. 



65 



Mrs. McLellan lived to a good old age, and would never give up 
that she did not either kill or desperately wound an Indian and save 
all in the fort. During her entire life she held an unconquerable 
antipathy against Indians ; still she treated them kindly. In passing 
through the town they always made her a call, and she never let one 
go away hungiy, and made her conduct invariably kind to them. 
From policy she did not let them know her feelings. An Indian was 
never known to treat her otherwise than with kindness and respect, 
and she enjoined on every member of her family to treat the Indians 
kindly, for she knew the talk among the settlers was that the barbar- 
ities exercised' toward the Bryants were heightened by a trifling insult 
received previous to the war, by a young Indian, from one of the 
females of the family. And as peace with the Indians was precarious, 
she kept an eye to the main chance. 

The continued aggressions of the French and Indians finally 
brought about another war between Fngland and France, which com- 
menced on this continent in 1754. This war, which is known as the 
" old French war," was not formally declared until the middle of 
1756, when the king of Great Britain published a declaration of war 
against France. 

During the year 1757 Lord Loudoun attempted the reduction of 
Louisburg with a force of Regulars and Provincials, but when, on his 
arrival at Halifax, he learned that the place was defended by a 
stronger force than he had anticipated, he deferred the enterprise and 
returned to New York, where the Provincial troops were dismissed. 

Capt. Joseph Woodman of Buxton commanded a company in his 
Majesty's forces at this time. This company served from May 2nd 
to Nov. 14th, 1757. In this company were the following men from 
Go r ham : 

Wentworth Stuart, Lieut. 
Austin Alden, Sergt. 

Hart Williams, Corp. 

Privates. 
Solomon Lombard, Jr. 
Joseph Hatch. 
Jonathan Sawyer. 
John Harding. 



Samuel Staples. 
John McDaniel. 
David Sawyer. 
William McLellan. 



Moses Rolfe. 
Joseph Pilkinton. 
George Tinney. 
Benjamin Frost. 



On the first of August, the Marquis de Montcalm, with a force of 
six thousand French and Canadians, and about seventeen hundred 
Indians, attacked Fort William Henry, at the head of Lake George. 



66 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

The fort was defended most stubbornly and with the greatest braver}' 
by Lt. Col. Monro of the 35th regiment with less than five hundred 
men ; while seventeen hundred lay, useless, intrenched near by. At 
last, when nearly half his guns were burst and his ammunition nearly 
expended, the gallant Colonel was obliged to surrender his command. 
By the terms of capitulation the garrison were to be allowed the hon- 
ors of war, and furthermore were to be protected from the Indians. 
The latter becoming intoxicated, the French were powerless to 
restrain them, and when the English, on the morning of the loth, 
having laid down their arms, marched out of the fort, the savages, 
falling upon them, murdered, in spite of the frantic and desperate 
efforts of the French officers, men, women and children with all sorts 
of cruelties. The Indians pursued the fugitives into the forests and 
defiles of the mountains, killing, scalping or taking prisoner, all 
whom they could lay their hands upon. Only a comparatively small 
remnant reached Fort Edward, whither the French had promised 
them a safe conduct. Two Gorham men, William Files and Zepha- 
niah Harding, were in Col. Monro's regiment. They escaped the 
massacre, and made their way home through the woods. (.See article 
on Files.) 

The following year, 1758, three expeditions against the French 
were undertaken ; one against Louisburg, another against Ticonder- 
oga and Crown Point, and the third against Fort du Quesne, which 
latter place Gen. Forbes captured and called Pittsburg. 

For the invasion of Canada, Massachusetts raised a force of sixty- 
eight hundred men, of whom Maine furnished about six hundred. 
The expedition against Crown Point and Ticonderoga was under the 
command of Gen. Abercrombie, and comprised some fifteen thousand 
men. 

From the journal of a captain (Capt. Cobb) in Col. Jedediah Preble's 
regiment, we take the following: 

Falmouth, May 21, 1758. Sailed with three transports and three 
hundred soldiers, including officers, for the intended expedition against 
Canada, and got into Winter Harbor about 5 o'clock in the afternoon. 

May 23, 1758. Arrived to Kittery at 9 o'clock and went ashore, 
and waited on S"" W'" Pepperill, and at the Point meeting house the 
Rev M"" Rogers preached a sermon to officers and soldiers from 
the first book of Samuel, 17 c, 45, 46, 47 verses, and after sermon 
we received our commissions and was sworn by S"" W"^ Pepperill and 
Col Wendal. 

May 27, 1758. I paid my company off their billeting money and 
prepared for sailing, and sailed 1 1 o'clock at night in company with 



MILITARY MATTERS. 67 

seven transports and received order from our commanding officer, 
Col Jedediah Preble, if parted by hard weather to rendezvous at 
Albany. 

June 8, 1758. Major-General James Abercrombie left orders that 
300 of the Bay forces go to Schonectady, in compliance whereof Col. 
Preble drafted Capt. Libby, Capt. Cobb, Capt. Bowen with their com- 
panies to march to the said Schonectady, and gave us orders to 
furnish our companies with arms as soon as possible, which arms we 
received the date above. 

June 24, 1758. We arrived at Fort Edward 8 o'clock in the morn- 
ing. Dined with Col Preble. Capt. Libbee's company and mine 
joined the Regiment. 

June 25, 1758. Sunday. In the forenoon we were alarmed by 
the firing of several small arms in the woods which was the English 
Light Infantry, whereby our Provincial troops mustered immediately 
and went out in order to engage the enemy. This afternoon Col 
Preble marched for Lake George with 500 men, and Col Hoar is to 
march tomorrow with the remainder of the Regiment. 

June 26, 1758. This day Lieut. Col. Hoar marched from Edward 
to Lake George with my Company and Capt. Libbee's and arrived 
there at 7 o'clock in the afternoon. Rained considerable. It is 16 
miles from Fort Edward to Lake George. 

Lake George, Sunday, July 2d, 1758. General for the day to-mor- 
row. Brig. Gen. Gage. Col. for the day to-morrow, Haldiman ; for the 
Provincials, Col. Lyman. Field officers for the night, Maj. Browning. 
For the Provincials, Lieut. Col. Hoar, Brigade Maj. Spittle. The 
Provincial Regiments to be brigaded as follows, viz : 

o- u. \^- ^ Col. Preble, 
Right Wing -{ ^ 1 ,,,.„. 
*= ° ( Col. Williams. 

2 ( Col. Ruggles, 3 f Col. Glazer, 

B "i Col. Bagley. B ( Col. Wolsey. 

T c. \\j- S Col. Lyman, 
Left Wing -|^^j_pf^^j^_ 

The eldest Colonel commanding each brigade is to make all reports 
concerning the brigade to the Colonel commanding the Wing. 
The Provincial Colonels are to rank as follows : 
I St Col. Lyman. 8th Col. Fitch. 



2d 


" Preble. 


9th 


" Johnson. 


3cl 


Delancey. 


loth 


" Glazer. 


4th 


" Ruggles. 


nth 


" Babcock. 


5th 


" Bagley, 


1 2 th 


Williams, 


6th 


Whiting. 


13th 


" Douty. 


7th 


Wooster. 


14th 


Wolsey. 



July 3d, 1758. Took allowance for 5 days for the Regiment and 
were reviewed by our Major General and Lord Howe. Received 
powder and balls to complete each man to 36 rounds per man. 

July 3d, 1758. Order from Maj. General Abercrombie to set out 
to-morrow morning to the French Fort called Ticontoroque as soon 
as day appears. 



68 HISTOKV OF GOKHAM. 

July 4th, 1758. Embarked on board our batteaux and whale-boats 
1500 men and pressed down the Lake towards Ticontoroque. Rowed 
that day about 30 miles and landed. 

July 6th, 1758. At I o'clock in the morning embarked, and came at 
8 o'clock and landed within 3 miles of the Fort. The French guard 
ran at our appearance. Major Rogers's Rangers came up with part 
of the French guard killed 7 of them and lost 2 of our men. In the 
afternoon engaged the French, took 180 of them prisoners, and killed 
no more. Lord Howe was killed in the battle and about 60 of our 
men amissing. 

July 7th, 1758. We marched from where we camped to the end of 
the Lake, where it empties into Lake Champlain which is about one 
mile from the Fort. Brought up three of our brass cannon and hove 
up a breast-work for our fortification. 

July 8th, 1758. Marched on the Army, and about 1 o'clock in the 
afternoon the battle began at the French lines and continued a con- 
stant firing on both sides till sunset, at which time we retreated and 
retired into our breast-work. Our loss, killed, wounded and missing 
is two thousand men. Their number to ours is unknown to us. I 
had two of my company killed on the spot and four wounded. 

The journal furthermore states that in this battle the regular troops 
lost fifteen hundred and twenty-two, and the Provincials, four hundred 
and twenty-two men. 

Disheartened by the loss of Lord Howe, and discouraged by the 
failure to capture the fort, this expedition ended in this most disas- 
trous defeat. The effect of the failure was, however, somewhat 
offset by the success of Gen. Amherst, who on the 26th of July cap- 
tured Louisburg. 

■ During the year 1759, Ticonderoga and (^rown Point were captured 
by Gen. Amherst, and Niagara also surrendered to our arms. The 
death blow to the French cause was dealt by Gen. James Wolfe, who 
on the night of the 12th of September, scaled the heights of Quebec, 
and defeated the enemy upon the Plains of Abraham. The city 
itself capitulated on the 17th, and with this victory the power of 
France on this continent was broken. There was the greatest joy, 
when, on the 14th of October, the news arrived at Falmouth. For 
the first time in years people felt that they could leave their garrisons 
and till their fields without fear of the insinuous and murderous 
approach of the cruel and blood-thirsty savage. The relief and 
thanksgiving experienced by our ancestors on this glad occasion can 
hardly be imagined by us at the present time. 

In March, 1763, a treaty of peace was signed at Paris, by the terms 
of which France surrendered her Canadian possessions to England, 
and to Spain the territory of Louisiana, and by thus removing herself 



MILITARY MATTERS. 69 

from this continent, banished all fears from our people of any further 
alarm and depredation from the dreaded French and Indians of 
Canada. 

For some years after the first settlers came into town, the only 
living things they had to contend with were the wild beasts of the 
forest, and against these each man could protect himself and family ; 
but with the uprising of the savages, things assumed a different com- 
plexion, and the settlers were compelled to band together for mutual 
protection against the common foe. Massachusetts, about the year 
1745, provided ten soldiers and an officer for the safety and protec- 
tion of the settlers of Gorhamtown. These men were placed under 
the command of Capt. John Phinney, who was a man of experience 
and sagacity in matters relating to Indian fighting. How early Gor- 
hamtown possessed an armed and organized force of its own we have 
now no means of knowing ; but it seems probable that it had its 
beginning at this time, since it was extremely doubtful how long 
Massachusetts could allow her soldiers to remain here, and men must 
be in readiness to take their places. 

When the new fort in Pearsonstown (Standish) was built, which 
was about the year 1755, eight men were assigned to keep it. These 
men were John Meserve, Clement Meserve, Jr., Wentworth Stuart, 
Timothy Crocker, Israel Thorn, Joseph Meserve, John Burnell and 
Elijah Dunham, nearly, if not all, of whom were of Gorham. It is 
said that these men were under the command of Edmund Phinney. 
At one time when men were at work on this fort, a guard of six men 
was employed to protect them. This guard was composed of Uaniel 
Mosher, James Gilkey, Jonathan Ilsley, Thomas Morton, Benjamin 
Titcomb and Daniel Ilsley. 

During this Indian war, Capt. John Phinney had command of the 
Gorhamtown company. I have in my possession the following order, 
signed by John Phinney as captain of the company : 

"Gorham town Jun the 8: 1757 
Mr. John Hardan Sir be Pies to Send me one Bottle of Rhum by Sargent 
Irish and to Let the Sargent with the Rest of the Company have the Remandar 
of the treet accordan to your promas and you will oblige yours 

John Phinney." 
On the back is : 

" John Irish Shar Gent 
Hart William Ser 
Barnabus Bangs Ser 
James Gilkey Clark." 



70 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

A few years later Gorhamtown had a company of soldiers belong- 
ing to Col. Samuel Waldo, Jr.'s, regiment. Of this company John 
Phinney was captain. 

There was a large company of militia in town before the Revolu- 
tionary war, of which Edmund Phinney, as early as 1772, was captain. 
On the breaking out of hostilities in 1775 Capt. Hart Williams's 
Gorham company of militia, and the militia company of Capt. Went- 
worth Stuart, belonging to Gorham, Standish and \\'indham, were 
already organized and equipped, and when the news of the battles of 
Lexington and Concord reached Falmouth on the morning of April 
2 1 St they immediately marched for the scene of action. After reach- 
ing Wells, however, they were ordered back to protect the seacoast 
towns. These companies afterwards enlisted in Col. Phinney's 31st 
Mass. 

During the Revolution there were two companies of militia in town, 
belonging to the 3d Cumberland County regiment, commanded by 
Col. Reuben Fogg of Scarborough. The officers of these two com- 
panies were commissioned May 10, 1776, and were as follows: 

3d Company. 5th Company. 

Samuel Whitmore, Capt. Alexander McLellan, Capt. 

Ebenezer Murch, ist Lieut. Joseph Knight, ist Lieut. 

Joshua Crockett, 2d " Nathaniel Frost, 2d " 

The 3d Cumberland County regiment was afterwards commanded 
by Col. Edmund Phinney, and among the Gorham officers commis- 
sioned under him July i, 1781, were Samuel Whitmore, captain, and 
Joshua Crockett, second lieutenant. 

While hostilities w-ere in progress the militia formed a reserve force, 
composed of more or less well-trained men, from which recruits for 
the army were drawn as desired. 

After the Revolution, public sentiment demanded that " in time of 
peace we should prepare for war." In accordance, therefore, with 
this feeling, the law required that all able bodied males, between the 
ages of eighteen and forty-five, should be enrolled in the trainbands, 
and that they should meet for drill and improvement at least four 
times a year, in the fall of each year a general muster being held. 
Regimental musters took place in Gorham, and sometimes a whole 
Brigade was gathered at the village to spend two or three days in 
military evolutions. During one of these, a silken standard was 
presented to the soldiers from the steps of Col. Lothrop Lewis's house 
by Miss Mary McLellan, who shortly afterwards became the wife of 



MILITARY MATTERS. 71 

Royal Twombly. The colors were received with an appropriate 
speech by Lieut. Greenlief C. Watson. 

These General-muster clays were rich old times, for both old and 
young. Like some other things they have passed by and gone out of 
fashion. The grounds were staked off, guards posted to protect the 
military, and keep out the loafers ; one side of the field lined with 
shanties, where the sweetened grog went round and round. Ginger- 
bread and new cider were plenty. A good dinner might be had of 
the best of roast or boiled, — coffee, pies, and cakes thrown in, — and 
all for twenty-five cents ; with people by the acre, where you could 
find everybody's neighbor, both male and female. You could play 
the black joke at a cent a throw, win a copper or lose, according to 
yovu- expertness or luck. And the famous old Wheel of Fortune, 
which always came out on muster days, must not be forgotten, on 
which you could stake a cent and win three, if the needle happened 
to stop on the right number ; but the luck usually was to lose the 
one, and not win the three. It is true there would be occasionally a 
knock-down or two amongst the boys, to settle some little difference 
of opinion ; but these things somehow were considered as a part of 
the programme, and did not spoil the fun, only showed the pluck of 
the boys. Drunkenness was not common, though you would some- 
times see a friend lifting his toes to step over his own shadow. 'J'his 
was 2l peculiarity. Some say the rum of those days was better than 
that of the present ; perhaps it was. The musters were usually held 
on what was known as " Broad's Field," and it was there that the last 
one took place, about 1841. Broad's field was what had been Parson 
Caleb Jewett's pasture, and a part of it has since been covered with 
houses. 

Oct. 2ist, 1789, the town voted that the selectmen should assist in 
fixing the dividing line between the two militia companies in Gorham. 
Not many years afterwards the town was again divided, and a third 
company formed. One of these companies was commanded by Capt. 
Oliver Hunt, and its roll was as follows : 

Muster roll of the " South Company," May 5, 1795. 

Oliver Hunt, Captain. 

Benjamin Adams, Lieutenant. 

Prince Hamblen, Ensign. 

Daniel Whitmore, Sergeant. 
Edmund Phinney. 
Daniel Watson, " 

Stephen (Whitney?), " 



72 



mSTOKV OF GORHAIM. 



William Armstrong;. 
Nathaniel Bacon. 
Edmund Brown. 
Joseph Brown. 
Abiel Briggs. 
James Chadbourn. 
Benj. Chamberlain. 
William Cobb, Jr. 
Ebenezer Cobb. 
Elisha Cobb. 
Eben Cobb, Jr. 
vSamuel Clark. 
Peter Crockett. 
Edmund Cloutman. 
Nathan Cloutman. 
Jesse Cloutman. 
John Crocket. 
Isaac Chadbourn. 
Daniel Cresy. 
Reuben Cobb. 
Prince Davis, Jr. 
William Davis. 
James Davis. 
Jesse Davis. 
Samuel Davis. 
Joseph Davis. 
Christopher Dunn. 
John Dyer, Jr. 
William Dyer. 
John Darling. 
Jonah Dunn. 
Richard Dresser. 
Thomas Decker. 
Samuel Edwards. 
James Emory. 
Enoch Edwards. 
Samuel Frost. 
Ebenezer File. 
Jonathan Freeman, 
Benjamin Frost. 



Rank and File. 

Daniel Fogg. 
Jonathan Gammon. 
John Gammon. 
Elisha Gallison. 
Nathaniel Gould. 
William Gammon. 
Josiah Green. 
Jacob Hamblen. 
Nicholas Harding. 
Barnabas Harding. 
John Harding, Jr. 
Jacob Haskell. 
Joseph Hanscome. 
Francis Hunt. 
Daniel Hunt. 
James Irish. 
Ephraim Jones. 
Joseph Jones. 
James Lewis. 
Stephen Lary. 
John Lombard, Jr. 
Solomon Lombard, Jr. 
James Lombard. 
George Lewis, Jr. 
James Lamb. 
Ephraim Lombard. 
John McQuillan. 
John Marriner. 
John Merrill. 
Simon D. McDonald. 
David McDugle. 
James Mcintosh. 
William McLellan, Jr. 
Benjamin Mosher. 
Ebenezer Murch, Jr. 
Zebulon Murch. 
John Murch, Jr. 
George Murch. 
Jr. William McLellan, 3d. 
Reuben Morton. 



Moses Murch. 
John Morton. 
William Paine, Jr. 
Benjamin Patrick. 
Joseph Phinney. 
Nathan Phinney. 
Nathan Cook Penheld. 
Thomas Paine, Jr. 
Caleb Prentiss. 
Samuel Paine. 
David Patrick. 
Joseph Parker. 
Amos Rich. 
Benjamin Roberts. 
John Roberts. 
Abiel Rounds. 
William Tyng Riggs. 
Walter Rose. 
John Richardson. 
John Butler Ryan. 
Hezekiah Smith. 
James Sturges. 
Mark Smith. 
Nathaniel Sturges. 
Josiah Shaw. 
Jeremiah Tole. 
Peter Thacher. 
Nathaniel Warren. 
Edmund W^atson. 
Joseph Weston. 
Jotham Whitney. 
Coleman Watson. 
Samuel Warren, Jr. 
Joseph Watson. 
Samuel Watson. 
Moses Whitney, Jr. 
Nathaniel Wescott, Jr. 
Joseph Waterhouse. 
Joseph Young, 3d. 
Solomon Young. 



These soldiers furnished their own guns, but the town provided 
ammunition. For instance, in June, 1798, the town chose Thomas 
McLellan, as its committee, to provide one hundred and fifty pounds 
of powder, two gross of flints, and camp kettles and balls, for the u.se 
of the militia in (iorham, and voted to raise one hundred and thirty 
dollars to pay for the same. The town's stock of anmumition was 



MILITARY MATTERS. 73 

kept in the little brick powder-house, which stood on the eastern side 
of the Fort Hill road, nearly opposite the mouth of Pendleton's lane, 
so called. This building, which will be remembered by many, was 
placed for the sake of safety some rods back from the road, and on 
the bare ledge of rock, which there forms the surface of the ground. 

During the War of 1812 the militia of Gorham, comprising four 
companies of Infantry, commanded by Captains Toppan Robie, 
Barnabas Higgins, Jacob P. Bettis and Robert McLellan, and a 
company of Cavalry, commanded by Lieut. Leighton, served in Port- 
land, under Gen. Irish, for a short time, but saw no fighting. 

A volunteer company, called the " Gorham Light Guards," and 
furnished with arms by the State, was organized about 1856 ; but 
interest in it soon abated, and after a short time it gave back its arms 
to the State, and ceased its existence. 

Gorham has furnished to the State, among other militia officers, the 
following : Gen. James Irish, Col. Lothrop Lewis, Col. Tyng Smith, 
Major George Lewis, Col. Hugh D. McLellan, Gen. Edward T. Smith, 
Col. William B. Harding, Col. Nathaniel Frost, Col. Samuel Whit- 
more, Col. Colman Harding, Col. Edward Files, Major Eben Files, 
Jr., Major William Thomes, Major Nathaniel Thomes, and Major 
William Warren. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE FIRST SETTLEMENl' AND FIRST SURVEYS. 

In the spring of the year 1736, the first tree was cut, and gave 
way to the woodman's axe, for the purpose of clearing the land for 
the habitation of the white man in what was called Narragansett No. 
7, or Gorhamtown, which town was then covered by a dense and 
heavy growth of wood and timber, and it is said that its superior 
could not be found in the State. 

Capt. John Phinney moved from Barnstable, Mass., and settled at 
that part of Falmouth then called Presumpscot. In May, 1736, he, 
with his son Edmund, paddled his bateau up the Presumpscot into 
Little River, hauling it around the falls at Ammoncongin and Sacca- 
rappa, landing at or near Blenham Falls, some fifty rods below the 
bridge, where Mr. Parkhurst's mill now stands. Here they secreted 
the boat as best they could, and with their axes and pack of 
provisions on their backs, made their way through the woods to what 
is now called Fort Hill, where they arrived late in the afternoon. 
Their track (so said Mr. James Phinney) was nearly where the road 
is now made, till they arrived on the southerly slope. Here the lay 
of the land pleased them, and after looking around and reconnoiter- 
ing they concluded where to build their camp, which was on the spot 
then occupied by an old member of the forest, a large basswood tree, 
which was somewhat decayed and rotten-hearted from age. This 
tree stood near where the well now is, in the thirty acre lot No. i, 
and not many feet from the northerly side of the house owned and 
occupied by the late Mr. Moses Fogg, on Fort Hill. 

The spot having been selected for the camp, Capt. Phinney said 
to his son Edmund, "We will build our camp here, and you may cut 
that basswood, and you can say you cut the first tree in town for the 
purpose of settlement." This was at night; the two camped on the 
ground till morning, when as had been arranged, Edmund felled the 
first tree, which was in the month of May, 1736. It is not now 
known on what day of the month or week this was done, but the two 
worked, felling the trees on the land lying to the north of Mr. Fogg's 
house, on the easterly side of the road in the swale up to the rise of 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 75 

the hill, on what is now the northwesterly corner of the thirty acre lot 
No. I, till Saturday afternoon, when they again took their boat and 
returned home, there being at that time no road or path through the 
woods above what is now Congin Falls, on the Presumpscot River. 

Thus the father and son progressed till a sufficient piece of the 
forest was laid low for their purpose, when fire was put to the 
prostrate trees, and they had the fortune to get, in the language of 
the time, a good burn, but before all the labor of cutting, burning 
and clearing was accomplished, it had become late in the season, 
into the month of June, and the weather was unusually cold for the 
season. Notwithstanding the prospect, they were not disheartened, 
the corn was put in, and having no pumpkin seeds, a lot of water- 
melon seeds, which they found by accident in their baggage, they 
planted with their corn instead. Seed potatoes were not to be had, 
and were at that time quite a curiosity and a great rarity. They also 
planted a part of the clearing with peas. I say planted, for the seed 
was literally dug in with the hoe, it not being possible to use the plow 
or harrow among the stumps and logs. 

After the crop was put in, and a log house prepared, Capt. 
Phinney moved his family into Gorhamtown. Here he usually left 
them during the week days with his son Edmund to look after the 
family interests while he went to Presumpscot and Stroudwater to 
get employment in the shipyards, and otherwise, as best he could. 
When Saturday afternoon came he would take the proceeds of his 
week's labor on his back, walk to his boat, go up the river to the 
landing place, then through the woods to his family and home. 
Many times during that first season, the thought came over him that 
he should be obliged to abandon his plantation, that no crops could 
be raised, that it was a cold, barren and inhospitable region, but in 
July a change came over things, the sun came out warm and vegeta- 
tion took a rapid stride, and as the prospects brightened, the faces 
of the hard working and honest men shortened. 

The result of their labor proved in autumn equal to their most 
sanguine expectation and desire. They had a good crop of corn, 
amply sufficient for bread for the family, and gathered a quantity, 
about equal to ten cartloads, of watermelons, some of them of extra- 
ordinary size; few of which they could dispose of conveniently; most 
of them they fed to their hogs, and with a little corn, they found 
them to make good pork. 

When the time came to harvest the peas, Capt. Phinney told his 
son he would give him a week's time in which to harvest, thresh and 



76 IlISTOKV OF GOKPIAM. 

clean them up, which was agreed to, and Edmund was to have the 
time he might gain, in which to hunt, for his amusement. But when 
Saturday night came, and the father returned, the son having worked 
hard all the week, the peas were not finished, and Edmund had to 
take the next week to complete his job ; and when all was done it 
was found they had raised ninety bushels of handsome peas, which, 
with a few vegetables and garden stuff raised about the house, made 
up the first year's crop ever raised by a white man in the present 
town of Gorham. 

The manner of harvesting in those days was far more laborious 
than at this time. There was not a cart in town with which to gather 
the crop; nor a threshing (modern) machine, or even a barn floor, in 
which Edmund could thresh his peas. The corn was gathered in 
baskets and carried to the house on the shoulders. The peas were 
carried together on poles, when a spot was cleared between the 
stumps and logs and made smooth and hard, then the peas were 
beaten out with a pole in the most primitive manner. And they were 
cleaned by having the dust blown from them by the winds of heaven. 

Capt. Phinney and his family lived here alone for about two years 
and a half, but in the winter of 1738-39 their hearts were glad- 
dened, and the lonesomeness of their wilderness home somewhat 
relieved by the arrival of two families, who moved in within a short 
time of each other, the McLellans and the Moshers. 

Of late years, it has been a somewhat disputed point as to whether 
Hugh McLellan or Daniel Mosher was the second settler in the 
town, but after a careful investigation of the subject, the weight of 
the evidence that we have been able to collect, seems to show beyond 
a reasonable doubt that the claim that the McLellan family makes 
that Hugh McLellan was the second actual settler in the township is 
correct. The late Gen. James Irish said that he always understood 
from the old people that the McLellans came in, next to John 
Phinney. 

Mrs. Elizabeth McLellan, the wife of Hugh, often conversed with 
the Rev. Elijah Kellogg, who married her granddaughter, the daugh- 
ter of Joseph McLellan and Mary McLellan. Mr. Kellogg wrote 
down at the time, one statement she made, which the author saw 
some years since ; Mr. Kellogg showing it to him, and telling him 
the fact of his writing it down at the time. This statement was, that 
when she moved into Gorham, there was but one white family in 
town, and that was John Phinney's. They moved in the latter part 
of the winter. Her husband came up and cleared out and repaired 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 77 

a logger's or hunter's camp, which stood on the opposite side of the 
road from where the brick house now stands. This was in the win- 
ter of 1738 and '39. 

Hugh McLellan's deed from Shubael Gorham was given Aug. lo, 
1739, and says " McLellan of a place called Gorhamtown," so that 
they must have been here before that date, or he would not have 
said so. It has always been a received fact, in the family, that Hugh 
bought his right of some one in Falmouth (Portland), who was an 
agent of Gorham, but did not get his deed for some time after he 
moved on to his land. It is probable that the trade was made with 
John Gorham, or Mr. Jones, both of whom acted as agents of Shu- 
bael Gorham in getting in settlers, and that the deed was given when 
Shubael Gorham came down from Barnstable, as several of his deeds 
bear the same date. 

Some sixty years since, we "met an old gentleman, who said that 
his father, in his young days, lived with the elder Hugh and his wife. 
He said that he had often heard his father tell the stoiy of their 
moving into the township, as they told it to him. That they moved 
on with an old white horse harnessed to a drag, as they called it, — 
two long poles, the forward ends confined to the horse, like carriage 
shafts, the other ends dragging some twenty feet behind ; on these 
pieces they lashed cross-pieces, on which they secured their effects. 
William (" Uncle Billy "), then a lad of seven or eight years, drove 
the little cow, and Hugh, the father, carried Abigail, the babe, two 
or three months old, a part of the time, and drove the team, while 
the mother carried the babe a part of the time. He said the old 
lady told his father it was a very good kind of a carriage where the 
track was good and straight, but bad over stumps and short turns. 
They came up (from Falmouth) by spotted trees, as there was then 
no road or track. They were a long day on the road, and it was 
nearly dark when they arrived Jiome. It was winter when this mov- 
ing took place. When they arrived at their house, they found that 
the snow had beaten in the roof and that the house was half full of 
snow, and they had to spread a coverlet, or bedspread, and build a 
fire in the corner for the children to stand by, till the room was 
cleaned out and the roof repaired, which latter they did not get com- 
pleted till the next day. 

They were fearful of losing their land after paying for it, as they 
did not get a deed for some time after they had put in a crop. The 
old lady furthermore told him that there was but one white family in 
the town, that of Capt. John Phinney, but that there was a white 



78 



IllSTOKV OF COKHAM. 



hunter, l)y the name of A3-er, who camped opposite their house, and 
was there occasionally. (He afterwards purchased a town right.) 
She said he afterwards got scared at the report of coming Indians, 
and ran off. Parson Smith mentions Ayers of Gorhamtown coming 
in to Falmouth, and reporting an Indian scare, in the summer of 1740. 
The first white child born in Gorhamtown was Mary Gorham 
Phinney, who was born on the 13th of August, 1736, and married, in 




MARY GORHAM PHINNPZY. 

THE FIRST WHITE CHILD liOliN IN (iOKlIAM. 



1756, James Irish. The second child to be born in town was in the 
Ayer family — a son. He was still living, about i<S3o, in the east- 
ern part of the State. 

Daniel Mosher, the third settler, moved into town during the same 
winter, 1738-39, probably very shortly after McLellan came. ■ He 
received his first deed of a Proprietor's right, a thirty acre, a hundred 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIKST SURVEYS. 79 

acre, and a seventy acre lot, some time during the year 1739. The 
first recorded deed to him, in which he is described as Daniel Moyz- 
hear, housewright, was from Charles Frost of Falmouth, of a thirty 
acre lot, and bears the date of Sept. 3, 1754; but from the fact that 
Mosher conveyed the same lot by mortgage to Frost, Feb. 19, 1746, 
it appears certain that there must have been a deed of earlier date con- 
veying this lot to Mosher. The lot on which he made his home was 
the thirty acre lot No. 4. This lot is situated on the southerly side 
of Fort Hill, in the southwest corner, formed by the crossing of the 
Fort Hill road and Queen street, and is now owned and occupied by 
Archelaus L. Hamblen. This lot, Nov. 9, 1761, Mr. Mosher con- 
veyed to his son-in-law, Moses Akers, and soon after moved to the 
farm since occupied by his great-grandson, Mark Mosher. 

As has been elsewhere stated, in April, 1733, the General Court of 
Massachusetts appointed a committee consisting of Fdward Shove, 
Thomas Tilestone, John Hobson and Samuel Chandler, to survey 
and lay out the tracts of land for five of the Narragansett townships. 
This committee selected as their surveyors, Samuel Small and 
Benjamin Stone, who were accordingly sworn to make a faithful 
discharge of their duties, as the following document will show : 

York ss Biddeford Nov. Y^ 20"^ 1733, 
We Samuel Small & M"" Benjamin Stone appeared and were 
sworn to the faithful discharge of the office of Surveyors and to 
follow such directions as they shall from Time to Time receive from 
the General Court Committee as also John Smith, John Bagshaw, 
John Smith, Joshua Hilton & Lieut John Stackpole as Chainman. 

Cor John Gray Justs Peace 

The surveys were made by the above, and on Feb. 11, 1733-34 the 
committee presented to the General Court plats of townships Nos. i 
and 7, with the following description of the same : 

This Plat describes two Tracts of Land laid out for the Narragan- 
set Soldiers between Saco River & Presumpscott containing the 
contents of Six Miles Square in each Plat with the allowance of 
Seven Hundred acres formerly granted to Hill & others in the Town- 
ship next Saco River & thirteen Hundred Acres for Ponds, and in 
the Township joining to Presumpscott River there is allowance for 
five hundred acres granted to Tyng & others & twelve hundred acres 
for Ponds, and the said Plans are bounded and described as foUoweth 
beginning at Saco River at the head of Biddeford & runs Northeast 
by the Needle twelve miles by the head of Biddeford & Scarborough 
& Falmouth till it comes to Presumpscott River & then bounded by 



80 HISTORY ()I<- (lOKllAM. 

Presunipscott River & runs up the same till it makes Seven miles and 
one quarter of a Mile on Straight course North 33° West and then 
runs 9 Miles & 50 Poles South W by the Needle till it comes to Saco 
River & then bounds South Westerly by Saco River till it comes to 
the Head of Biddeford afor^' the di\'iding line between the two Town- 
ships begins on the Line next the Head of the Townships Seven 
Miles & one quarter of a Mile to the Northeast of Saco River & s"^ 
line runs North 33° West by Needle extending Seven Miles & one 
quarter of a Mile and the two Townships was Surveyed by Samuel 
Small & Benjamin Stone who were Sworn for the faithful discharge 
of their Work before Justice Gray Dated 23*^ of Nov 1733 

Edw^ Shove j 

Thomas Tileston . , 

, , Tj^ 1 > Committee 

John Hobson 

Samuel Chandler J 

Township No. i, now Buxton, was ordered to be set apart for 
Philemon Dane and others, and No. 7, now Gorham, was confirmed 
to Col. Shubael Gorham and others. 

In the Cumberland Court Records are the following depositions, 
which were taken, in perpetuain ret memoriam, at the desire of Capt. 
John Phinney, the first settler of the new town. The deponents 
personally appeared before Edward Milliken and Solomon Lombard, 
" Justices of the Peace Quorum unus," on the 20th day of July, 1767, 
and separately made oath to the truth of their statements. 

Thomas Haskell's Deposition. 
The Deposition of Thomas Haskell, aged seventy eight years, 
testifyeth and saith, that he well remembers his being assisting of 
Capt. John Phinney in laying out the thirty acre Lots in Narraganset 
Township Number Seven, and that I the said Deponent always 
understood that said Phinney was employed by Collo. Shubell Gorham 
of Barnstable, and that I the Deponent was with Daniel Mosher and 
others several times assisting said Phinney in laying out said Lots, 
and I never understood that any Body else was employed by said 
Gorham to run said Lots, and also I have been with Collo. Gorham 
and understood by him that said Phinney had orders from him for to 
do said business. Y"" Deponent further testifies that I was at the 
Proprietors' meeting the 9th day of Augt. 1739, and do well remember 
that the Lands that was voted to Edmund and Stephen Phinney (a 
hundred acres each) was voted to the said Edmund and Stephen for 
their services and theirs only. 

Thomas Haskell. 

Benjamin Haskell's Deposition. 
The Deposition of Benjamin Haskell, of full age, testifieth and 
saith that he was at a Proprietors' meeting of Naraganset Township 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 81 

Number Seven, ales Gorhani, and that I the Deponent well remember 
that at Falmouth when the Proprietors proceeded to pitch or draw for 
their hundred acre Lots, it being the Second Division, that Mr. 
Wentworth Stuard stood and put his fingers on two Lots on the Plan, 
and told the Moderator, Mr. James Milk, that them two Lots was 
then possest by the Phinneys, and that he the said Stuard said that 
was Mr. Lombard's Lot that laid between them, and desired them not 
to pitch on them, for he said that they were taken up, and as there 
was none of the Phinneys there, said Stuard and my self told the 
Proprietors that we thought it a great Hardship, we knowing that 
the said Phinneys possest said Lots, and were then in Possession of 
them. 

Benja. Haskell. 

Wentworth Stuart's Deposition. 
I Wentworth Stuart, aged 35 years, testify and declare that I being 
at Falmouth at the Proprietors' meeting of Naraganset Proprietors 
No. 7, ale Gorhamtown now Gorham, when they draw'd their 100 
acre Lots or Second Divisions, Capt. James Milk, Moderator, they 
chose a large Committee to say who were Intitled to have Pitches 
agreeable to a former vote, before the Rest should draw. Said Com- 
mittee reported, I think, that there was 22, and while those 22 were a 
pitching I told the Moderator that No. 42 and 44 was pitched, and 
that by a former Committee that was to sign Grants, and that Stephen 
Phinney did then live on No. 42, but notwithstanding Mr. Anthoney 
Brackett pitched the same by virtue of the last Committee, and that 
the Moderator pitched No. 44 for the Family of the Potes, and I told 
him that that was Capt. John Phinney's Pitch, and further saith not. 

Wentworth Stuart. 

Daniel Mosher's Deposition. 
I Daniel Mosher, of the age of fifty five years, testify and say that 
in the year A. Domini 1735. in the month of May, Mr. John Phinney 
received written orders from CoUo. Shubal Gorham to run out and 
Plan all the Home Lots in Gorhamtown alias Naraganset No. 7 and 
now Gorham, and that in Pursuance to those orders the said Phinney 
employed three Surveyors in that Business, vizt. Godfrey, King and 
Scales, and also two Chainmen, vizt. Winter and Roberts, and that I 
the said Mosher went with them as axman to mark and spot the Trees 
the whole time they were upon the Business, till we had run out all 
the Home Lots, which was compleated about y*^ Month of November 
following, and that I the said Mosher was Employ'd by the said 
Phinney in running out said Lots and was paid by him for the Same. 
I do further testify and say that I was at the Proprietors' meeting the 
9th of Augt. 1739, when the Proprietors voted a hundred acres of 
Land to Each of the said John Phinney's two Sons, vizt. Edmund and 
Stephen Phinney, and I well remember that the said Land was 
granted or voted to the said Edmund and Stephen for their services 
& theirs only. 

Daniel Mosher. 



82 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



From the foregoing depositions it appears that the first plans of the 
thirty acre, or home lots as they were then called, were laid out by 
Capt. John Phinney in the summer of 1735, by direction, as he says, 
of Col. Shubael Gorham. Phinney was aided by Skillings, Mosher, 
Weston, Akers, and others, as chainmen, axmen, etc. This plan was 
found to be very imperfect, and full of errors as to measurements ; 
one of which errors was, in laying off the tier of lots on the easterly 
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PLAN OF THE THIRTY ACRE LOTS. 

FROM THE ORIGINAL BY JOHN SMALL, 1751. 

toward the Corner, six lots were laid out with sixty rods front and 
were made to extend to where the road turned off to Portland, thus 
giving to each lot about three and one-third rods more front than they 
should have as the whole distance is about three hundred and eighty 
rods. 

When Col. Gorham came down, he ascertained how the thing was, 
and being dissatisfied with Phinney's work, rather disowned having 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. S3 

anything to do with it, and at once took measures to have a new and 
correct laying out of the lots. Mr. John Small was chosen for the 
surveyor, with proper aids, and all were put under oath to do the 
work correctly. In the meantime the Portland road had been opened 
where it is now traveled. 

Mr. Small makes the following return on the plan he made of his 
work to the Proprietors : 

" Being desired by the Proprietors of Gorhamtown to measure out 
the fronts of the lots on the road, Accordingly I began at No. i, 
Capt. John Phinney's lot [now Mr. Moses Fogg's] by the Peach yard 
corner, and measured out the several lots 60 rods fronting on the 
road. South 13° East and found a piece of common land 20 rods wide 
at Gorhams Corner as the same is Described within the plan, and 
then begun at the Peach yard corner, and ran North 13° West, meas- 
uring each lot 60 rods front by the road, and find the Mill privilege 
falls clear into the lot No. 64 : Excepting the six Streets mentioned 
by name in the plan, all the others are two rods wide." The streets 
named on the plan were four rods in width. (See Chap. XV.) 

This plan of the thirty acre lots was accepted by the Proprietors at 
a meeting held at the house of Capt. Joshua Bangs in Falmouth, 
April 16, 1 75 I, and it was voted to record it in the Proprietors' book 
and in the Secretary's office. 

It will be seen from the foregoing that there were thus two plans of 
the thirty acre lots, Phinney's and Small's, each party claiming theirs 
to be the genuine one, consequently the recording of these depositions 
by Phinney to show that his work was done by authorization. In an 
application for a Proprietors' meeting, dated Aug. 11, 1753, and 
signed by Enoch Freeman, Esq., Jacob Hamblen, Cornelius Brimhall, 
Capt. Joshua Bangs, and Capt. Jedediah Preble, we find the following 
article, — "To choose a committee to get the Grant and plan of the 
township confirmed by the General Court, and Recorded anew in the 
Secretary's Office, as the records were burnt in the townhouse in 
Boston, a few years ago." This meeting was held at the house of 
Capt. Bangs in Falmouth, Aug. 28, 1753, when a committee of the 
new plan party, consisting of Jabez Fox, James Otis, David Gorham, 
Moses Pearson and Jedediah Preble, was chosen to " present the 
plan of the town to the General Court for their confirmation." The 
strife was ended by the John Small plan being subsequently con- 
firmed by the General Court, and declared to be the true and original 
plan of the town of Gorham, " Provided it does not interfere with 
grants previously and legally made." This is dated Dec. 28, 1753. 



84 HISTORY OF GOKllAM. 

And the last that is known of the Phinney plan, it was in the hands 
of the Rev. Solomon Lombard's executor, much worn and dilapidated. 
This first survey and plan by Phinney was made before any settler 
had moved in. and was the plan by which the original rights were 
drawn or located in the thirty acres. 

Capt. Phinney with his aids lived in Falmouth at the time they 
surveyed the township. In the new plan no alteration in the number 
or location of lots was made, only correction of distances. In locating 
the original rights, the numbers of the thirty acre lots were put into 
one hat, and the Proprietors' names into another, and drawn one 
against the other. 

A Proprietor's right consisted of a thirty acre lot, a hundred acre 
lot and a seventy acre lot, making two hundred acres of land in all. 

The hundred acre lots were surveyed and laid out by Small at the 
same time that he resurveyed the thirty acre lots. A plan of the 
town, showing the thirty and hundred acre lots, was then drawn by 
him. This map, which is still in existence, bears the following: 

"This Plan of Naraganset Township No 7, otherwise called Gorham 
Town taken at the request of Charles Frost Enoch Freeman and 
Moses Peirson Esq''s a Committee of the Proprietors of said Town- 
ship the 17"^ march 1753 

P"" John Small Survey " 

The drawing by the Proprietors for these hundred acre lots took 
place at an adjourned meeting, held at the Town House in Falmouth, 
on the 28th of August, 1753. At this meeting a committee reported 
the names of those who had their taxes all paid up, and had per- 
formed their other settlement obligations. These were then allowed 
to " pitch," or select, for ever\' thirty acre lot owned, any hundred 
acre lot desired, not already chosen. After they had made their 
choice (the Moderator being empowered to pitch for any one entitled 
to do so, but absent), the remaining lots were put into a hat, from 
which they were drawn and read by the Moderator for the benefit of 
the remaining Proprietors. 

The twenty acre strip at Gorham Corner, already spoken of, was 
pitched on by Capt. Bryant Morton as part of his second division ; 
he also had a hundred acre lot by draft, in addition to this strip. 
Afterwards it was ascertained that several of the settlers had more 
land than they were entitled to — .some a lot by pitch and a lot by 
<^i-aft — and a committee, consisting of Enoch Freeman, Stephen 
Longfellow and William Cotton, was chosen to settle all such cases. 
Their report is dated March 4, 1765, wherein they say that they 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 85 

" have agreed with Capt. Bryant Morton for twenty acres he pitched 
at Gorham Corner as a part of the hundred acres, to confirm the 
same to him and his heirs, upon his giving the Proprietors a deed of 
twenty acres off the southeasterly side of his third division of seventy 
acres, No. i8, and do so report." This report was accepted. 

It looks very much as if it were no uncommon thing for a few 
interested persons to clandestinely call a Proprietors' meeting by 
application to a Justice, or the Clerk, hold the meeting, vote grants, 
and pass votes for the advancement of things and for the interests of 
the settlers, which they could not pass in a regular meeting attended 
more fully by the Proprietors ; then appear at a subsequent meeting 
with the records all sworn to, produce proof that notices were legally 
posted, etc., have all recorded in the book — all right, claim good, 
land surveyed off. To illustrate this point : in the Proprietors' 
Records there is no mention made of any meeting being held between 
Nov. 13th, 1749 and July 35th, 1750, but in the Records of Cumber- 
land County we find this : 

At a Proprietors' meeting legally warned of the Proprieters of 
Gorhamtown or No. 7, held at the fort in s^ Town, January 31 : 1750, — 
Voted that Capt. John Phinney be Moderator for this meeting. Voted 
that Joseph Weston be Proprietors' Clerk for this meeting, in the 
absence of the former Clerk, he not being at said meeting. Voted 
the first [Article] in the Warrant, which was to choose a Proprietors' 
[Clerk], be dismissed. Voted that the Second Article in the War- 
rant, which was to Choose a Treasurer, be dismissed. Voted to 
dismiss the former Committee who was chosen to sign Grants. 
Voted to choose a Committee to sign Grants. Voted the Committee 
to sign Grants shall consist of three men & no more. Voted Christo- 
pher Strout, Esq., Capt. John Phinney, and Benjamin Stevens, be a 
Committee to sign Grants to those men who have fulfilled according 
to General Court's Injunctions. 

John Phinney, Moderator. 

Seventeen years after that time, July 20, 1767, Joseph Weston, in 
a deposition taken at the request of Capt. John Phinney, testified 
that he was elected cierk />ro tempore of that meeting, and supplied 
the word Clerk in the report, which we have enclosed in brackets, 
which was wanting in the original copy. The word Article was also 
omitted in the original. The " former Clerk," alluded to in the 
report, was Capt. Moses Pearson of Falmouth, who was the Proprie- 
tors' clerk. He was elected clerk Aug. 30, 1744, and served until 
September, 1776, when he resigned on account of infirmity, dying 
less than two years after. 



86 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

In the old Proprietors' Records the first meeting recorded was held 
in 1741. But it afterwards appears that a Proprietors' meeting was 
held before that time. The record is as follows : 

" At a Proprietors' meeting by adjournment held for Gorhamtown, 
alias y« seventh township granted to the Narraganset Soldiers, August 
y*^ 9th, 1739." It does not appear who was the Moderator, but 
Daniel Gorham was clerk of the meeting (and this is the only time 
his name appears as Proprietors' clerk). At this meeting one hundred 
acres each w^as voted to Edmund and Stephen Phinney, sons of Mr. 
John Phinney. These two hundred acres of land were located on 
the westerly side of the thirty acre lots, adjoining Nos. ^t, and 34, 
and on the old plans of the town are marked " Plain," and are on 
the road from Fort Hill to West Gorham. Both lots had Little 
River passing through them. The location and survey were made 
by Capt. John Curtis and William Pote, a committee chosen for that 
purpose. Their return and plan are dated, Gorhamtown, Sept. 24, 
1739. The Captain, being a sea-faring man, it appears used a marine 
compass, as the courses are " From a Beach tree two hundred rods, 
JVori/i and Be West, to a Hemlock tree." It appears that the record 
of the doings at this meeting was not brought forward to be recorded 
in the Proprietors' Records till about the year 1750. The granting 
and location of these lots and the claim made to them by the Phin- 
neys, was thought to be, by some of the old Proprietors, rather a 
shaky piece of business, and was the cause of some trouble when the 
Proprietors came to pitch and draw for their hundred acre lots, or 
second division ; some siding with the Phinneys, and some against 
them. And from this affair arose the necessity of Mr. John Phinney's 
procuring the depositions in perpetuam mentioned before, and of 
having the same recorded. One hundred acres of this land were 
sold by Capt. John Phinney to John Freeman and his wife Bethiah 
Freeman, and in 1760 these latter sold to Daniel Marrett of P'almouth, 
shipwright, the hundred acres of land they bought of Capt. John 
Phinney, " being one half of the lot set off to Edmund and Stephen 
Phinney, his sons, by the Proprietors in 1739." 

At the meeting held as aforesaid, it was voted " That no persons, 
that are not actual settlers or inhabitants within said town shall have 
any liberty to cut any Grass Growing or that shall be growing on 
said Meadows or the common land, and that no settler or inhabitant 
as above shall presume to cut any of y^ meadows before a division or 
proportion of y*^ same from year to year, be first made by a majority 
of y^ s*^ Proprietors and inhabitants. 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 87 

" Voted, That y^ grantees, inhabitants and settlers are allowed to 
cut timber for their own use for Building in s^^ town, and no more. 

" Voted, Y' each grantee or Proprietor in s'^^ Township shall pay 
for each Right he possesses twenty shillings, By ¥>= last of October 
next, to be laid out in mending y'^ highway in s'' township, between 
Y^ Great Bridge and Y*^ upper lot laid out on King street." 

This road extended from Little River bridge, above Fort Hill, to 
the late Albion Johnson's, about one hundred and eighty rods, and 
the men were to have ten shillings per day, finding themselves. 

As already stated, the record of proceedings at this meeting did 
not appear till August 30, 1749, when the following vote was passed : 

" Voted, That the papers said to be attested by Daniel Gorham 
relating to 200 acres of land granted to Edmund and Stephen 
Phinney, and containing other matters, be referred to further consid- 
eration." 

At a meeting held Aug. 29th, 1750, of which Capt. Phinney was 
Moderator, the subject was again brought forward. Moses Pearson 
and Joshua Bangs, a committee for that purpose, reported that they 
had examined the papers and thought the same ought to be recorded ; 
and it was so voted, and was then recorded by Moses Pearson, Pro- 
prietors' clerk. 

The seventy acre lots were surveyed by Joseph Noyes, under the 
direction of a committee composed of Enoch Freeman, Moses Pearson, 
Esq., and Capt. Ephraim Jones, and his plan, which is still in exist- 
ence, bears the date of Jan. 14, 1765. Although the actual survey 
of these seventy acre, or third division lots, was not completed until 
sometime in January, 1765, the Proprietors, at a meeting held Dec. 
31st, 1764, 

" Voted the Committee for laying out after Divisions, No. the same 
and make a Box ; prepare and make ready for the Proprietors Draw- 
ing their lots at the adjournment of this meeting. 

" Voted that there be marked on the plan 1 1 7 lots for the third 
Division and no more, as Maj''. Gorham has given his bond to relin- 
quish to the Proprietors four hundred acres of common land to be 
divided among them in lieu of 400 acres voted to him near Sacca- 
rappa some time past to the amount of about six after Divisions. 

" Voted the drawing the lots shall be as followeth, viz : those that 
have paid their tax draw directly, and those that have not, to draw as 
soon as they pay. To be drawn in presence of the Clerk and Treas- 
urer of s'' proprietary ; the lots to be kept in a box under Lock : the 
Clerk and Treasurer both to keep account, and the Clerk to record 
them in the Proprietors' book — The Clerk to keep the box and the 



88 IIISTOKV OF CORIIAM. 

Treasurer to keep }"-" key ; the Clerk and I'reasurer to draw in some 
public meeting. Any absent Proprietor to draw by any person he 
shall appoint." 

NARRAGANSETT xXO.'y, OR GORHAMTOWN. 

30 ACRE LOT. 

No. I. drew 

3- 

4- 

5- 
6. 

7- 
8. 

9- 

10. " 

II. 
12. 

14. 

IS- 

16. 

17. 

18. 

19. 

20. " 

21. 

22. " 

23- 

24. 

25- 

26. 

27. 

28. . " 

29. 

3°- 

31- 

32- 

33- 

34- 

35- 

36. 

37- 

38. 

39- 
40. 
41. 
42. 



1 00 ACRK 1,0 


T. 


70 ACRE LOT, 


100. 


drew 


^3- 


77- 


" 


67. 


44. 


" 


19. 


109. 


" 


49. 


108. 


" 


106. 


37- 


" 


I I. 


103. 


" 


24. 


12. 


u 


12. 


40. 


" 


So- 


49. 


" 


63- 


I. 


" 


2. 


119. 


" 


S2. 


3- 


" 


20. 


21. 


u 


3- 


94. 


" 


95- 


67. 


u 


42. 


17- 


u 


29. 


45- 


u 


114. 


95- 


u 


.57- 


31- 


a 


■-» -» 


32- 


" 


iiS- 


102. 


" 


8. 


83- 


" 


102. 


lOI. 


u 


69. 


76. 


" 


40. 


53- 


" 


I. 


^ 108. 


'' 


7- 


120. 


" 


41. 


112. 


" 


78. 


39- 


11 


85- 


93- 


u 


1 00. 


26. 


" 


6S- 


42. 


" 


80. 


36. 


u 


ss- 


29. 


11 


32. 


61. 


" 


81. 


56. 


" 


6. 


38. 


" 


72. 


74- 


'- 


39- 


so- 


" 


4S- 


le. 


"■ 


S- 


so- 


" 


60. 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 



.S9 



30 


ACRE LOT. 100 ACRE 


LOT. 70 ACRE 




43- 


drew 9 1 . 


drew 59. 




44. 


25. 


61. 




45- 


48. 


no. 




46. 


99. 


4- 




47- 


28. 


30. 




48. 


118. 


99. 




49. 


24. 


76. 




50. 


4- 


91. 




51- 


51- 


43- 




52 


117. 


25. 




53- 


55 


79. 




54- 


** 2 


10. 




55- 


7 


64. 




56. 


18. 


86. 




57- 


43- 


28. 




58- 


1 10 


94. 




59 


78 


71. 




60 


47 


15- 




61 


6. 


107. 




62. 


65 


38. 




63 


107. 


93- 




64. 


41 


58. 




65 


113 


36. 




66 


54 


89. 




67 


III 


13- 




68 


69 


62. 




69 


90 


82. 




70 


96 


96. 




71 


81 


113. 




72 


58 


14. 




73 


9 


44. 




74 


14 


18. 




75 


64 


" 




76 


88 


90. 




77 


121 


31. 




78 


92 


51- 




79 


82 


73- 




80 


L. r, r, 


53- 




81 


^6 


48. 




83 


57 


7°- 




83 


80 


101. 




84 


52 


" 




85 


19 


46. 




86 


71 


9. 




87 


72 


117- 




88 


60 


77- 




89 


114 


54- 




90 


105 


74- 



90 



IllSroKV OF pOKIIAM. 



30 ACRK LOT. 


1 00 ACRK LOT. 


70 ACRE LOT 


91. d 


ew 116. 


drew 103. 


92. 


15- 


37- 


93- 


66. 


111. 


94- 


5- 


75- 


95- 


122. 


108. 


96. 


34- 




97- 


87. 


116. 


98. 


106. 


88. 


99. 


8. 


105. 


100. 


115. 


34- 


lOI. 


27. 


^'' 2 2, 


102. 


104. 


27. 


103. 


79. 


17. 


X04. 


23. 


35- 


105. 


59- 


" ■ 104. 


106. 


85. 


" 112. 


107. 


68. 


" 


]o8. 


33- 


47- 


109. 


63. • 


" 


1 10. 


97. 


56. 


III. 


73- 


84. 


1 12. 


89. 


92. 


113- 


" II. 


68. 


114. 


" 20. 


16. 


115- 


62. 


26. 


116. 


70. 


87. 


117. 


84. 


" 109. 


118. 


86. 


" 


119. 


13. 


66. 


120. 


75- 


" 21. 


121. 


" 10. 


23. 


I 22. 


35- 


97. 



The foregoing draft of lots is what each thirty acre lot drew, both 
of hundred acre lots and of seventy acre lots. Of the latter, the 
" foregoing is a true draft, of each lot drawn to each original lot 
according to their numbers, being one hinidred and sixteen seventy 
acre lots, which with six lots given by David Gorham, Esq. in lieu of 
400 acres granted him near Saccarappa adjoining Falmouth ; and one 
lot or number left in the Box, not drawn, supposed to be for an 
original lot, No. 123, for a school lot; completes the number of one 
hundred and twenty three Rights. The numbers left by said Gorham 
as aforesaid are Nos. 75-84-96-107-109 & 118." 

The boundary lines of the town do not seem to have been located 
very accurately by the early surveys, or at least they were not so 
marked as to be easilv found, and were often the cause of much 



THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SURVEYS. 91 

trouble between this and neighboring towns. The General Court, in 
December, 1753, upon complaint of Joseph Coffin and Cutting 
Moody, who were a committee chosen by Narragansett No. i to 
petition the Court in regard to a dispute that had arisen between the 
Proprietors of Narragansett No. i and Gorhamtown concerning the 
town line, " Ordered that Richard Hazen Esq' Run the Dividing- 
Line between the Said Township N° i and the Narraganset N" 7 
with Chainmen On Oath at the Charge of the Pet'^ and make return 
of his doings therein into the Secretarys Office as Soon as may be." 

January 20, 1762, the Proprietors of Gorhamtown "Voted Moses 
Pearson and Enoch Freeman, Esq^ and Capt. Morton be a committee 
to petition the General Court to run and mark the boundary lines 
between Gorhamtown, Pearsonstown, Scarborough, Falmouth and 
Naragansett No. one; agreeable to a plan of Narragansett No". 7 
lately settled by the General Court." 

Falmouth, Gorhamtown and Pearsonstown all appear to have 
petitioned, for, in the following February, " Upon Petitions from the 
Towns of Falmouth, Gorham Town and Pearson Town," the General 
Court appointed John Bradbury, Esq., James Gowen, Esq. and Rich- 
ard Cutts, Esq. a committee to run out the lines of the towns of 
Biddeford, Scarborough and Falmouth, and to fix the bounds at the 
head of each ; also to fix the bounds of the townships of Narragan- 
sett Number Seven, Narragansett Number One and Pearsonstown, 
and to give each town forty days' notice before commencing. In 
July, Moses Pearson and Solomon Lombard, Esqs. and Mr. Jacob 
Hamblen were chosen by the Proprietors as a committee to attend 
the General Court's committee in settling the boundaiy lines with 
Falmouth, Scarborough, Narragansett No. r and Pearsonstown. 
The head line of the town (between Gorham and Pearsonstown) was 
run out in the latter part of September, of the same year, by John 
Brown, Esq., who was accompanied by committees representing the 
two towns ; Austin Alden being one of the Gorham men. 

In December, 1764, the Proprietors "Voted the Treasurer procure 
an attested copy of the General Court's Committee's report and their 
surveyor's plan of the several townships made in the year 1763, and 
furnish the Committee for perambulating the lines of the town with a 
copy and lodge the report and plan with the Clerk." They also 
chose Wentworth Stuart, Edmund Phinney and Bryant Morton a 
committee to perambulate the several boundary lines of the town with 
the selectmen or committees of the adjoining towns. 



92 HISTORY OF COKHAM. 

The plan of the several townships, Narragansetts Nos. i and 7, 
and PearsonstOM'n, with the lines of Biddeford, Scarborough and 
Falmouth, which was made by John Brown, Esq., Surveyor, in 1763 
by order of the committee of the General Court, which had charge of 
running out the lines just spoken of, having been lost, the General 
Court on June 2, 1767, ordered that the Secretary write to Mr. Brown 
directing him to make another plan of the same townships and lines, 
from his field-book and notes, make oath that it was a true plan, and 
send it to the Secretary's office as soon as he could. This was done 
and, on the twenty-second of the same month, the General Court 
" Ordered That the said Plan be accepted in lieu of the first men- 
tioned Plan, and it is hereby declared that it shall have the same force 
and effect as the first mentioned Plan ever had or could have had, to 
all intents and purposes whatsoever." 



CHAPTER VI. 

FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDING, THE INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN. 

Previous to the breaking out, in 1745, of what is known as the fifth 
Indian war, there were Hving in town the following families : Capt. 
John Phinney, Hugh McLellan, Daniel Mosher, William Pote, Ebenezer 
Hall, Benjamin Skillings, Eliphalet Watson, Benjamin Stevens, John 
Eayer (or Ayer), Jacob Hamblen, Clement Harvey (or Meserve), Jacob 
Reed, Edward Cloutman, Jeremiah Hodgdon, William Bryant, William 
McCallister, James Irish, Caleb Crowell, and possibly Cornelius 
Bramhall, although we think not. 

At this time the line of settlements ran close along the coast line, 
and Buxton, Gorham and New Marblehead (Windham) were in the 
frontier range of towns, and certain to be overrun by the savages. 
On account of this, there was great alarm among the inhabitants of 
Gorhamtown, and W'illiam Pote, Ebenezer Hall, Benjamin Skillings, 
John Eayer, James Irish and Caleb Crowell, with their families, 
removed to towns less liable to assault from the savage foe ; most of 
them going to Falmouth, while a few returned to Massachusetts. The 
families of Capt. Phinney, Hugh McLellan, Daniel Mosher, Eliphalet 
Watson, Jacob Hamblen, Clement Harvey, Jeremiah Hodgdon, William 
McCallister, Jacob Reed and Edward Cloutman moved into the fort, 
while of the two remaining families, that of William Bryant Vv^as 
completely wiped out (with the exception of a son), as elsewhere relat- 
ed, and it is not known with certainty whether Benjamin Stevens 
removed his to the fort, or left town. The inhabitants of Gorham 
numbered at this time about sixty souls, including men, women and 
children, besides ten soldiers and an officer furnished by Massa- 
chusetts to aid in their defence. A few families were added to this 
number from time to time, but with the fall of Quebec in 1759 and 
the triumph of the British arms over the French, w ith the consequent 
withdrawal of the Indians, many of the former settlers returned and 
took possession of their abandoned farms, and many new ones moved 
into town. 

Nova Scotia being under English rule, the British Government, 
which had deported the French-speaking colonists in 1755, and 



94 HISTORY OF OOKHAM. 

granted a constitution to the country in 1758, sent troops to erect 
fortifications at Halifax to protect the country. The following is an 
account of the adventures of some Gorham men who were drafted to 
work on these defences in 1761, and is taken from the diary of Mr. 
Austin Alden, who was a Sergeant in Capt. Simon Jefferd's company: 

On Wednesday, the 17th of June, 1761, at eleven o'clock in the 
morning, Austin Alden, Joseph Whitney, Nathan Whitney and Nathan- 
iel Crediford started from Oorham, and marched to Saco, where they 
joined Lieut. Lane and others of their company. During the first 
day they traveled as far as Kennebunk, where they stopped at 
"Jefferd's," near the Mousam River. In Wells they took dinner 
at "Maxfield's." It would seem that the Maxfield tavern in Wells has 
an old standing. They arrived at York the second night. The next 
day at Kittery the men were paid by Col. Sparrowhawk. Here Col. 
Moulton's men, and the company to which Alden belonged, took 
passage in a vessel for Boston. While on board Alden had two 
Johannes' stolen from him, but recovered one the next morning. 
Sunday morning, about eleven o'clock, they arrived at Castle William, 
and by one in the afternoon had landed all the men, when there was 
served out to each a blanket, a powder horn, a ball pouch, a canteen, 
and a haversack, and to each mess, a kettle. After which the men 
took possession of their quarters in the barracks. On the 26th they 
were all mustered into the service by the Muster Master General of 
the Castle, and the next day were embarked on board the transports 
bound for Halifax. 

Following is the roll of Capt. Simon Jefi^erd's company, as embarked 
on board the schooner Recoveiy, at Castle William, Boston harbor, 
June 29, 1 761 : 

(In this roll 1 have marked the Gorham men with a G.) 

James Whitaker Sergt. Austin Alden Seigt. G. 

Nathaniel Crockett " G. Samuel Stevens " 

Jonathan Stone Corp. " John Gray Coip. 

Eleazer Ferguson " Robert Flood " 

John Alman, Drummer. 
Privates. 
John Weymouth. Jonathan Gray, G. Robert Moore. 

Isaac Bunker. Samuel Tobey. Chas. Mahoney. 

Samuel Goodale. Thomas Kimball. N. Gray Penney. 

Walter Abbott. Abbey McColley. William Lewis. 

Jacob Hooper. John vSmith. Silas Abbott. 

Isaiah Brooks. Thomas Goodale. Jonathan Shaw. 

Benjamin Boothby, G. Jabez Lane. Ebenezer Way. 

Daniel Town. David Hutchins. Spencer Trueworthy. 

Josiah Garland. Nathan Whitney, Cj. Walter Cousins. 

Nathaniel Crediford, G. Jonathan Adams. Aaron Bunker. 

I A Portuguese gold piece, worth about $0. 



FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDING, INCORPORATION OF TOWN. 95 

Moses Thomes, G. Isaac Winter, G. Joseph Whitney, G. 

Hew McRay. Jonathan Crockett, G. George Strout, G. 

Samuel Grover. Nicholas Henderson. Martin Grant. 

Phineas Ferguson. Benjamin Cirover. Jonathan Ilolman. 

Jonathan Nelson. Peter Lovis. Nehemiah Knowlton. 

John Myrick. Jonathan Clark. Layton Williams. 

Lawrence Tardue. Henry Gloard. Francis Hunton. 

Andrew Cronoy. Jonathan Hallett. Joseph Brown, G. 

Jonathan Green. George Spencer. Philip Allman. 

Andrew Farrow. James Niles. Isaac Mohoo. 
John Collier, captain's servant. 

The Oorhani men were all on board of the .schooner Recovery, 
Capt. Thoma.s Crandall of Plymouth, Master. After being wind- 
bound until the 30th of June, the expedition sailed for their destina- 
tion, Halifax. On July 2d they spoke a ship from Liverpool to 
Boston, commanded by Capt. Daniel McDonald. On the 4th, some 
of the soldiers discovered a rocky shore close under the bows of the 
schooner — the fog lifted, and they escaped the danger. On the after- 
noon of the 6th they spoke a sloop from Halifax. On the same 
afternoon they arrived in Liverpool harbor (Nova Scotia), where they 
took in seven days allowance of water. July iith, before daylight, 
they again set sail, and arrived at Halifax at 8 o'clock in the evening. 
The next morning they landed and joined the forces there assembled. 
On the 15th the men were set at work on the fortifications. The 
following Sunday, the 19th, all the troops were assembled and mus- 
tered, and then reviewed by the Town Mayor, after which the 
Articles of War were read by the Adjutant, and the conditions of the 
working parties defined. These conditions were, that they were to 
have no pay (probably no extra pay) ; each man to be allowed two 
quarts of spruce beer per day, he to pay for it, and the artificers to 
have a small allowance of extra pay. When this was over, Mr. 
Alden attended church, but heard no preaching. 

Mr. Alden speaks on the following day of a Court Martial being 
held, of which Capt. Jefferd was president, for the trial of one, 
Prichard ; and that Boothby became frightened, fearing he had 
enlisted in the army as a Regular. On the 23d, in company with 
Crockett, McColley, Gray and Stone, he went to Dutch Town ; he also 
speaks of Moses Whitney. Up to the 3d of August he records work 
and camp duties. On the 4th he met Capt. Joseph McLellan, — an 
old acquaintance, — from Casco Bay, and tells of Stone, Crockett and 
himself going on board Capt. McLellan's vessel. 

There were the usual camp duties up to Sept. 4th. About this 
time he was taken sick and remained so until C'apt. McLellan 
arrived again, when he brought him four fowl, a pot of butter, four 



96 IllSrOKV OF C.ORHAM. 

letters from his wife, and two from her father. Being still very sick, 
he took physic and rhubarb until the loth, and chronicles killing 
his chickens from time to time as he required nourishment in his 
illness, and also records as a luxury, having had some buttered 
turnips for dinner. He was attended during this sickness by Dr. 
Stimpson, Dr. Cook and Dr. Mather. He speaks of frequent arrivals 
from Falmouth of captains whom he knew, and of boarding and 
eating with them. From his account, he greatly enjoyed these meet- 
ings with acquaintances from near home, and often they brought him 
letters and delicacies from his friends. 

Mention has already been made of the men being divided into 
artificers and country laborers. The following part roll shows who 
of Capt. Jefferd's company were entered as artificers. 

Names of some of the soldiers in Capt. Jefi^erd's company that 
went from Maine to build the fortifications at Halifax, Nova Scotia, 
by order of the English Home Government. Taken July 14,1761. 

Nathaniel Crockett House carpenter. 
Jonathan Crockett 

Joseph Whitney " " 

Thomas Kimball " " 

Samuel Newman " " 

Elisha Newman " " 

Jonathan Stone " " 

Samuel Tobey Joiner. 

Isaac Winter House carpenter. 
Nathan Whitney 

Jacob Randall Joiner. 

Jonathan Baker House carpenter. 

Jonathan Cray •' " 

George Strout " '• 

Nathaniel Crediford " " 

William Cowen " " 

David Hiitchins Bricklayer. 

Joseph Weymouth Smith. 

Moses Thomes Mason. 

Robert Moore Smith. 

The following were classed as ship carpenters, wheelwrights, boat 
builders, millwrights, and other kinds of artificers. 

Samuel Waite. Paul March. 

Levi Hutchins. John Burbank. 

Daniel Lord. Joshua Lasdel. 

Downer Hutchins. Sam'l Burbank. 

The balance of the company were called Country Laborers, and used 
the spade, pick and shovel. Some of the above men were trans- 
ferred to Jefferd's company from other commands. 



FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDING, INCORPORATION OF TOWN. 97 

As Mr. Alclen was an Orderly Sergeant, he did nol work with the 
working parties ; his duties being to see the parties properly organ- 
ized ; turning them out in the morning and bringing them in at 
night. Thus he passed the time, between his duties as Orderly, and 
sickness, up to the time of his return home. He several times makes 
mention of some of the men being confined, of Court Martials and 
of floggings, when from twenty to one hundred lashes were ordered, 
and says that none of the men thus sentenced were pardoned. There 
was an officer who was equivalent to a driver, or perhaps superin- 
tendent, who freqviently rode about among the working parties, and, 
if they did not move as expeditiously as he thought proper, usually 
applied the whip, or a long stick which he carried for the purpose. 
This kind of argument was not pleasant to the Colonists, who were 
there at small pay, and not from their own choice ; — such treatment 
was the probable cause of many transgressions, and opposition to 
officers, which led to many of the Court Martials, floggings and 
imprisonments. 

Many of the men were often sick, so that the usual number of 
men that were mustered mornings for duty in Jefferd's company was 
only from thirty-seven to forty-seven. On the 13th of November, 
Mr. Alden speaks of Jonathan Adams attempting to kill himself, but 
does not state the cause. 

Oct. 8th all the Sergeants and Corporals met at the Captain's 
room on the Citadel Hill, about noon, by his orders, and were all 
trea,ted to a glass of wine. It would appear that discipline was 
somewhat lax, as notice is taken of an order, which three of the 
Orderlies received, to keep the men in better subjection. Record is 
often made of confinements, and of men being put under guard. The 
men lived in tents until Dec. 7th, when the tents were turned in, and 
at the same time Mr. Alden received permission to return home. He 
was at first ordered to remain through the winter, much to his 
dissatisfaction, but by dint of much entreaty he finally persuaded 
his officer to countermand the order. 

Dec. 12, 1 761, all were ordered on board the transports. This 
order was obeyed with surprising alacrity by all. Mr. Alden was on 
board the ship St. Andrew, and he says he had a fine frolic in the 
evening in the great cabin of the ship. They sailed on the 1 4th at 
eight o'clock in the morning for Boston. After a stormy and tempes- 
tuous passage, accompanied with intense cold they anchored in Boston 
harbor on the 24th. The following day Mr. Alden put his things on 
board a Portland schooner, which sailed on the 27th, but on account 



98 IllSTOKV OF C.OKHAM. 

of the weather, put in at ('ape Ann. On the ist of Januaiy, the 
schooner put into Winter Harbor (at the mouth of the Saco River), 
and as he did not want to be all winter getting home, Mr. Alden 
started on foot, by land. Saturday night he stopped at " Foss's " in 
Scarboro", and on Sunday evening, Jan. 3d, arrived at home, after 
an absence of nearly seven months. The account does not tell how 
or when the other Gorham soldiers reached home. 

With the increase of population came the desire of a number of 
the residents of Gorham to be incorporated into a town, but this was 
opposed by many, and chiefly by the non-resident Proprietors, who 
objected principally from the fear of a rise in their taxes incident to 
the increased expenses of a town government. The iirst movement 
that we find in the direction of incorporation was in 1760, when at a 
meeting of the Proprietors held at the house of Capt. Joshua Freeman 
in Falmouth, on the 26th of February of that year, it was 

" Voted Moses Pearson, Esq. be chosen agent to attend the Gen- 
eral Court, make answer and Show Cause why the prayer of the 
petition of Messrs Jno. Phinney, Biyant Morton and others should 
not be granted. 

" Voted Capt. Waite, Deacon Cotton and Capt. Bangs, be a com- 
mittee to Draw an answer and Give Reasons why the prayer of the 
petition of Messrs Phinney, Morton and others should not be 
Granted." 

Another attempt toward incorporation was made in 1762, when we 
find this article in a notification for a Proprietors' meeting, dated 
Jan. 4th : " To choose an agent, if the Proprietors think fit, to oppose 
the petition of a Number of Inhabitants of said Gorhamtown who 
pray that the lands in said town might be incorporated into a town. 
District, or parish, and that the inhabitants be Vested with power 
and privilege as in all other Like Cases." At the meeting, held on 
the 20th of the same month, it was voted to dismiss this article, and 
there is no record of any more active opposition being made to the 
measure. 

As to the exact number of inhabitants in town at this time there is 
no record, but a fairly close approximation may be made from the 
County rate bill for 1763. By this County rate bill, committed to 
John Harding for collection, it appears that the tax for 1763 was 
;^9-4^-5^-of. The assessment w-as made by Biyant Morton, Hugh 
McLellan and Amos Whitney, assessors. The bill contains one 
hundred and twenty-nine names, two of whom were non-residents, 
and one a female, which would leave one hundred and twenty-six 



FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDlNCi, INCORPORATION OF TOWN. 99 

male names, residents of Gorham, on the bill. Polls were then tax- 
able at the age of sixteen, and there are one hundred and forty-four 
taxable polls on the bill. ( )ld Capt. John Phinney is the only resident 
who is not charged with a poll tax. Two persons, only, are taxed for 
their "faculty;" Samuel Crockett, who is charged five and one-half 
pence, and Joseph Cates, two and one-half pence. Thirty-seven 
inhabitants paid only a poll tax, which was eleven pence each. The 
highest resident tax was seven shillings and five pence, charged to 
Hugh McLellan. Of the seventy-five dift'erent sirnames, there are 
twenty-nine which are not now (1875) to be found in town. 

If we take the one hundred and forty-four taxable polls for the male 
population over sixteen years of age, and allow the same number of 
females of the same age, it will give us two hundred and eighty-eight 
over sixteen, to which add fifty per cent for those under that age, and" 
we have the population of Gorham for the year 1763 to be four hun- 
dred and thirty-two persons, which is probably not far from the fact. 
As to the amount of stock and the produce of the farms we have but 
small data on which to calculate. 

The tax bill we have for this year is for but a small amount, and 
after deducting the sum assessed on the polls, there was but four 
pounds, eleven shillings, seven and one-half pence remaining, to be 
assessed on the property. Excepting those who paid only a poll tax, 
all who owned real estate are assessed, as well as nearly all for 
personal property. As this bill contains the earliest list of names of 
the inhabitants of Gorham, I will insert it here : 



Alden, Austin. 
Acors, Moses. 
Bangs, Barnabas. 
Burnal, John. 
Brown, Joseph. 
Bridges, Josiah. 
Cazlee, John. 
Cotton, John. 
Cotton, William. 
McCallister, William. 
Crocket, Samuel. 
Cates, Joseph. 
Cobb, Elisha. 
Cresey, John'. 
Davis, Prince. 
Davis, Joshua. 
Crocket, Peletiah. 
Edwards, Richard. 
(Freeman, Enoch.) 
Frost, Benj'i. 
Frost, David. 
Frost, Elizabeth, widow. 
Files, William. 



Freeman, Nathan. 
Freeman, Jonathan. 
Freeman, Jonathan, Jr. 
Fly, James. 
Emery, William. 
W^ro, Isaiah. 
Gilkey, James. 
Gammon, Phillip. 
Gammon, Joseph. 
Green, John. 
Goes, Jonathan. 
Hix, Lemuel. 
Harding, John. 
Harding, Seth. 
Flarding, Zepheniah. 
Hamblin, Jacob. 
Hamblin, Daniel. 
Haskel, William. 
Hanscom, Cieorge. 
Hodgdon, Jeremiah. 
Hatch, Joseph. 
Hackelton, James. 
Hall, John. 



Irish, John. 
Irish, Joseph. 
Irish, James. 
Irish, Thomas. 
Irish, William. 
Jones, Henry. 
Jones, Samuel. 
Jelason, Samuel. 
Lombard, Sol"., Jr. 
Lombard, Richard. 
• Lakeman, William. 
Libbee, Joseph. 
Larry, Dennis. 
Louis, Abijah. 
McDaniel, Charles. 
McDaniel, John. 
McDaniel, John, Jr. 
Mosher, Daniel. 
Mosher, James. 
JMurch, Saml. 
Murch, Walter. 
Murch, John. 
Murch, Ebenezer. 



100 



MISTOKV OF GOKllAM. 



McLelkin, Hugh. 
McLelkm, Wimam. 
McLellan, James. 
Morton, Bryant. 
Morton, Ebenezer. 
Morton, Thomas. 
Morton, Jabez. 
Phinney, John, Capt. 
Phinncy, Edminid. 
Phinney, Stephen. 
Phinney, John, Jr. 
Phinney, James. 
Pilkenton, Joseph. 
Peabody, Samuel. 
Pote, Thomas. 
Rolf, Daniel. 
Rolf, Daniel, Jr. 
Rolf, Moses. 
Rounds, Joseph. 
Rich, Lemuel. 
Rich, Lemuel, Jr. 



Quinbee, Jacob. 
Strout, George. 
Stewart, Wentworth. 
Skillins, Benj". 
Stevens, Benj". 
Stevens, Nathan'. 
Sawyer, John. 
Sawyei-, Jonathan. 
Sawyer, David. 
Sinkler, David. 
Sawyer, Stephen. 
Thompson, Phineas. 
Tombs, Thomas. 
Tibbetts, Joseph. 
Tinney, George. 
Williams, John. 
Williams, Plart. 
Williams, Daniel. 
Whitney, Nathan. 
Whitney, David. 
Whitney, Abel. 



Whitney, Nathaniel. 
Whitney, Moses. 
Whitney, Moses, Jr. 
Whitney, Amos. 
Whitney, Aaron. 
Whitney, Joel. 
Whitney, Nathan, Jr. 
Weston, Thomas. 
Weston, Joseph. 
Watson, Eliphalet. 
Watson, John. 
Webb, David. 
Webb, Seth. 
(Wait, Benj., Maj.) 
Whitney, Joseph. 
Whitmore, Samuel. 
Nolan, David. 
Chase, Ezekiel Rich. 
Warren, Samuel. 



Finally, Oct. 30, 1764, the General Court passed an Act incorpo- 
rating Gorham as a town ; making it one of three towns incorporated 
in that year : Topsham, Gorham and Boothbay ; Gorham being the 
twentieth in this State to receive this honor. This Act, which was 
passed at Concord, was as follows : — 

" An Act for erecting the Plantation called GorJiain-TonDi, into a 
Town by the Name of Gor/iam. 

" Whereas it has been represented to this Court, that the erecting 
the Plantation called Gorham-Town in the County of Cumberland 
into a Town, will greatly contribute to the growth thereof, and remedy 
many Inconveniences to which the Inhabitants and Proprietors may 
be otherwise subject : 

" Be it enacted by the Governor, Council, and House of Repre- 
sentatives, That the Plantation commonly called and known by the 
Name of Gorham-Town, in the County of Ciunberland \ bounded as 
follows, viz. beginning at a marked Tree on the westerly Side of 
Pesurnpscot-River in a Course South West twenty three Degrees 
from the Hemlock Tree, on the other Side of the said River, which 
is hfteen Poles below Inkhorn Brook ; and thence running South 
twenty three Degrees \A'est on the Head of Fahnoiith two Miles and 
two Hundred and twenty six Poles to a Spruce Tree marked, standing 
about two Poles westward of an old Mast Path, being the corner 
Bounds of Scarborough, Falmouth, and said Gorham-Town, thence 
running on the Head of Scarborough, nine Hundred and fifteen Poles 
to a large Hemlock Tree marked N. G. thence running North 
thirty three Degrees West seven Miles and Quarter of a Mile by 
Narragansett Nwnb. One to a Firr-Tree marked ; and from thence 
running North East seven Miles and two Hundred Poles to said 
Pesumpscot- River, to a large Hemlock-Tree about two Rods from 
the said River, marked G. P. and bounded North-easterly by said 



FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDING, INCORPORATION OF TOWN. 101 

River ; be and hereby is erected into a Town b)' the name of Gorham. 
And that the Inhabitants thereof be, and hereby are invested with 
all the Powers, Privileges and Immunities, which the Inhabitants of 
the Towns within this Province do or may enjoy. 

" Provided. That none of the Inhabitants or Proprietors of said 
Town be held by virtue of this Act of Incorporation to pay any Part 
of the ministerial Charges heretofore arisen in said Plantation, which 
they were not obliged (by their own contract) to pay previous to such 
Incorporation. 

" And be it further enacted, That Stephen Longfellow, Esq ; be 
and hereby is impowered to issue his Warrant directed to some 
principal Inhabitant in said Town, requiring him to warn the Inhab- 
itants of the said Town qualified to vote in Town Affairs, to meet at 
such Time and Place as shall be therein set forth, to chuse all such 
Officers as are or shall be required by Law to manage the Affairs of 
the said Town." 

The Hon. Stephen Longfellow accordingly issued the warrant for 
the first town meeting, directing it to meet on the i8th of Februaiy. 
At this first meeting, which was held Feb. i8, 1765, at the meeting 
house, the town chose Capt. John Phinney, Moderator ; Amos 
Whitney, Town Clerk ; Benjamin Skillings, Amos Whitney and 
Joseph Weston, Selectmen, and Edmund Phinney, Town Treasurer. 

The state of financial affairs in Gorham at this time may perhaps 
be judged somewhat by the following petitions, sent up to the General 
Court by the selectmen. 

(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. iiS, pp. 91, 92.) 

" To his Excellency Francis Barnard, Esq''., Capt. Gen' & Governor 
in Chief in & over his Majesties Province of the Massa' Bay in New 
England, The Hon°''able His Majesties Council 

'• The Petition of the Selectmen of Gorham in the name & in 
behalf of the Inhabitants of said Gorham Humbly showeth that being 
in expectation of being incorporated into a Town last May Sessions 
of the Great and General Court of this Province in consequence of 
which we in our annual meeting of 1764 thought it expedient to defer 
the choice of assessors. Collectors &c till the Act of Incorporation 
should be obtained which we hoped would not be long, & therefore 
adjourned our March Meeting to a future Day, which unhappy 
mistake incapacitated us to make any choice at all, so that the Last 
year's Province Tax remains uncollected which we are very unable to 
pay inasmuch as we have been so great sufferers by fires, droughts & 
severe frost last year that numbers of families in the place are in 
extreme want of bread. Moreover we are on the point of settling a 
good minister, which will we trust be to universal acceptance both in 
this Place & all around us, the charge whereof will be a very heavy 
burden on our Shoulders. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray 



102 IIISTOKV Ol' C.OKHAM. 

that the Province Tax of 1764 may l:ie abated or remitted & your 
Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. 
Gorham May 20th 1765. 

Briant Morton \ Selectmen 
Eenj"^ Skillings - of 

Amos Whitney i Gorham. 
''In the House of Representatives June 20, 1765, Read & ordered 
that the Province Tax laid on Gorham for the year 1764 be sus- 
pended. And that the same be added to that Province Tax in the 
year 1766, and the Treasurer is directed not to Issue his Execution 
against said Town in the meantime. 
" Sent up for concurrence 

S. White SplC. 
'• In Council June 20, 1765 Read and Concurred. 
A. Oliver, Sec>' 

Consented to Fra. Bernard." 

(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 118, p. 360.) 
"To his Excellency Francis Barnard Esq^ Cap^ General ^e Gov- 
ernor in Chief in & over his Majesties Province of the Massachusetts 
Bay in New England, The Hon"''able His Majesties Council and 
House of Repre.sentatives in General Court assembled. 

•' The Petition of the Selectmen of the Town of Gorham in the 
name of said Town Humbly sheweth that by reason of the many 
misfortunes that has happened in said Town within these few years 
and the settlement of a minister of the Gospel among us, bring on us 
a burthen which we find extremely hard to bare & the exceeding 
scarcity of money adds weight to that burthen & inasmuch as two 
thirds of the Lands in Gorham is owned by non-resident Proprietors 
who are equally benefitted in the rising price of their Land with 
those that are resident proprietors and that by the settlers improve- 
ments & their multiplication in said Gorham as to numbers, and the 
settlement of the Gospel here, we are humbly of the opinion that the 
non-resident Proprietors are held in justice to contribute something 
toward the charges of the Gospel ministry among us for that he who 
feels the benefit ought to feel the burthen was never a bad maxim. 
We therefore humbly pray that your Excellency & Hon-^'-able would 
take the affair under wise Consideration & order as much upon the 
Acre upon all unimproved lands already divided into Lots in said 
Town not otherwise paying Taxes as your Excellency & Honorables 
shall in your great Wisdom order & for such time as may be thought 
convenient, which sum so ordered be for the support of the Gospel in 
said Place & your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. 

Joseph Gates \ Selectmen 

Edmund Phinney ^ of 

Hugh McLalin ) Gorham. 

" Petition of Selectmen of Gorham, 

June I, 1768 
Committed to Capt. I'.rown Col. Prescott Cap. Clay " 



195 Y^- 
4- 


Sheep 
Swine 


506. 
125- 


77- 
281. 
204. 


Acres of tillage 
Tons of hay 
Acres of Pasturage 


395- 
853- 

527- 



FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDING, INCORPORATION OF TOWN. 103 

That we may be able to show something of the progress the town 
has made in wealth and improvement during the last century, I do 
not know any better way than to give the statistics of the town for 
the year 1772, which I have in my possession. The facts are taken 
from the book of valuation of estates, as made out by James Gilkey, 
William McLellan and Austin Alden, the assessors for that year. 

Polls 

Slaves 

Horses 

Cows 

Oxen 

At that time individuals were by law chargeable with a poll in the 
rates at sixteen years of age, and before the individual arrived at the 
age of twenty-one his poll was charged with that of his parent. 

There are two hundred and ten names on the list — two females, 
Margaret Holbrook and widow McDonald. There are twenty names 
to which no polls are charged, two of which, Ebenezer Mayo and 
Joseph Quinby. have " mills " marked against them, and no other 
property or valuation — probably they were non-residents. One 
hundred and sixty-eight names have one poll each. One name has 
one and a half polls, which probably was intended for a very smart boy. 
Seventeen names have two polls each, and four have three each. 
There are fifty-seven names that have polls and no property, while 
seventeen have property, but no polls, charged to them. 

Solomon Lombard, Esq., William McLellan, Lemuel Rich and 
Nathaniel Whitney owned two horses each. Sixty-nine individuals 
owned one horse each. Joshua Decker is the only person who owned 
a horse, and no other property. 

William McLellan owned two slaves, Hugh McLellan, one, and 
Jacob Hamblen, one. Forty-eight persons owned one cow each, fifty- 
three owned two each, thirteen owned three each, twelve owned four 
each, three owned five each, three owned six each, one owned seven, 
and it appears that seventy-four did not own a cow. Eight owned a 
cow apiece, and no other property. 

It appears that sixty-four individuals owned a yoke of oxen each, 
sixteen owned two yoke each and two owned three yoke each. One 
hundred and twenty-seven did not own any oxen, while five owned 
oxen and no other property, and two owned only oxen and cows. 

Seventy-four persons kept sheep in flocks of from two to fifteen 
each. There were but nineteen flocks that contained ten and upwards ; 
while one hundred and thirty-six persons did not keep these animals. 



104 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Forty-five people kept one hog each, twenty-one kept two each, ten 
kept three each, and two, Daniel Hamblen and Amos Whitney, kept 
four each. One hundred and thirty-three of the good citizens kept 
no pig. 

Four individuals, John Cresey, Hugh McLellan, Lemuel Rich and 
Amos Whitney, cut twenty tons of hay, twenty-six persons cut from 
ten to twenty tons, thirty-four cut from five to ten tons, fifty-two cut 
less than five tons, twenty-two cut from one to two tons each, and it 
appears that about ninety persons cut no hay at all. 

One hundred and fourteen citizens had land under tillage. John 
Harding had twelve acres of tillage ; the next highest number of acres 
was charged to Solomon Lombard, Esq., — eight — while Alexander 
McLellan was credited with seven. Sixteen farms had each five acres 
under cultivation, and fourteen six acres each, while eighty-one per- 
sons tilled from one to four acres each. 

Out of the two hundred and ten sirnames on the list there are 
forty-eight names not now known in town, or at least there are none 
on the tax book of this year bearing the same names. 

As to the population of Gorham at this time, if we take the same 
number of females over sixteen years of age as we have males, which 
by the number of polls is one hundred and ninety-six, we shall have 
three hundred and ninety-two, and if we add, for those under sixteen, 
half as many more, we shall have for the population five hundred and 
eighty-eight, or probably about six hundred persons in 1772. 

Additional names found after 1763 on the tax bills up to 1773. 



Adams, Joshua. 
Adams, William. 
Bacon, Nathaniel. 
Bangs, Barnabas. 
Bangs, Heman. 
Black, Josiah. 
Blake, Ithiel. 
Boston, Abraham. 
Brimhall, Silvanus. 
Brown, Benjamin. 
Brown, Joseph, Jr. 

Brown, Samuel. 

Brown, Silvanus. 

Cloutman, Timothy. 

Cobb, Andrew. 

Cobb, Chipman. 

Cresey, John, Jr. 

Crocket, Andrew. 

Crocket, John. 

Crocket, Joshua. 

Crocket, Samuel, Jr. 

Davis, Josiah. 

Davis, Samuel. 



Decker, Joshua. 
Dickey, William. 
Doan, Isaac. 
Dunn, Nathaniel. 
Dyer, John. 
Elder, Samuel. 
Eldridge, Daniel. 
Edwards, Samuel. 
Freeman, Jonathan. 
Freeman, Jonathan, Jr. 
Freeman, Nathan. 
Freeman, Nathaniel. 
Frost, Nathaniel. 
Frost, Peter. 
Frost, Susanna. 
Gammon, Phillip, Jr. 
Gilkey, Joseph. 
Gorham, William. 
(Jray, Taylor. 
Greely, John, 
(jreen, Benjamin. 
Green, John, Jr. 
Green, Solomon. 



Gustin, Thomas. 
Hall, Ebenezer. 
Hamblen, George. 
Hamblen, Cjershom. 
Hamblen, Timothy. 
Harding, John, Jr. 
Harding, Joseph, Jr. 
Haskell, John. 
Hodgdon, John. 
Holebrook, Margaret. 
Hunt, Ephraim. 
Hunt, George. 
Huntress, Christopher. 
Huston, Simon. 
Jordan, Joseph. 
Jordan, Richard. 
Kimball, Caleb. 
Knight, Joseph. 
Knight, Nathaniel. 
Lamb, Richard. 
Libby, Joab. 
Libby, Josiah. 
Lombard, Calvin. 



FROM 1745 TO, AND INCLUDING, INCORPORATION OF TOWN. 105 



Lombard, Jedediah. 
Lombard, Nathaniel. 
Longfellow, Stephen, Esq. 
Matthews, John. 
Mayo, Ebenezer. 
McCollister, James. 
McDaniel, Joseph. 
McDaniel, Robert. 
McDaniel, widow. 
McLellan, Alexander. 
McLellan, Gary. 
McLellan, Hugh. 
McLellan, Joseph. 
Melvin, John. 
Moody, Joshua. 
Morton, Elisha. 
Morton, Jabez. 
Morton, James. 
Munson, William. 
Murch, John, Jr. 
Murch, William. 
Murry, Ant honey. 
Nason, Uriah. 
Nute, Obed. 
Paine, Prentice. 
Paine, Richard. 
Paine, William. 



Perkins, John. vStackpole, John. 

Perkins, John, Jr. Strout, Elisha. 

Philbrick, Jonathan. Stubbs, James. 

Quinby, Joseph and Joseph, Sturgis, Jonathan. 
Jr., have no poll ta.xes, andSwett, Stephen, 
are put down as owningThomes, George, 
mills, and cutting thirteenThomes, Samuel. 



tons of hay, (no land). 
Rich, Ezekiel. 
Rich, James. 
Rich, Zephaniah. 
Right, Robert. 
Roberts, Benjamin. 
Roberts, Joseph. 
Roberts, Joseph, Jr. 
Robinson, George. 
Ross, James. 
Runnels, Owen. 
Sawyer, Joel. 
Sawyer, Stephen. 
Sharp, Jonathan. 
Silla, William. 
Simpson, Jonathan. 
Skillings, Isaac. 
Skillings, John. 
Skillings, Thomas. 
Smith, Thomas. 



Thural, Davis. 
Thural, James. 
Waite, John. 
Walker, Nathaniel. 
Watson, Colman P. 
Watson, Ebenezer. 
Weeks, William. 
West, Desper. 
Weymouth, James. 
White, John. 
White, Peter. 
Whitmore, William. 
Whitney, Ebenezer. 
Whitney, Lsaac, Jr. 
Whitney, John. 
Whitney, Joseph. 
Whitney, Phineas. 
Whitney, Zebulon. 
Willard, Peleg. 
Wood, William. 



The following names are on the list of 1763, and are not fotuid on 
that of 1772 ; probably some of them were dead and some had left 
town : 



Bridges, Josiah. 
McCorson, James. 
Frost, Benjamin. 
Frost, Elizabeth, widow. 
Emery, William. 
Wro (Rowe), Isaiah. 
Goes, Jonathan. 
Hatch, Joseph. 
Hackleton, James. 
Hall, John. 
Irish, Joseph. 
Jones, Samuel. 
Lewis, Abijah. 
Mosher, Daniel. 



McDaniel, John. 
McDaniel, John, Jr. 
Morton, Ebenezer. 
Morton, Thomas. 
Morton, Jabez. 
Rolf, Daniel. 
Rolf, Daniel, Jr. 
Rolf, Moses. 
Rounds, Joseph. 
Quinby, Jacob. 
Sawyer, John. 
Sawyer, David. 
Sinkler, David. 



Thompson, Phineas. 
Tibbetts, Joseph. 
Tinney, George. 
Williams, Daniel. 
Whitney, Nathaniel. 
Whitney, Moses, Jr. 
Whitney, Joel. 
Whitney, Nathan, Jr. 
Weston, Thomas. 
Weston, Joseph. 
Webb, David. 
Webb, Seth 
Nolan, David. 
Chase, Ezekiel R. 



CHAPTER Vn. 



THE REVOLUTION. 



During the war between the United Colonies and the mother coun- 
try, the War of Independence, the inhabitants of the town of Gorham 
were not wanting, either in shedding their blood, or in furnishing 
money and means for its prosecution ; at times about every third man 
was in the army. At one time a whole company was raised to serve 
in the disastrous attempt on Bagaduce, now Castine. This company 
was under the command of Capt. Alexander McLellan, who was a 
son of Hugh McLellan the second settler in town, and lived in the 
house which formerly stood where the house of Hon. Isaac Dyer now 
stands. 

A regiment in the Massachusetts line (the 31st) in the Continental 
army was commanded by Col. Edmund Phinney, son of Capt. John 
Phinney, the first settler ; and in this regiment were many from Gor- 
ham, and no better men or braver soldiers could have been found 
anywhere. Many brave and noble deeds, doubtless, were performed 
by some of them, which deserve a better fate than that of oblivion, 
but the hand of time has erased much from the records of tradition 
which might well have been spared for the gratification of future 
generations. 

Gorham not only furnished her quota of brave men for the army, 
and paid for their services, but also with a mother's care provided 
subsistence for their suffering families left behind. Those were days 
of poverty, suffering and want, and we may say that even to have the 
bare necessaries of life was a luxury to many. Col. Phinney's 
brother, John, Jr., was drafted during the war, but it was tinally 
decided, as he was a well-to-do man, that he should send in his place 
his sons, Ebenezer and John, and that he himself should remain at home 
and assist in taking care of and supporting the families of some of 
the poorer Gorham soldiers. 

Nor was Gorham, before the war broke out, behind the spirit of the 
times. In 1768, when the agent of the Province was refused admis- 
sion to the presence of the king, and a report was circulated that 
troops had been ordered to march into Boston, Governor Bernard was 
begged on all sides to convoke a general assembly, but he refused, 
saying that by instructions from England he was pre\ented from com- 



THE REVOLUTION. 107 

plying with their demands. Upon this reply, the selectmen of Boston 
called upon the towns in the Colony to hold a convention. Gorham, 
in September, held a town meeting, and Solomon Lombard, who was 
then the Representative of the town at the General Court, was chosen 
as " an agent to go to Boston as soon as may be, to join a committee 
of agents from other towns in the Province, to consult and resolve 
upon such measures as may most conduce to the safety and welfare 
of the inhabitants of this Province at this alarming and critical con- 
juncture ; " and for this purpose Mr. Lombard was allowed eight days 
for traveling to and from Boston. This convention met on the 2 2d 
of September, and voted that the violated rights should be defended, 
cost what it might in lives and fortunes ; and that those having no 
arms should furnish themselves. 

In August, 1772, the king ventured on an act which did much to 
precipitate the crisis. It was ordered that the salaries of all the 
Massachusetts judges, who held their ofifices during the king's pleas- 
ure, should henceforth be paid by the Crown and not by the Colony. 
At a Boston town meeting, held in October, a committee was appointed 
to ask the Governor whether the judges' salaries were to be paid as 
stated in the royal order. Gov. Hutchinson was also asked to con- 
voke the Assembly that the people might give their views on this 
important matter. He told them, however, to mind their own business, 
and would give them no information about the salaries. He also 
declared the town had no right to petition for a meeting of the 
Assembly. It was then moved by Samuel Adams, in town meeting, 
that a committee of correspondence be appointed, this same to consist 
of twenty-one persons, and that these state the rights of the Colonies 
and especially thos(? of Massachusetts. This statement was to be sent 
" to the several towns and to the world, as the sense of this town, 
with the infringements and violations thereof, that have been, or from 
time to time may be, made." 

In response to the above-mentioned circular from Boston a town 
meeting was held in Gorham for the express purpose of considering 
and deliberating upon the subject matter of the letter. At this 
meeting held Dec. 31, 1772, it was voted that the rights were fairly 
stated by the town of Boston in their pamphlet, and also that the 
infractions were rightly stated in the same. It was then voted 
to choose a committee of communication to draw up resolves, and, 
upon the concurrence of the town, to send them to Boston. A 
committee of grievances was likewise chosen, to consist of the same 
persons as the former committee, and those composing these com- 



108 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

mittees were the following : Solomon Lombard, Esq., Capt. John 
Phinney. William Gorham, Esq., Capt. Edmund Phinney, Elder 
Nathan Whitney, Caleb Chase, Capt. Bryant Morton, Josiah Davis 
and Benjamin Skillings. It was then voted to return the thanks of 
Gorham to the town of Boston for " their vigilance of our privileges 
and liberties ; " and the meeting was adjourned for one week. At the 
end of that time, on Jan. 7, 1773, the committee reported the fol- 
lowing Preamble and Resolves : — 

We find that it is esteemed an argument of terror to a set of the 
basest of men who are attempting to enslave us, and who desire to 
wallow in Luxury upon the expense of our earnings, that this country 
was purchased by the Blood of our renowned forefathers, who, flying 
from the unrelenting rage of civil and religious tyranny in their native 
land, settled themselves in this howling wilderness. But the people 
of this town of Gorham have an argument still nearer at hand ; not 
only may we say that we enjoy an inheritance purchased by the blood 
of our forefathers, but this town was settled at the expense of our own 
"blood. We have those among us whose blood, streaming from their 
own wounds, watered the soil from which we earn our bread ! Our 
ears have heard the infernal yells of the native savage murderers ! Our 
eyes have seen our young children weltering in their gore in our own 
houses, and our dearest friends carried into captivity by men more 
savage than the savage beasts themselves ! We many of us have been 
used to earn our daily bread with our weapons in our hands. There- 
fore we cannot be supposed to be fully acquainted with the mysteries 
of Court policy, but we look upon ourselves able to judge so far con- 
cerning our rights as men, as Christians, and as subjects of British 
Government, as to declare that we apprehend these Rights, as settled 
by the town of Boston, do belong to us, and that we look with horror 
and indignation on the violation of them. 

We only add that our old Captain is still living, who for many years 
has been our chief ofiicer to rally the inhabitants of this town from 
the plow or the sickle to defend their wives, their children and all that 
was dear from the savages. Many of our families have been inured 
to the danger and fatigue of flying to garrison. The timber of our 
fort is yet to be seen, and many of our watchboxes are still in being. 
Some of our women have been used to handle the cartridge, and load 
the musket : and the swords which we whet and brightened for our 
enemies are not yet grown rusty. Therefore 

Resolved. That the people of this town are as loyal as any of his 
majesty's subjects in Great Britain, or the plantations, and hold them- 



THE REVOLUTION. 109 

selves in readiness to assist his Majesty with their lives and fortunes 
in his defence, and the rights and privileges of his subjects. 

Resolved. We apprehend that the grievances we justly complain 
of are owing to the corruption of the late ministry in not suffering the 
repeated petitions and remonstrances from this Province to reach 
the Royal ear. 

Resolved. That through the channel of the said corruption the Par- 
liament of Great Britain has passed several acts, in the execution of 
which the American people are burthened with unconstitutional taxes. 

Resolved. That from the same source a board of commissioners 
are erected in this Province, with such commissions as strip the honest 
laborer of the fruits of his industry, and his domestic security, which 
is against all the principles of the common law. 

Resolved. That it is clearly the opinion of this town, the Parlia- 
ment of Great Britain has no more right to take money from us 
without our consent than they have to take money without consent 
from the inhabitants of France or Spain. 

Resolved. That the extent of power granted the Court of Admiralty 
is a great and intolerable grievance. 

Resolved. That to render the Governor and Judges of the Superior 
Court of this Province independent of the grants of the general court 
is an innovation and an infraction on the constitution and charter 
rights, as it destroys that check which should ever remain in the hands 
of the people. 

Resolved. That it is clearly the opinion of this town that the rights 
of the colonists, and the several infringements of those rights, are 
fairly and justly stated by the inhabitants of Boston in their printed 
pamphlets sent to the several towns. 

Resolved. That the thanks of the town of Gorham be given to 
the town of Boston for their vigilance and patriotic zeal shown in the 
defence of our constitution and charter rights. 

Resolved. That it is the opinion of this town that it is better to 
risk our lives and fortunes in the defence of our rights, civil and relig- 
ious, than to die by piecemeals in slavery. 

Resolved. That the foregoing resolves and proceedings be regis- 
tered in the town clerk's office, as a standing memorial of the value 
that the inhabitants of this town put upon their rights and privileges, 
(signed) Solomon Lombard. 
John Phinney. 

Wil™ Gorham. Committee of 

Briant Morton. 

Nathan Whitney. Correspondence. 

Benj" Skillings. 
Edm^ Phinney. 
Josiah Davis. 
Caleb Chase. 

These resolves were all voted on, one at a time, and it was voted 
that a copy of them be sent by the Committee to the town of Boston. 



110 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Throughout the whole Colony the same feeling was manifested as at 
Gorham, and before the ist of January, 1773, eighty towns had 
organized their committees of correspondence. These constituted a 
kind of assembly which the Governor could not dissolve, and which 
was not contrary to law, but was none the less of great influence in 
directing the affairs of the Colony. 

The efforts of the parent government to force the colonies to buy 
tea, laden with the odious tax, aroused the highest indignation 
throughout the colonies, and in Boston resulted in many town and 
other meetings for the purpose of expressing indignation, and for 
protesting against the tax, and the landing of the tea. At one of 
these meetings, the sheriff of Suffolk County read a proclamation 
from the Governor to the effect that the people should disperse, or 
continue further unlawful proceedings at their utmost peril. The 
result was a storm of hisses, and the meeting went on as before. 

When it became evident that the tea would inevitably be landed, 
the enraged citizens committed that act, which has been known ever 
since as the " Boston Tea Party." Everywhere in the colonies this 
deed created the utmost rejoicing. A town meeting was called in 
Gorham for Jan. 17, 1774, to take into consideration resolves of the 
correspondence committee, and also to " act and do at this exigency 
of political affairs as the town shall think proper ;" and it was 
requested, in the constable's notice calling the meeting, " that there 
may be a full meeting, as the occasion is important." The meeting 
was held, and the following resolves were passed : — 

Resolved. That our small possessions, dearly purchased by the 
hard labor and industry of ourselves and dear ancestors, with the loss 
of many lives by a barbarous and cruel enemy, are by the laws of 
God, Nature, and the British Constitution, our own, exclusive of any 
other claim under Heaven. 

Resolved. That all and every part, or parcel of the profits arising 
therefrom are also our own, and that none can of right take away any 
part or share thereof without our free consent. 

Resolved. That for any Legislative body of men under the British 
Constitution, to take, or grant liberty to take, wathout consent is State 
robbery, and ought to be opposed. 

Resolved. That the British Parliament laying a tax on Americans 
for the purpose of raising a revenue is a violation of the laws of 
religion and sovmd policy ; inconsistent with the principles of freedom, 
that have distinguished the British Empire from its earliest ages. 

Resolved. That the appropriating this revenue in support of a set 
of the vilest of the human race in rioting on our spoils is an unprec- 
edented step of Administration, and appears to us most odious. 

Resolved. That the Tea Act, in favor of the East India Company 



THE REVOLUTION. Ill 

to export the same to America, is a deep laid scheme to betray the 
unwary and careless into the snare laid to catch and enslave them, 
and requires the joynt vigilance, fortitude and courage, of the thought- 
ful and the brave to oppose in every constitutional way. 

Resolved. That petitioning the Throne cairies a very gloomy 
prospect, so long as his Majesty is under the same influence that he 
has loeen for many years past. 

Resolved. That other methods, besides petitioning, are now become 
necessary for the obtaining and securing our just rights and privileges. 

Resolved. That the measures taken by the town of Boston, in their 
several meetings to consult, debate and devise, in regard to the tea 
carried there, merits the esteem and regard of all who esteem their 
rights worth preserving, and will transmit their memory to unborn 
ages with Honor. 

Resolved. That the luifeigned thanks of the Town of Gorham wait 
on the Committee of Correspondence of the metropolis, and all the 
good people for their zeal for liberty in their late town meetings, and 
may our indignation fall on all who are enemies to our happy 
Constitution. 

Resolved. That we of this town have such a high relish for Liberty, 
that we all, with one heart, stand ready, sword in hand, with the 
Italians in the Roman Republick, to defend and maintain our rights 
against all attempts to enslave us, and joyn our brethren, opposing 
force to force, if drove to the last extremity, which God forbid. 

Captain Phinney then moved, and it was •' Voted, that if any person 
of Gorham shall hereafter contemn, despise or reproach the former, 
or the present Resolves, to prevent the force or effect of the same 
among this people, he shall be deemed, held and adjudged an enemy 
to his country, unworthy of the company and regard of all those who 
are the professed sons of freedom, and treated as infamous." 

As a preface to the foregoing Resolves, the following was accepted : — 
"When we contemplate on Days of old, the Years of Ancient times, 
when the Candle of the Lord shone around our Tabernacle, and the 
Benign rays from the Throne beamed through the whole of our 
American Atmosphere, which jolaced a smile on every face and joy in 
every Heart, and each individual sitting under his own Vine and Fig 
tree, having none to annoy or make him afraid, enjoying the fruits of 
his honest industry. \\\ this Golden Age mutual Love subsisted 
between the Mother State and her Colonies, the mother extending her 
Powerful Arm to skreen and to protect her Children from insult and 
ruin from their and her natural enemies, who would have attacked 
them on their watry frontier ; in return, the Children have ever been 
obedient to the requisitions of their Mother in raising Men and money 
to the enlargement of the British Empire to an amazing extent, 
and this without Complaint or even a single murmur, although they 
thereby endangered their own Bankruptcy. But how are circum- 
stances changed ! ' () Tempora, O Mores ' ! The Mother lost to her 



112 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

first Love, her maternal affection degenerated into a Cold indifferency, 
if not a fixed hatred of her children, as is too evident by the repeti- 
tion of one revenue Act after another, and appointing Egyptian task 
masters, if not worse, cruelly to extort from us our property, without 
so much as to say, by your leave, that they may wallow in Luxury on 
our spoils, against every principle of Justice, Human or Divine ; and 
the Tools of Aministration among ourselves have used every measure 
in their power to Weaken our hands, and to subject us easily to be 
dragooned in chains and Slavery, not by dint of argument, but by 
the mere force of the power placed in their Hands by the Mother 
State ; our stronghold Castle William, placed in the hands of the 
enemies of our Happy Constitution, purchased by our money at vast 
expense, designed for our defence ; our armory out of our Power ; 
all the commissions of Honor and profit are bestowed on those who 
are falsely called the friends of Government, but more truly may be 
denominated friends to Tyrany and oppression and enemies to 
Constitutional Government ; the Infamous Richardson, who, by Ver- 
dict of a Jury, guilty of the Murder of young Snider, escaped the 
gallows by the connivance of men in power ; Capt. Preston, at the 
head of a number of the King's Troops caused the streets of Boston 
to run with crimson gore of the innocent Inhabitants, Honored and 
Bountifully rewarded by the men in Power at home for his great 
suffering and gallant behavior in that deplorable Massacre. All 
these things bearing heavy upon our minds, and not altogether sunk 
below all human feelings, We, una voce, came to these resolves." 

It was then voted to send these resolves to the Committee of Cor- 
respondence in Boston ; the following letter to accompany them. 

"To the Respectable Committee of Correspondence of the Town 
of Boston 

Gentlemen 

We received your favor of Nov. 23''^ &: Dec. 1^^, Inclosed, 
last Week, for which we present you Thanks. We would express 
our gratitude that this Town, although an Infant settlement, is not 
neglected, but, after a representation of Public Affairs, our advice 
among others is requested. We cannot by any form of Language 
fully represent our concern at the persevering attempts of the Admin- 
istration of Great Britain to rend from the People of America those 
invaluable privileges purchased at the expense of their dearest blood; 
and it is a matter that excites our Admiration that the Honorable 
East India Company should suffer themselves so far to be taken in 
by the Ministerial Villany as to attempt the carrying into execution 
their execrable plan by sending Tea and setting up a factory in this 
Country. But above all are our minds affected with the Considera- 
tion that the most restless secret plotting enemy to our free and 
happy Constitution still holds the Highest seat in the Government 
in this place, to whom may be fittly applied that pathetic complaint 
of the Inspired Writer, ' My own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, 
which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel against me; for it 



THE REVOLUTION. 113 

was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it ; 
neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me, 
then would I have hid myself from him, but it was thou, a man, my 
equal, my guide and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel 
together, and walked to the house of God in company.' We shall 
not attempt to express our Indignation at the Proclamation sent by 
the High Sheriff to a respectable Body of the Inhabitants of Boston 
and the neighboring Towns assembled in the most peaceable and 
regular manner to consult in time of common danger, treating them 
as a mob of rioters, and with the most unparalleled impudence 
requiring and commanding them to disburse. This proclamation 
was sent by an American, a Townsman, a Neighbor and a professed 
friend : under such unheard of provocation to remain unmoved were 
impious. We do not think it possible to treat this proclamation with 
the Contempt it deserves. 

"We hope and trust that the Inhabitants of this Town will not be 
induced to part with their privileges for a little paltry Herb Drink, 
their Birthright for a Mess of Pottage. To give our advice we shall 
not presume, as we are convinced that should your Wisdom need 
assistance (which in our opinion it does not) the best advice of 
Multitudes much more acquainted with Public Affairs would be at 
your service ; the Inhabitants of this Town, as we apprehend, being 
in general better qualified to handle their old swords than the 
Writer's pen, and who if they are compelled to dispute for their 
privileges must have resource to those solid and weighty arguments 
ioy the force of which they have often carried their point, not only 
with Savage Men, but also with savage Bears and other Beasts of 
the Wilderness, and which we conceive would be the most proper 
and suitable to make Impression on a Hutchinson, a Heliborough 
or Bull. 

" We shall only testify our gratitude & entire approbation of the 
conduct of all the good people of the Town of Boston, both separate 
and in connection with the Neighboring Towns, and declare that 
while they continue to conduct with the same excellent Wisdom, we 
will be always ready to stand by them with our Lives and fortunes 
against a most abandoned set of Villains, Pensioners, Commissioners, 
Factors, Murderers &c &c, that ever disgraced the name of Human- 
ity. W^e are particularly charmed with the Conduct of the Indians, 
of which we have had accounts in the Publick prints, which inclines 
us almost to forget the Wounds we have received from their Tribes 
in these parts, as we esteem the Deceit, Murder and Cruelties of 
these native savages not Worthy to be mentioned the same day in 
comparison of the hellish conduct of the present Enemies of America. 

" We conclude by wishing every kind of Happiness & prosperity 
to the friends of our Country, White or Black." 

In return for the Boston Tea Party an indemnity, equal to the value 
of the tea, was levied on Boston, and until this should be paid the 
port was to be closed. In place of Boston, Marblehead was to be 



114 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

the port of entry, and Salem the seat of government. This Act was 
to take effect on the ist of June, 1774. Several other very obnox- 
ious Acts were passed by Parliament at about the same time as this ; 
one of which was for the purpose of taking away the charter rights 
of Massachusetts, and abolishing the rights of the citizens to free- 
dom of speech in the town meetings. When the time came for the 
Boston Port Bill to go into eff«:t it was observed as a day of fasting 
throughout the Colony. Muffled bells were tolled, and ships in the 
harbors put their flags at half mast. In Falmouth on the 14th, 
the bell was mufifled and rung from early in the morning till nine 
o'clock at night ; and on the 29th, Parson Smith says, " We had a 
Fast relative to the sad state of our public affairs." 

It had been determined to call a Continental Congress to meet in 
Philadelphia, Sept. ist. In the meantime resistance to the new laws 
did not cease in Massachusettts. In spite of the law against town 
meetings, and an order from Gage (who was now governor of the 
Province) forbidding the people to attend them, they were constantly 
held and largely attended. Gage now issued an order convening a 
Great and General Court, or Assembly, for the first of October, but 
almost immediately he countermanded it. The representatives, how- 
ever, notwithstanding this, met at Salem on the fifth of October. At 
a town meeting held in Gorham, Sept. 26th, for the purpose of 
choosing a " representative to serve as such, and to join the Provin- 
cial Congress, if such a method should be come into," Solomon 
Lombard, Esq., was chosen. A committee of five, consisting of 
Nathaniel Whitney, Prince Davis, Capt. Edmund Phinney, Caleb 
Chase and William Gorham, Esq., was chosen to draw up instruc- 
tions for the said Representative. These instructions, as reported 
by this committee, were as follows: — 

To Solomon Lombard, Esq., 
Sir 

Whereas You are chosen by the 
Town of Gorham to Represent them at a Great and General Court 
or Assembly, to be begun and held at Salem on Wednesday the fifth 
Day of October next ; We desire You to Observe the following 
Instructions ; Viz. 

1. That You be punctual at the time of the said Courts setting, and 
there so far as You may have inlluence. Maintain and Support to 
your utmost, all our Charter & Constitutional Rights, and not give 
up one Iota or Tittle of them to any Supposable power on Earth. 

2. That You use Your endeavor to Obtain a Vote of the House for 
the re-establishment of Our former Charter of this Province. 



THE REVOLUTION. 115 

3. After the Gen' Court is Adjourned, prorogued or dissolved, We 
Instruct You to Joyn with the other Members, which compose the 
said Court, in forming themselves into a Provincial Congress, to be 
held where may be by them thought best in Order to Consult, Debate 
and resolve on measures proper to be taken & pursued by the Peo- 
ple of this Province, in Order to secure them in the Enjoyment of 
their Charter & Constitutional Rights as freemen and as Christians. 

Lastly, Trusting in Your fidelity & Wisdom We doubt not but You'll 
pursue every measure that You may think for the General Good at 
this Alarming & distressing Period. Wishing You success in all 
Your lawful undertakings. We are Sir 
Your Humble Servants. 

By Ord. of the Town ; WILLIAM GORHAM Town Clerk. 

The Assembly met, and having waited a day for the arrival of the 
Governor, formed themselves into a Provincial Congress, which 
having elected John Hancock as its president, adjourned to Concord, 
Oct. 27th, a committee of safety was chosen, and charged with the 
collection of military stores. The Congress also recommended that 
the towns should not pay the State or Province taxes to the Royalist 
Treasurer, Harrison Gray. At a town meeting held in Gorhara, 
Dec. ist, it was voted that Capt. Edmund Phinney be a treasurer to 
collect the money that was, or might be, due from the collectors or 
constables of the town, and send it to Henry Gardner of Stowe, 
agreeable to the recommendation of the Provincial Congress ; and at 
the same meeting it was also voted to raise ten pounds, to be 
expended in powder, balls and flints, for an addition to the town 
stock. 

Evidently, at the passing of the Boston Port Bill, Gorham, in 
company with other towns, had agreed to an entire non-importation 
agreement. The Continental Congress, meeting on Sept. 5th, 1774, 
urged the people to persevere in abstaining from English manufac- 
tured or prepared goods, and formed an association for a " non- 
importation, non-consumption and non-exportation " agreement. To 
the committees of correspondence was intrusted the duty -bf inspec- 
tion of the entries at the custom houses. Accordingly Gorham voted 
to adopt the association agreement of the Continental Congress, in 
preference to the " non-importation " covenant lately signed by the 
inhabitants of the town, and that the latter be dissolved ; and a 
committee, consisting of Capt. Bryant Morton, and Messrs. Josiah 
Davis, Wentworth Stuart, James Gilkey and Caleb Chase, was chosen 
to take care that the plans of the Continental Congress should be 
exactly complied with. At the same meeting (Dec. 31st), Capt. 
Bryant Morton was chosen as a delegate to join the Provincial Con- 



116 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

gress, when the Committee of Correspondence should think it 
expedient. For this service he was to be allowed five shillings per 
day, while gone to the said Congress. A large committee was like- 
wise chosen to see that a quantity of wood, to be sent to the poor of 
Boston, should be at Falmouth by the last week in January. The 
last article in the warrant for this meeting was one to see what 
encouragement the town would vote for those " who will enlist them- 
selves to be in readiness in case of any sudden alarm." This the 
town voted to postpone for the present, and it never came into town 
meeting again ; but the minute men were well organized before the 
Lexington alarm. 

Harrison Gray, the Royalist Province Treasurer, demanded that 
the money for the Province tax be paid forthwith. In order to pro- 
tect its officers in their refusal to do this, at a town meeting held 
Jan. 7, 1775, the town voted to indemnify the assessors for refusing 
to make return to Harrison Gray for his warrant for apportioning a 
Province tax, and also that they would indemnify the " former con- 
stables and collectors in their paying the Province money (yet in 
their hands) to Col. Edmund Phinney, instead of Harrison Gray, 
when they have paid the same." Later it was voted to raise a sum 
of money equal to the sum ordered to be raised by Harrison Gray 
the last year; viz. ^31-2-10, as a Province tax, and that this remain 
in the hands of the town treasurer until the town should order it to 
be paid to Henry Gardner, or any other person appointed to receive 
the same for the proper use of the Province. 

There is no record giving the population of Gorham at the begin- 
ning of hostilities in 1775, but by the assessment of the town tax for 
this year, made in December, it appears that there were two hundred 
and fifty-five names, against which there were two hundred and sixty- 
four polls charged, and there were twenty males with no poll tax, 
and two females, taxed for property. 

From this it appears that in 1775 Gorham had about two hundred 
and sixty-four able bodied men in town of all ages over sixteen ; add 
to these the twenty males not taxed for a poll tax, and we have a 
male population over sixteen years of two hundred and eighty-four. 
Allowing half as many more for the boys under that age, and reckon- 
ing as many females as males, we shall have some eight hundred 
and fifty-two souls for the population of the town at or about the 
commencement of the war of the Revolution. 

Of the tax payers this year there were seventy-seven who paid 
only a poll tax, with thirty-three that paid a very small tax on per- 



THE REVOLUTION. 117 

sonal property, with no real estate whatever ; taking these one 
hundred and ten, who paid a tax of about eight pence each, from the 
two hundred and seventy-seven, leaves one hundred and sixty-seven 
who had to pay from about one to eight shillings each. There are 
fifteen persons on this list, who are taxed for their "faculty." 

The alarm of the battles of Lexington and Concord reached . 
Falmouth before daybreak on the 21st of April, 1775, ^""^ caused 
tremendous excitement there and in all the region round about. A 
Falmouth company of soldiers started that same day for Boston, 
followed by others. A company of militia had been for some time 
organized and armed in Gorham, under the command of Capt. Hart 
Williams, and another, in Gorham, Windham and Standish, com- 
manded by Capt. Wentworth Stuart of Gorham. These promptly 
followed the Falmouth company, but when they reached Wells they 
were all ordered back to protect the coastwise towns, and returned, 
reaching Falmouth April 24th. 

In May occurred in Portland the famous "Thompson War," of 
which, as it largely concerns Gorham soldiers, it may be well to give 
some account. Capt. Mo watt, of the sloop of war " Canceau," gave 
considerable apprehension to the people of Falmouth, and the 
neighboring coast towns, lest, being reinforced, he should cause them 
trouble, and on May 7th, Col. Samuel Thompson with a company of 
fifty men, arrived at Falmouth from Brunswick, and encamped in a 
grove of pines. Each man wore a bit of spruce, and their standard 
was a small spruce tree stripped of all but its top branches. In this 
grove they remained till the ninth, when Capt. Mowatt, his surgeon 
and parson Wiswall while walking on the hill, unaware of their 
presence, were captured by them, as was the undoubted intention of 
the soldiers in coming to Falmouth. A large number of the citizens 
of the town wished Thompson to release his prisoners, but this he 
refused to do, and Col. Phinney sent oft" for his soldiers to protect 
him in this. At length, however, Thompson yielded to the desire of 
a majority of the citizens of the place, and released the prisoners on 
parole, they to return the following morning. They did not keep 
their word ; and there being now on the Neck, not only Col. Phin- 
ney's regiment, but militia from the neighboring towns, who were 
greatly enraged at the release of Mowatt and his failure to keep his 
agreement, threats were openly made that they would destroy his 
ship. As it was, they vented their anger on the Royalists. The 
next day, May nth, among other deeds, they plundered Capt. Coul- 
son's house, and used it as a barrack. In the cellar was found a 



118 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

supply of liquor, to which they helped themselves. Calvin Lombard 
of Gorham, son of Rev. Solomon Lombard, went to the edge of the 
water, and fired a couple of balls into the side of Mowatt's vessel. 
Going to Sheriff Tyng's residence they took from it a silver cup 
and tankard and his gold-laced hat. Others took Coulson's boat and 
hauled it through the town nearly to Back Cove, and left it in the 
fields. Later another boat was treated in the same manner. Deeply 
enraged, Mowatt demanded that Lombard be given up, and that the 
inhabitants of the Neck return the boats and " dispel the mob from 
the country," or he would fire upon the town. The citizens, however, 
succeeded in assuring him that it was the country people who were to 
blame, and that they were unable to control them. By the 15th of 
the month, the last of the soldiers had left town, and soon after this 
the ship sailing, Falmouth for the time being was left in peace. 

The articles taken from Sheriff Tyng's were carried to Gorham, and 
secreted, but were afterwards restored, being delivered to Mrs. Ross, 
Tyng's mother-in-law. Coulson's loss was made up to him by the 
General Court. 

Efforts were now made to organize a regiment. Gen. Jedediah 
Preble, who evidently had the authority, appointed Edmund Phinney — 
who had been commissioned a colonel in January of that year — colo- 
nel of the regiment, and the enlistment of the companies had already 
been begun when word was received that Samuel March of Scar- 
borough had also received the requisite authority to raise a regiment. 
As Cumberland County could not afford to spare two regiments. Col. 
Phinney went to Cambridge to see about the matter, taking with him 
the following letter from Gen. Preble. 

Falmouth, May 15, 1775. 
■ Honored Gentlemen : — These wait on you by Col. Phinney who 
brought me all the papers necessary for enlisting a Regiment in the 
County of Cumberland. I advised with the Committee of Corres- 
pondence who was of the opinion it would be difficult for our County 
to spare a Regiment to be moved out of the Province of Maine, as 
we lay much exposed to the Navy by sea, and the Indians and French 
on our back settlements, if they should be employed against us : but 
we would be glad to do everything in our power for the defence of 
our just rights and dearer liberties. Our men are zealous in the 
Cause of our Country, and ready to venture eveiything for the defence 
of it. Colonel March informs me your Honors have appointed him 
a colonel, and gave him orders to raise a Regiment in this County, 
and to appoint all his officers : this he acquainted me with after I had 



' Goold's History of the 31st Mass. Regt. 



THE REVOLUTION. 119 

delivered Colonel Phinney the papers back again which he brought 
me. It is impossible we can spare two Regiments out of this County, 
and they both made considerable progress : am much afraid there 
will be some difficulty in settling the affair. I am persuaded the men 
in general would prefer Colonel Phinney, and so should I for that 
reason as I look on Colonel Phinney to be equal to Colonel March in 
every respect. 

Should have done myself the honor to have waited on you in 
person but am in a poor state of health and so exercised with the 
gout that I cannot bear my shoes. I purpose to visit the Camp 
whenever I am able to undergo the fatigue of so long a journey. I 
wish courage and conduct in our officers, resolution and spirit of 
obedience in our soldiers, and a speedy end of our troubles. 

I am your Honors' most obedient servant, 

Jedediah Preble. 

As a result, enlistments in both regiments were stopped for a time, 
when finally, Phinney was appointed colonel, and March, lieutenant- 
colonel. 

In October of this same year, 1775, Falmouth was burned by the 
English, under Capt. Mowatt. When the news arrived that the town 
was threatened, there was much excitement in Gorham, for nearly all 
the citizens had relations, connections or friends in town. Many 
went, with such teams as they could fit out, to assist their friends in 
need, and others (if we judge from the records of the doings of the 
town afterwards) from a less praiseworthy motive : it was said much 
property brought out of town at this time never found its way back 
to its rightful owners. 

Joseph McLellan, whose wife, Mary, was the daughter of Hugh 
McLellan, sent word to their Gorham friends, and immediately a 
team was rigged out, and put under the charge of Prince, a slave of 
William McLellan, with orders to go to Joseph's house in the least 
possible time, and William started on ahead to have all packed and 
ready to load immediately. In clue time the arrival of Prince was 
expected but he did not come, and after anxiously waiting some time 
William got on to his horse in order to find him. He heard of his 
arrival in town, and finally found the team but no Prince. After 
loadnig up and starting the team homeward under charge of another 
hand, William thought he would hunt up Prince. After a while he 
came to a place where some benevolent individual who had a hogs- 
head of rum which he could not move, had put it on end and had 
stove in the head and given a general invitation to drink, all round. 
This was an opportunity not to be neglected by the darkies, as well 
as by many of the whites, and Prince was one of the number and 



120 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

deep in for it. When he saw his master coming, he made toward 
him as well as his legs could carry him, and with true negro philoso- 
phy, thinking more of the present than of the future, or of the 
probable reward laid up for him for the neglect of duty and the dis- 
obedience of his master's orders, sang out to his master, " Massa 
Willum, O 1 for God sake come here. Rum 'nuf, Massa \\'illum. 
Rum 'nuf, Massa. Sugar and 'lasses 'nuf to put in him too. 
O ! Massa Willum, glorious times dese be, glorious times dese 
be." 

November 2, 1775, the Rev. Samuel Deane of Falmouth removed to 
his farm in Gorham, where he remained until March 16, 1 782, when he 
returned to town. This farm was next south of the Ross place, on 
the road from Gorham village to Saccarappa, lately owned and 
occupied by William Bartlett. This spot Mr. Deane named " South 
Green," and the low hill behind the house, " Pitchwood Hill," which 
was the subject of a poem written by him during his stay here. The 
old house was torn down by Mr. Bartlett, and its gambrel roof set on 
the ground where it remained until within a few years. Among 
others who moved out to Gorham at this time, were Richai"d Codman, 
who lived near where the house of Freeman Richardson now stands ; 
John Butler, who li\-ed just east of the Daniel Mosher house, 
and a Mr. Cox, who lived on the Conant farm, opposite the Tyng 
place. 

As has been previously stated, the militia in Gorham and the 
surrounding towns was well organized at the breaking out of hostilities, 
and Col. Phinney enlisted these companies into the regiment which 
the Provincial Congress ordered to be raised in Cumberland County. 
They also ordered that the towns should supply ammunition for the 
soldiers. 

' " Return of Cap'. Hart Williams Company in y*^ 31^' Reg', of 
Foot Conmianded by Colonel Edmund Phinney, Sept'' 29* i775-" 



NAMES. 


TOWNS. 


WHEN IN 


LIS- 


Cap'. Hart Williams 


Gorham 


April 


24 


Lieu'. Will"" McLallen 


" 


" 


24 


2'^ Lieu'. Cary McLallen 


" 


a 


24 


John Perkins Serj"" 


" 


May 


IS 


John Phinney " 


ti 


" 


17 


James Perkins " 


<( 


(( 


15 


David Watts " 


(< 


n 


15 



I From the original, in my possession. 



THE REVOLUTION. 



121 



NAMES. 

Silas Chadbourn Corp" 
Enoch Frost 
William Irish 
Sam" Gammon " 

Tho^ Bangs Drum 
Jeremiah Jones fife 

Privates. 

Barny Bangs 

Joseph W'aymouth 

Bickford Dyer 

Thomas Guston 

Jeremiah Hodgdon 

Daniel Maxell 

Tho^ Poat 

John Parker 

Ezekiel Hatch 

Paul Whitney 

George Robinson 

Joseph McDonell 

Peletiah McDonell 

George Hunt 

George Waterhouse 

Daniel Whitney 

Thomas Irish 
John Mellvin 

James Morton 
Philip Gammon 
Ichabod Hunt 
Ebenezer Michel 
Abijah Lueiss 
James Irish 
Natha" Lombard 
Butler Lombard 
Owen Runells 
Theodore Rounds 
Elisha Cobb 
James Jourdan 
Napthalim Whitney 
Jonathan Sturgis 
Prince Hamblen 
John Whitney 
Amos Wliitney 
Joseph McLallen 
Joseph Creesy 
Selvenus Brown 
Solomon Green 
Joshua Hamlton 



TOWNS. 


WHEN INLISTED, 


Gorham, 


May 2 2 




" 


15 


a 


u 


15 


11 


II 


15 


(( 


June 


19 


i< 


May 


15 


" 


May 


15 


u 


" 


15 


u 


II 


15 


(( 


II 

u 


15 
15 


(C 


" 


15 


a 


" 


15 


i( 


II 


15 


a 


II 


15 


a 


" 


15 


a 


" 


15 


a 


" 


15 


a 


" 


IS 


a 


II 


15 


u 


II 


15 


(( 


II 


15 


ii 


u 


15 


(( 


II 


16 


i( 


" 


17 


(( 


II 


17 


(< 


II 


18 


u 


II 


18 


Buxton 


(I 


22 


Gorham 


11 


22 


a 


11 


22 


a 


" 


22 


(( 


II 


22 


Buxton 


u 


22 


Gorham 


" 


22 


Falm". 


" 


22 


Gorham 


II 


22 

2 2 


11 


June 


19 


11 


II 


22 


II 


" 


23 


11 


11 


24 


11 


11 


25 


11 


" 


25 



Barwick 



July 6 



122 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



"Return of Capt. Wenlworth Stuart's Company in the 31st Regt. 
of Foot, Conimanded by Col. Edniund Phinney, Sept. 29, 1775," 

(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 56, part 2, p. 216.) 



NAMES. 


TOWNS. ENLISTED. 


Wentworth Stuart, Capt., 


Gorham, April 


24. 


Jonathan Sawyer, ist Lieut., " " 


24. 


Caleb Rowe, 2d 


Pearsonstown. " 


.-4- 


Josiah Jenkins, Sergt., 


Gorham, May 


IS- 


John Watson, " 


" 


IS- 


John York, 


Pearsonstown, " 


16. 


Ebenezer Morton, " 


Gorham, " 


^5- 


Nathaniel Stevens, Corp., 


" " 


15- 


Joel Sawyer, " 


u u 


15- 


Peter Moulton, " 


Pearsonstown, " 


16. 


John Crocket, " 


Gorham, 


24. 


Benja. Green, Drummer, " " 


24. 


Joseph Stuart, Fifer, 


u u 


15- 


Privates. 






Austin Alden, 


(( u 


16. 


John Greeley, 


u u 


15- 


John Foy, 


(( (' 


15- 


John Irish, 


(( u 


17- 


James Irish, 


I. 


17 


Richard Preston, 


\\'indham, " 


IS- 


Amos Brown, 


" " 


IS- 


Job Hall, 


" " 


IS- 


William \\'hitmore. 


Gorham, " 


IS- 


Nathan Hanscom, 


" 


IS- 


Joseph Jennings, 


Rye, 


24. 


Sargent Shaw, 


Pearsonstown, " 


16. 


Reuben Cookson, 


" 


16 


Abraham York, 


" " 


16 


Ephraim Bachelor, 


K U 


16. 


Thomas Shaw, 


(( U 


16 


Daniel Bean, 


(1 U 


16. 


Israel Smith, 


Norton, " 


16. 


Joab Libby, 


Gorham, " 


16 


David Whitney, 


" " 


17- 


George Tesharey, 


Windham, 


23 


Daniel Toward, 


Kittery, 


24 


Joseph Libby, 


Gorham, " 


24 


Joel Rich, 


u u 


24. 


Thomas Skillings, 


" " 


24 


John Workman, 


Barnerdstown, " 


24 


Jonathan Sanborn, 


Pearsonstown, " 


16 


Desper West, 


Gorham. " 


24 


Arthur Pottenger, 


Falmouth, 


16 



THE REVOLUTION. 



123 



NAMES. 


TOWNS. 


ENLISTED. 


Caleb Graffum, 


Windham, 


" 24. 


John Thurlo, 


Gorham, 


" 24. 


Ephraim Russell, 


Penobscot, 


" 14- 


Nathaniel Nason, 


Barwick, 


" 14. 


Charles Grant, 


u 


" M. 


Elisha Libby, 


" 


" 14- 


Elijah Davis, 


Gorham, 


" 15- 


Barnabas Rich, 


" 


" 24. 


John Skillings, 




" 24. 
;„ r^ i- 



discharged Sept. 15. 



Moses Whitney of Gorham enlisted in Capt. Samuel Dunn's com- 
pany, and Josiah Peabody and James Westmore of Gorham, in Capt. 
John Brackett's company. Dr. Stephen Swett of Gorham was 
Surgeon of the regiment. 

This regiment of Col. Phinney's, which was known as the 31st 
Massachusetts, arrived in July at Cambridge, where it took part in 
the siege of Boston. Although it had no chance to participate in 
any important battle, the men, nevertheless, saw much skirmishing 
and indecisive fighting. The regiment was discharged from the 
service in December, 1775, and Col. Phinney, having received a 
commission as colonel of a new regiment, the iSth Continental, 
re-enlisted many of his old command. The i8th Continental Regi- 
ment entered the service Jan. i, 1776, and was stationed at Cambridge. 
After the evacuation of Boston by the British, on the seventeenth of 
March, it was ordered to march from Cambridge to Eort Ticonderoga, 
to re-enforce the Northern Army, which at that time was under the 
command of Gen. Philip Schuyler. Having served out this cam- 
paign the regiment was discharged, at Eort George, on the last of 
December, 1776, and the men either made their way home, as best 
they could, or re-enlisted in other commands. 

The Gorham men who served in the i8th, (taken from Rolls of 
Dec. 8, 1776, Massachusetts Archives,) were 



Edmund Phinney, Colonel. 

First Company. 

Wentworth Stuart, CapL, died at Brookline, Apr. 17, 1776. 

Jonathan Sawyer, ist Lieut., and promoted Capt., Apr. 18, 1776. 



Josiah Jenkins, 



Joseph Stuart, 
James Webb, 
James Irish, 



Ensign, 
Sers:t., 



promoted ist Lieut. Apr. 18. Reen- 
gaged as Capt. in Col. Brewer's 
Regt. Nov. 13, 1776. 

Ensign, Apr. 18. 



124 

John Thurlo, 
Elijah Davis, 
John Davis, 
Amos Brown, 



Sergt. 
Corp., 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Sick in Genl. Hospital. 



Privates. 

Nathan Bangs, 
Joseph Blake, 
John Foy, 
Asa Hatch, 
Ezekiel Hatch. 
Simon Lombard, 
Josiah Peabody. 
George Robinson, 
Prince Strout. 
James Thurlo, 



reengaged Nov. 13, 1776. 



reengaged Nov. 20, 1776. 
discharged Nov. 6, 1776. 
reengaged Nov. 17, 1776. 



on command to Fort Edward, 
died Aug. 28, 1776. 
sick in Genl. Hospital. 

Capt. Tobias Fernald's company, the Second, contained 
David Vickery. 

Capt. John Rice's company, the Third, contained 

Austin Alden, 2d Lieut. Reengaged Nov. 13, 1776, with Col. 

Brewer. 
James Perkins, E^nsign. 

Fifth Company. 

Capt., Sick at Albany. 



Hart Williams, 
William McLellan, ist Lieut. 

Gary McLellan, 2d " promoted ist Lieut. Aug. 3, 1776. 
Ensign, died April 18, 1776, of small-pox. 
Ensign, promoted Lieut. Apr. 17. Reengaged 
in Col. Brewer's Regt., Nov. 13, 
1776. 
promoted Ensign Capt. York's Co., Aug. 

I, 1776. 
discharged in April. 
Sergt. Aug. i, 1776. 



John Perkins, 
David Watts, 



James Perkins, Sergt., 



James Morton, " 

Pelatiah McDonald, " 
Daniel Hunt, Corp. 

John Melven, " 



Solomon Green, 



Corp. Apr. 17, 1776. Reengaged Dec. 

I, 1776. 
Corp. Aug. 3, 1776. 



John Whitney, Drummer, reengaged Nov. 15, 1776 
Jeremiah Jones, Fifer, " " 



Privates. 

John Burnell, 
Solomon Brown, 
Bickford Dyer, 



reengaged Nov. 26, 1776. 
died Oct. 25, 1776. 
on command at Ticonderoga. 
Nov. 30, 1776. 



Reengaged 



THE REVOLUTION. 



125 



Ebenezer Files, 
Samuel Files. 
Philip Gammon, 
Thomas Gustin. 
James Gilkey, 
George Hunt, 
Ichabod Hunt. 
James Lary, 
Prince Hamblen, 
Nathaniel Lombard, 
Abner McDannell, 
Matthias Murch, 
Daniel Maxwell, 
Thomas Poat. 
John Parker, 
Joseph McLellan. 
Paul Whitney, 
Jesse Whitney, 
Daniel Whitney. 
Ebenezer Whitney, 
John Whitney, 
James Whitney. 
Joseph Green. 



on command at Fort Edward. 

on guard and reengaged Dec. 8, 1776. 

sick in barracks, 
died Mar. 14, 1776. 

sick in Genl. Hospital, 
sick in Barracks, 
discharged Oct. 7, 1776. 
sick in Genl. Hospital, 
reengaged Nov. 30, 1776. 
died Mar. 2, 1776. 

discharged Oct. 8, 1776. 

discharged Aug. 4, 1776. 
" Sept. 30, 1776. 

discharged Sept. 20, 1776. 
died May 5, 1776. 



Capt. Abraham Tyler's company, the Eighth, contained 
Lazarus Rand. 

When the i8th Continental Regiment was discharged at Ticon- 
derogain December, 1776, many of the men reenlisted for three years 
in the 12th Massachusetts under Col. Samuel Brewer. This regi- 
ment was at Ticonderoga and Lake George, at King's Feriy, and 
at Valley Forge in winter quarters. It participated in the battles of 
Hobartown and Monmouth, was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, 
and was at West Point through 1779. 

Josiah Jenkins, who had been first lieutenant in the iSth Conti- 
nental, reengaged as captain under Col. Brewer, and of his company, 
the following is a return taken by Lieut. David Watts, Jan. 23, 1778, 
at Valley Forge. 



Josiah Jenkins, 


Capt., 


Gorham, 


On furlough. 


David Watts, 


ist Lieut., 


u 




Benjamin Thompson 


2d " 


Brunswick, 


Sick, absent. 


John Hubble, 


Ensign, 


Sheffield. 




Samuel Jenkins, 


Sergt., 


Gorham. 




Elijah Davis, 


u 


a 




Ebenezer Morton, 


(( 


if 




Darling Hukok, 


a 


Sheffield. 





126 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



John Greeley, 
John Mirick, 
Benjamin Nason, 
William Smith, 
Joshua Wescott, 
William Coomer, 

Privates. 



Corp., 



Drummer, 



Gorham, 

Kennebunk. 

Arundel. 

Welltleet. 

Scarborough, 



On furlough. 



On furloue:h. 



Fife Major, Duxbury. 



Gorham. 



On 



Georijetown. 



Kennebunk. 



Nathan Bangs, 
John Foye, 
James Gilkey, 
John Knight, 
Joseph McLellan. 
Moses Poland, 

furlough. 
John Arm, 
Seth Hinkley, 
John Cool, 
Nathan Emery, 
Frederick Peekin, 
William Milton, 
Thomas Frank, 
Peter Biter, 
David Dunan, 
Noble Gunn, 

Sick, absent. 
Ebenezer Palminter, 

Sick, absent. 
Ephraim Goss, 

Sick, absent. 
David Wilson, 

Has a pass from Gen. 

Gates to go to Boston 



Amos Brown, Gorham. 

John Green, " Sick, 

absent of his wound. 
Ichabod Hunt, Gorham. 

Ebenezer Morton, Jr., " 
Ebenezer Phinney, " Sick, 

absent of his wound. 



Benjamim Rolf, 
John Austin, 
Paul Lovell. 
Joseph Sargent, 



Gorham. 
Brunswick. 
Georgetown. 
Gorham. Sick, 



Braintree. 
Falmouth. 

Sheffield. 



Bennington, 



Weimeet. 



Kittery. 
Falmouth. 



absent of his wound. 
David Emery, Kennebunk. 

William Kendall, " 

Solomon Spinner, 
Daniel Toward, 
James Wagg, 
Jonathan Whitney, Bucktown. 
Samuel Gutchridge, Sheffield. 
Zebulon Mix, " Sick, 

absent. 
Simeon Noble, Barrington, 

Sick, absent. 
John Huggins, Sheffield. 



Non Efectives. 
Abel Whitney, Gorham, Discharged. 



Joshua Davis, 
Wright Allen, 
Zebulon Olds, 



Scarborough, Transferred to Capt. Watkins. 
Barrington, " " Capt. Ball, Col. 

Shepard's regiment. 



John Green, Jr., Sheffield. 

Isaac Preston, Barrington. 

David Kelley, Boston. 

Richard Mitchel, Arundel. 

On a pay roll of this company, dated Mar. 19, 1777, appears also the 
name of Matthias Murch of Gorham. 

Austin Alden, who had been second lieutenant in the iSth Conti- 
nental, re-engaged, and in Januaiy, 1777, was appointed first lieutenant 



THE REVOLUTION. 127 

of Capt. Nathan Watkin's company, in Col. Brewer's regiment ; in 
which regiment he served for a little over a year. In his companv 
were Bickford Dyer and James Coolbroth, both of Gorham. 

While the company was in camp, below Albany, N. Y., at Van 
Schaicks Island, under date of Aug. 3, 1777, Lieut. Alden writes : — 

" I can't write hardly any thing, only we are on the way up the river ; 
I suppose to drive Burgoyne back to Canada. An army from Ben- 
nington is to join us across the Grants at the river. God grant that 
the enemy may alter face, or fall before us." He speaks of Lieut. 
David Watts as being in the army ; the two Blakes, (Corp. Joseph 
Blake and John Blake, both of Scarborough), as being sick in hospital 
at Albany; Caleb and Jedediah Lombard, as also in hospital, and 
says, " All our people are generally well." 

Capt. Daniel Merrill's company. Col. Brewer's regiment, contained 
Matthias Murch and Jeremiah Jones of Gorham. In Capt. Silas 
Burbank's company, belonging to this same regiment, were Pelatiah 
McDonald, Orderly, and James Lary, both of Gorham. 

After the evacuation of Boston by th^ British on the 17th of March, 
1776, many of the American regiments were sent away, some being 
ordered to New York, and others, among which was Col. Phinney's 
iSth Continental, sent to reenforce the Northern Army at Lake 
George. It then became necessary to raise short service troops to 
garrison the forts at Boston, to protect the town from any attacks 
that might be made by the British. Among these short service 
troops was Col. Ebenezer Francis's regiment, which garrisoned the 
forts on Dorchester Heights from August until December, 1776. 
The si.xth company of this regiment was raised in Cumberland 
County, and commanded by Capt. Richard Mayberry of Windham. 

A pay roll of this company gives the followmg names : 

(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 251, p. 10=;.) 



Richard Mayberry, 


Capt., 


Windham. 


Thomas Berry, 


ist. Lieut., 


, fhunswick. 


Peter Libbee, 


2d 


Scarborough. 


Nathaniel Frost, 


Ensign, 


Gorham. 


Nathaniel Hinkley, 


Sergt., 


Brunswick. 


John Anderson, 




Windham. 


Uominicus Libee, 


" 


Scarborough. 


Samuel Jinkins, 


" 


Gorham. 


Josiah Chute, 


Corp., 


Windham. 


George Williams, 


" 


Brunswick. 


Thomas Libee, 


" 


Scarborough. 


Joseph Rounds, 


" 


Gorham. 


Peter Walken, 


Drummer, 


Brunswick. 


William Harmon, 


Fifer, 


Scarborough. 



VIS 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Privates. 



Windham. 
Gorham. 
Harpsweli. 
Windham. 



Scarborough. 



John Dunham, 

David Mayberry, 

Joseph Elder, 

Christopher Dunn, 

Benjamin Curtis, 

Jeremiah Jordan, 

Steplien Harris, 

Joseph Thompson, 

Jeremiali Mitchell, 

John Plaisted, 

Nathaniel Milliken, " 

Samuel Stuart, " 

Samuel Hutchinson, Windham. 

Chase Elkins, " 

Robert McFarling, (lOrham. 

John Sanborn, Pearsonstown. 

Jeremiah Pratt, North Yarmouth. 

Bartholomew Read, Royalstown. 

Joseph Humphreys, No. Yarmouth. 



North Yarmouth. Daniel Haney, 
Windham. Ebenezer Whitnev, 



New Gloucester. 

Gorham. 

Windham. 

Brunswick. 

Scarborough. 

Gorham. 



Isaac Hall, 
Joel Stevens, 
George Lasley, 
William Stevens. 
Elisha Commons, 
Stephen P'oster, 
Isaac Allen, 
Joseph Sovereign, 
John Fly, 
James Crocker, 



Brunswick. 
New Gloucester. 
New Boston. 



Dorchester. 
New Gloucester. 
Scarborough. 



Thomas Mayberry, 

Asa Combs, 

Peltiah Liby, 

Stephen Irish, 

William McLellan, " 

John Sweat, Windham. 

Jeremiah Libby, Scarborough. 

Jeremiah Sanborn, Pearsonstown. 

William Williams, Brunswick. 

Elijah Hamblen, Gorham. 

Asa Miller, Brunswick. 

Nathaniel Lombard, Gorham. 

Eliphalet Watson, " 

Gibeon Plummer, Scarborough. 

Richard Mayberry, Jr., Windham. 

Timothy Berry, Scarborough. 

Abraham Young, 

John Pitman, 

Joseph Irish, 

Jonathan Cornish, 

Thomas Whitton, 

Timothy Dyer, 



Ephraim Mann, 
Amos Brown, 
John Cotton, 
James Sherman, 



New Boston. 

North Yarmouth. 

Gorham. 

Brunswick. 

Ilai-pswell. 

Gorham. 

Dorchester. 

Windham. 

Brunswick. 

Yarmouth. 



Yarmouth. 

At the expiration of this regiment's term of service, it was dis- 
charged, and Col. Francis immediately raised the nth Massachusetts, 
a three years regiment, and enlisted many of his former command. 
The nth Massachusetts served at Fort Ticonderoga,until the retreat 
to Hobartown on the 6th of July, 1777. It took part on the follow- 
ing day in the battle of Hobartown, where Col. Francis was killed. 
Col. Benjamin Tupper succeeded Col. Francis in the command of 
the regiment. In company with other regiments the iith rendez- 
voused at Van Schaicks Island, at the mouth of the Mohawk River, 
and took part in the campaign of 1777, which terminated, Oct. 17th, 
at Saratoga, with the capture of Burgoyne and his entire army. In 
November the regiment joined Washington's army, near Philadelphia, 
and passed the winter in camp at -Valley Forge. The regiment 
serving in the Third Mass. Brigade, Gen. Patterson commanding, 
participated, June 28, 1778, in the battle of Monmouth, in which 
fight it is said to have suffered heavy losses. The men went into 
camp at White Plains, July 25, 1778, and during that fall and winter, 
and through the following summer, the regiment served along the 
North River, and in the western part of Connecticut. 

Lieut. Silas Chadbourn, in a diary kept by him at this time, speaks 
of " Post " Wescott's visits to the Army, and of sending letters home 



THE REVOLUTION. 



129 



by him. Under date of Nov. 4, 1778, he says, "John Blarr and 
David Farnsworth were executed this day near this town, for coming 
out of New York as spies and bringing counterfeit money." Nov. 
19, he says, "This day Corp. Barton and Silvanus Brimhall and 
Robert Millions got their furloughs for 90 days. I sent 120 dollars 
home by Robert Millions." Jan. 3, 1779, "I went to Tarrytown 
with Col. Littlefield and Capt. Williams." This was Hart Williams, 
who had enlisted as first lieutenant in Capt. Abraham Tyler's com- 
pany. Col. Thomas Poor's regiment. Jan. 21st, " I went to see Capt. 
Williams this day." April 2 2d, " Sergt. Libby and Brimhall got 
here to day." June 8th, " Pleasant. His Excellency, Gen. Wash- 
ington, came on the Point [West Point] with a number of General 
officers." loth, " I was appointed Quarter Master." 
A roll of this company is as follows : 

Richard Maybeny, 
Silas Chadbourn, 
Jonatlian Libby, 
Joab Libby, 
Josiali Cliute, 
Amos Allen, 
Nathaniel Lombard, 
Chandler Rackley, 
Ebenezer Barton, 
Josiah Wallace, 
Christopher Dunn, 

Privates. 
Joab Black, 
Charles Branscum. 
Benjamin Cressey. 
William Davis, 
David Gustin, 
Nicholas LIughes, 
Henry Jackson. 
Robert Jackson. 
Butler Lombard, 
Francis Libby, 
Robert Millions, 
John Swett, 
Ephraim Sawyer. 
Joseph Stone, 
Elisha Small, 
William Thompson. 
Joseph Webber. 
Jonathan Bean. 
Peter Crocket, 
Jeremiah Hodgdon, 
Samuel Jordan. 
John Orion. 
Peter Sanborn. 
Samuel Small. 
Benjamin Trott, 
Daniel Whitmore, 
George Leach. 



Capt., 


Windham. 




1st Lieut., 


Gorham. 




P^nsign., 


Scarborough. 




Sergt., 


Gorham. 
Windham. 




Corp., 


Gorham. 
Windham. 




Drummer. 






Fifer, 


Gorham. 




Gorham. 


vSylvanus Bramhall, 


Gorham. 




George Berry, 


Buxton. 


Buxton. 


Ephraim Dyer. 
John Green, 


Gorham. 


Gorham. 


William Hunt, 


" 


Windham. 


Hezekiah Jordan. 






Jedediah Lombard, 


Gorham. 




James Jordan, 


Windham, 


Gorham. 


Caleb Lombard, 


Gorham. 


Scarborough. 


William Mayberry, 


Windham, 


Windham. 


George Robinson, 
Walter Simonton. 


Gorham. 




Peter Smith, 


Windham. 


Gorham. 


Daniel Small. 




Pearsonstown. 


Joseph Thompson, 


Windham, 




Jesse Whitney, 
Jonathan W^ebster. 
Thomas Chute, 


Gorham. 
Windham, 


Gorham. 


Thomas Gustin, 
Richard Flollis. 


Gorham. 




David Mayberry, 
Joseph Phinney, 


Windham. 
Gorham. 




Jonathan Swett. 
Ebenezer .Sawyer. 




Windham. 


David Truill. 




Gorham. 


Robert McFarling, 


Gorham. 



130 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

"West Point, Jan. i, 1779. Mustered then Capt. Richard May- 
berry's company, as specified in the above roll." 

A pay roll, probably of a much earlier date, of this company " till 

they reach Bennington," gives these additional names : 

Morris Clark, Gorham. Elijah Hamblen, Gorham. 

Timothy Dyer, " Joshua McDonald. 

Josiah Black, " Reuben I>ibby. 

Jacob Tibby. John JIaskell, Gorham. 

We also find " Rations due to Lieut. Josiah Davis, Capt. May- 
berry's company," and among the other names, that of Lieut. Davis, 
Gorham. 

Joshua Fabyan, Esq., of Scarborough, was Representative from that 
town to the General Court of Massachusetts in 1776, and was 
appointed a committee to raise a company of men for Capt. Paul 
Ellis, for two months service at the siege of Boston. Capt. Ellis, on 
the 13th of February, 1776, marched from Falmouth with this com- 
pany. The company was a part of Col. Jacob French's regiment, 
and on February 27th was stationed at Winter Hill to participate in 
the siege. The officers of this company were 

Paul Ellis, Capt., Falmouth. 

John A. Milliken, ist Lieut., Scarborough. 

Ebenezer Murch, 2d " Gorham. 

Joshua Stevens, Ensign, Falmouth. 

On April i, 1776, the following Gorham men reenlisted under 
Capt. Ellis, to serve one year: 

Ebenezer Murch. Joshua Crockett. William Paine. 

Joseph McDonald. Richard Thurrell. Joseph Morse. 

Josiah Whitney. Moses Whitney. Ephraim Jones. 

Samuel Brown. Simeon Brown. John Emery. 

Daniel Emery. Daniel VVhitmore. John Haskell. 

Amos Rich. Joseph Rounds. Henry Jones. 

Benjamin Allen Jordan. John Elder. John Murch, Jr. 

Jan. I, 1777, this company became a part of Col. Timothy 
Bigelow's 15th Massachusetts. This was a three years regiment. 
It took part in the Saratoga campaign of 1777, and was present at 
Burgoyne's surrender. The winter of 1777-78 was passed in camp 
at Valley Forge. In June, 1778, the regiment participated in the 
battle of Monmouth, where Capt. Ellis was killed. 

On a pay roll of Capt. John Wentworth's company. Col. Aaron 
Willard's regiment, dated Boston, Jan. 6, 1777, appear the names of 
John Cornish of Gorham, Josiah Black of Gorham, and Jedediah 
Lombard of Gorham, the latter of whom is marked of Falmouth. 



THE REVOLUTION. 131 

This regiment was one of those that accompanied Phinney's to Fort 
Ticonderoga, in 1776. 

Capt. Jabez Lane of Buxton, in 1777 and 1 778, commanded a com- 
pany in Col. Thomas Nixon's regiment, which contained the following 
Gorham men : 

John Darling. Joseph Weymouth. John Stevens. 

Amos Brown. Thomas Wheeler. 

This regiment, the 6th Massachusetts, served at Boston, Cambridge, 
in Connecticut, on Long Island, and with the Northern Department 
at Ticonderoga and West Point, in Gen. Alexander McDougall's 
corps. 

In .Capt. Nicholas Blaisdel's company, Col. Wigglesworth's 13th 
Massachusetts, were the following Gorham men : 

Jeremiah Hodgdon. Nathaniel Hatch. James Morton. 

William Munson. 

Capt. Isaac Martin's company, which was in the Rhode Island 
service, and was discharged June 8, 1779 (.?), contained the following 
Gorham men : 

Asa Thurrell. Thomas Lombard. Joseph Jones. 

Eliphalet Watson. 

During the Revolution, Gorham had two companies of men, 
belonging to the 3d Cumberland County regiment of Militia, which 
was under the command of Col. Reuben Fogg of Scarborough. 
' These companies, the 3d and 5th, were commanded respectively 
by Capt. Samuel Whitmore and Capt. Alexander McLellan. 

Capt. Samuel Whitmore's company, together with Capt. Benjamin 
Larrabee's Scarborough company, on Christmas day, 1777, started to 
march to Peekskill, N. Y. They were allowed a penny for each mile 
traveled; receiving for three hundred and ninety two miles the sum 

of i^i -I 2^-8^1. 

Following is the roll of Capt. Whitmore's company : 



Samuel Whitmore, 


Capt., 


Gorham. 


Dominicus Mitchell, 


Lieut., 


Pearsonstown. 


Joshua Crockett, 


Ensign, 


Gorham. 


Samuel Crockett, 


Sergt., 


" 


Peter Sanborn, 




Pearsonstown. 


James Irish, 


" 


Gorham. 


John White, 


" 


" 


John Emery, 


Corp., 


" 


Daniel Harmon, 


" 


Pearsonstown. 


Phineas Whitney, 


" 


Gorham. 


Thomas Bangs, 


" 


** 



I See page 70, Chapter IV. 



182 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



1 



Simeon Brown, 
Daniel Bean, 
Samuel Batcheldor, 
Joab Black, 
Andrew Cobb, 
John Gates, 
Daniel Cram, 
Joshua Decker, 
Gershom Davis, 
Daniel Gammon, 
David Gammon, 
Nathan Ilanscom, 
John Harding, 
William Harding, 
Ephraim Hunt, 
Joseph Jenkins, 
Solomon Lombard, Jr., 
Thomas Morton, 



Privates. 
Gorham. David Morton, 

" John Pierce, 

Pearsonstown. James Ross, 
Gorham. Elisha Strout, 

" John Trundy, 

" Isaac Small, 

" Amos Thombs, 

" Charles Thombs, 

" Ebenezer Scott Thombs, 

" Thomas Thompson, 

" Daniel Whitmore, 

" Malachi Waterman, 

" Colman Watson, 

" Paul Whitney, 

" Jeremiah Williams. 

Moses Whitney, 
William Wiswell, 



Gorham. 



Pearsonstown. 
Gorham. 



Pearsonstown. 
Gorham. 



David Whitney, 

Men were drawn from these militia companies as wanted for the 
Continental army. Following is a list of Gorham men who enlisted 
into the Continental establishment for three years out of parts of 
the 3d Cumberland County regiment : 

(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 27, p. 34.) 



Austin Alden. 
John Burnell, Jr. 
Amos Brown. 
Nathan Bangs. 
Josiah Black. 
Sylvanus Bramhall 
Silas Chadbourn. 
Joshua Davis. 
Josiah Davis. 
Elijah Davis. 
Christopher Dunn. 
Timothy Dyer. 
Bickford Dyer. 
Daniel Eldridge. 
John Foy. 
John Greeley. 
James Gilkey. 
John Green. 
David Gustin. 
Philip Gammon. 
Moses Gammon. 
Benjamin Green. 

Among other 



Ichabod Hunt. 
Elijah Hamblen. 
William Hunt. 
John Haskel, Jr. 
David Hatch. 
Ezekiel Hatch. 
Josiah Jenkins. 
Samuel Jenkins. 
Jeremiah Jones. 
John Knight. 
Joab Libby. 
Reuben Libby. 
Caleb Lombard. 



Peletiah McDonald. 
Abner McDonald. 
Matthias Murch. 
John Murch. 
Moses Poland. 
Ebenezer Phinney. 
Josiah Peabody. 
Thomas Pote. 
Nathaniel Parker. 
Benjamin Rolfe. 
Joseph Stone. 
William Smith. 
Tufts Thomas. 



Jedediah Lombard, Jr. David Watts. 



Butler Lombard. 
Nathaniel Lombard. 
Ebenezer Morton. 
Ebenezer Morton, Jr. 
Robert McFarling. 
Joseph McLellan. 
Thomas Millett. 
John Melvin. 

Gorham men who served 



Abel Whitney. 
Jesse Whitney. 
William W'eeks. 
Joseph Weston. 
William Whitmore. 
Joseph Weymouth. 
Naphthali Whitney. 
Paul Whitney. 

in the Revolution, were 



Timothy Bacon, who was in Lt.-Col. Sprout's regiment, Patterson's 
brigade ; was with Gen. Green in the Carolinas, and at the surrender 
of Cornwallis; and served through the war. John Phinney enlisted 



THE REVOLUTION. 13o 

in the American army as a private Mar. 5th, 1781, at Gorham, under 
Capt. Whitmore for three years, and marched to White Plains, N. Y., 
where he joined Col. Sprout's regiment in the fall of the year. He 
was afterwards transferred to Capt. Learned's company. Col. Shep- 
ard's regiment. He was again transferred to Capt. Pope's company, 
and was discharged in December, 17S3. Samuel Davis served in 
the army with Phinney and Bacon. Jonathan Freeman was at the 
battle of Bunker Hill, and was a soldier in the Revolution. 

It was not only the white men, but the negro slaves who partook 
of the spirit of liberty. Mr. William McLellan was a lieutenant in 
the army at Cambridge. He left at home his slave, Prince, who 
took his liberty into his own hands. While his master was absent at 
Cambridge, Prince went to Portland, and enlisted on board a Conti- 
nental vessel commanded by Capt. Manley, and served over a yean 
He performed his duty like a hero, and when the time of his enlist- 
ment was out returned to his old quarters, and remained with his 
master till the slaves were liberated by law. Even then he did not 
leave, but remained in the family till the death of Mr. McLellan, 
when he had a piece of land and a house secured to him by the will 
of his old master, where he lived with his wife Chloe until his death, 
when he was supposed to have completed over a hundred years. 
The last years of his life were made more comfortable and happy by 
a pension from Government for his services in the Revolution. 
Prince claimed every member of the McLellan family as brother or 
relation. He was an honest old negro, and the bounty of Govern- 
ment was never bestowed on a more worthy man. Plato, who was 
the slave of Lieut. Cary McLellan, enlisted in 1777 in Capt. Paul 
Ellis's company. Col. Bigelow's regiment. 

The army was not the only place where the citizens of this town 
served for the defence of the country. Scarce one of the few 
national vessels fitted out at that time but had a citizen of Gorham 
on board. During the war a privateer sloop was fitted out at Boston 
to cruise against the enemy, and on account of the scarcity of men 
she came into Portland to complete her complement. Meeting with 
poor success the Lieutenant came to Gorham. His business soon 
became known, and there was quite an assembly of men : after a 
consultation, some ten of them proposed going if Lieut. Cary 
McLellan would go with them. Accordingly, McLellan was offered 
the birth of lieutenant of marines, which he accepted, and on the 
next morning the sloop left Portland harbor. The cruise was not 
successful ; they took one or two small prizes, but soon fell in with 



134 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Capt. Mowatt, in a large vessel of very superior force. They were 
captured, and carried into New York, and confined on the, ever-to-be- 
remeinbered by Americans, prison ship Jersey. Here they, in com- 
mon with the other American prisoners, were insulted, and assailed 
by hunger, disease and sickness. But at a time when the prospect 
was dark and gloomy they found a friend, which was to them as 
unexpected as it was welcome. Col. Tyng, then in New York, hear- 
ing accidentally of the capture of the sloop, and that she was from 
Portland, went on board to ascertain if there was any one there with 
whom he was acquainted, when what was his surprise to meet some of 
his old neighbors from Gorham. Col. Tyng had left that part of the 
country on account of his loyal principles, but returned to Gorham 
after the close of the war. Madam Tyng continued on his estate in 
Gorham during the war, and as the property was in her name it was 
not confiscated. Col. Tyng lived and died in Gorham much respected 
and beloved by a large circle of acquaintances, and it is with pleasure 
that I can here make known his kindness and attention to the pris- 
oners in that loathsome prison ship. He not only furnished them 
money, but sent them many things which contributed greatly to their 
health and comfort. His kindness was never forgotten by these men ; 
and not only the citizens of Gorham, but others often received com- 
forts from his liberal hand. 

When this capture was made it was in the winter. The weather 
was cold, and the prisoners were deficient in comfortable clothing, 
and fires had to be kept to keep the men from freezing. The British 
captors made the wooding of the prison ship the work of the prison- 
ers. They were compelled to go in boats a long distance on the 
Jersey shore, and under a guard of soldiers with loaded muskets and 
fixed bayonets, cut the wood, not only for their own use, but also for 
the use of the officers and crew of the ship. The treatment of slaves 
at this labor would have been good compared with what they received, 
and it is not to be supposed that the prisoners worked with a will ; 
the wooding was a hard business, and they made it a slow one. A 
boat would be gone two days, with a strong gang of men, and when 
she returned the result would probably be as much wood as one of 
the same men would have procured in two hours, if allowed to work 
on his own accovint. 

One afternoon, on the return of the boat with its load of wood, 
McLellan was looking over the side of the ship, and carelessly made 
the remark in the hearing of a stripling of an officer, that he did not 
think much of men that could not procure more wood in that time ; 



THE REVOLUTION. 185 

they must be lazy. The officer immediately turned to him and said, 
" Well, you rebel, do you think you could do any better .? " The 
reply was " I think I could if I could have a good crew, and sharp 
axes." The officer at once told him sarcastically that he should have 
a chance to try his hand on the morrow, and that he might take the 
axes and grind as much as he pleased. This was precisely what 
McLellan desired. The axes were ground with a will ; and when the 
morning came, and the prisoners were mustered, and he was ordered 
to select his men, he chose Jedediah Lombard, Jonathan Simpson 
and William McLellan, Jr., son of Dea. James McLellan, all of Gor- 
ham, and wished to take two other men, but the officer told him he 
had enough. With two privates and an orderly for their guard, the 
boat started on its voyage, which voyage Lieut. McLellan had deter- 
mined should be a voyage for liberty or death for some of them. 
They landed at the usual wooding place, at some miles from New 
York, in a region of country occupied by many tory families. 
Before the landing no one of the crew had been made aware of Lieut. 
McLellan's plan. During the day, however, the wooding went on well, 
and he had an opportunity of making known his plan to his companions. 
It was usual for the wooding party to remain on the ground over 
night, and occupy an old log house near by ; one of the guard stand- 
ing sentry, while the others slept ; and they took sufficient provisions 
with them to last the two days. Toward night on the first day, Lieut. 
McLellan told the orderly that he felt tired and should like a glass 
of something good to drink. The orderly replied that there was a 
store about a mile out, and if money could be raised, they could have 
some. McLellan said he had money enough, and if he would send 
a guard with him, he would go and purchase some ; he wanted what 
he was accustomed to drink, and would prefer to go and purchase 
his own liquor. This appeared quite reasonable, and the orderly 
said he liked good liquor too, and made no objection to the reason- 
able proposition. Accordingly one of the guard was ordered to 
accompany Lieut. McLellan to the store, which was kept by a tory. 
Here he bought a new pail, and a gallon of the best West India rum 
the store olYered. As the pail was so full of rum, he thought it was 
not prudent to add any water, but put molasses in to make it sweet 
and palatable. The guard tasted and as well as himself pronounced 
it good. For this treat McLellan paid ten silver dollars, but counted 
the money of no value as it was to him the price of liberty. The 
now cosy friends went on their way toward the camp, and he at once 
saw that the soldier would stick to him like a brother while the rum 



136 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

lasted, for he even insisted on changing burdens, McLellan to take the 
gun, and he to carry the rum ; this was agreed to the more readily 
to lull all suspicion. When they arrived at the camp, their compan- 
ions had left off work, as it was about dark. A fire was soon blazing 
on the hearth of the old house. As the windows were only small 
holes through the logs, a guard at the door was thought to make all 
perfectly safe for the prisoners. Supper was prepared, and the rum 
went round. McLellan had cautioned his men to drink sparingly, 
if at all, but appearances at least must be kept up. Young William 
he knew he could depend upon ; Simpson was a man addicted to 
drinking, but he promised to be on his guard : Lombard loved his 
glass, but was not called an intemperate man, and being the oldest of 
the party, he, by arrangement, was to give in first and go to sleep, 
or at least appear to. 

The orderly was cautious about his prisoners and their safe 
keeping, and himself dealt out the liquor to the guard at the door ; 
as for the one off duty and himself, he appeared to think it of less 
consequence if a few glasses more or less were drank by them. The 
evening passed merrily enough with drinking and talking. A looker- 
on would hardly have believed that in that company there were 
prisoners and their guard. Before the evening had far advanced, 
Simpson, Lombard and young William, were to all appearances under 
the influence of the liquor, and fast asleep. One of the guard was 
asleep, and there could be no mistake in him ; he was drunk. Lieut. 
McLellan, the orderly and the man on duty were all of the party 
that had not reiired. The two officers were social and happy, drank 
often and talked much. At last McLellan thought it time for him- 
self to be under the influence of his drink, and to retire ; soon his 
head fell on one side, he dropped on the floor and laid himself out 
as respectably as he could, but he and young McLellan only closed 
one eye. The orderly sat some minutes talking, in a thick and 

hardly intelligible voice, about the d d drunken rebels asleep on 

the floor, and if they escaped, of some one gracing a rope at the yard 
arm, which must have made a deep impression on the guard, who 
w'as not much behind his officer in his approach to glory. With 
something of an effort the orderly got on his feet, replenished the 
fire, took some liquor and gave it to the guard, took another tot him- 
self, put the pail in>the farthest part of the room, at the same time 
telling the guard on no account to touch the liquor, and with an oath 
tumbled himself on to the floor, much to the satisfaction of his anx- 
ious prisoners. 



THE REVOLUTION. 187 

Lieut. McLellan supposed that the four prisoners might have 
overpowered the guard, even had they been awake, but he deemed 
it more prudent to attempt the escape when they were asleep, for as 
they were all three of them armed, bloodshed must have inevitably 
been the result, even in their drunken state, as the prisoners had no 
weapons whatever, their axes being put away when they went into 
the house. This was an anxious moment for the two McLellans ; 
the other two prisoners had not only feigned, but had really fallen, 
asleep. The orderly had been on the floor but a few minutes before 
his sonorous snoring made it evident that he slept in earnest. Scarce 
had his nocturnal music commenced before the guard on duty made 
his way to the pail, took a good drink, and with a dipper-full in his 
hand returned to his post. All this was carefully noticed by the 
watchers, to whom the time seemed longer, probably, than it really 
was. The guard, after some time, made his way into the room, took 
a good, and to himself, satisfactory look at the prisoners, and mut- 
tering to himself that the d d rebels were drunk as hogs and fast 

asleep, made his way back again to his post, and sat himself down in 
the door-way with his gun across his knee and his back against the 
side of the door; thus comfortably fixed, he put the dipper-full of 
rum to his mouth, and at one draught made a finish of it. Its effect 
was not slow ; soon it was evident that he too was asleep ; thus the 
three guards were apparently at the mercy of the prisoners. Still 
Lieut. McLellan deemed it prudent to act cautiously. They were 
all three, smart, athletic men, and were they sober, he deemed them 
every way a match in a fair scufile for his force, and intoxicated, they 
might wake and use their arms. His plan was to make the guard 
prisoners, and if possible deliver them up to the American army. 
They were within the enemy's lines, and in the neighborhood of 
tories, and should a gun be fired or noise made in the night, he could 
not foresee the consequences. 

The fire was still burning, and gave sufficient light for the intended 
operations. All kept still till well into the night, when Lieutenant Mc- 
Lellan got up and gave William a gentle touch which immediately 
brought him to his feet. The two at once procured the axes, and 
Lieut. McLellan going to the guard at the door, gently took his gun 
from his lap where it lay, and giving it to William, told him to shoot 
the guard at the door at the least movement he made in resistance. 
He then went to Lombard, and took hold of him ; he sprang to his 
feet with a bellow equal to any bull, evidently dreaming that the 
English had taken him again, and were about to murder him. His 



188 HISTORY OF COKHAM. 

fright was intense. The McLellans were fearful that trouble would 
come of this noise, but Lombard immediately came to himself so far 
as to know his friends and keep still, but was evidentl}- under the 
influence of some dreadful fear; he trembled like an aspen. Con- 
trary to the expectation of McLellan, none of the guard was awakened 
by Lombard ; the rum had done its work to a charm. 

The orderly and the soldier in the room had fallen directly across 
their guns in such a manner that they could not remove them, and 
as the orderly was much the most athletic and powerful man, Lieut. 
McLellan thought it best to secure him first. Accordingly an axe 
was put into Lombard's hands, with orders to split open the head of 
the drunken soldier if he moved to resist. Lieut. McLellan had 
provided himself, while on board the ship, with a ball of good spun- 
yarn prepared expressly for this expedition ; from this he cut a piece 
of sufficient length, and laid it across the back of the orderly, then 
gently raised his arms and laid his wrists across the line. The cord 
was then taken up, a knot made and drawn home with a will which 
immediately waked the now prisoner. His first words were " For 
God's sake do not kill me." The reply was "One word from you 
and you die ; be quiet, and your life shall be spared." He was 
properly secured, without waking his companions. The man at the 
door was next secured by placing his hands in the same position. 
He was much alarmed when he was aware of his situation. At first 
he was under the impression that his orderly was confining him for 
neglect of duty, but when he found himself in the hands of the rebels, 
he was sure his throat would be cut and his scalp taken immediately ; 
but he was soon assured of his safety on condition of his giving no 
trouble to his captors. The third prisoner was so much under the 
influence of liquor that he was hardly aware of his situation at all. 
The task of securing the three was but the work of a few minutes. 
When all was right, Simpson was waked up, and the arms having 
changed hands, the new prisoners were marched to the boat, which 
had been partly loaded the previous afternoon. But what was their 
disappointment to find it aground, the tide having left it high and 
dry. The intention was to have passed the shipping in the harbor 
under cover of the darkness of the night. They threw out the wood, 
and tried their united strength, but found it impossible to move the 
boat : there was no help for it, but the tide, fortunately, was on the 
flood, and they might possibly get off before daylight. If not, their 
chances of escape would be much diminished ; they might run 
the gauntlet through the tory country and the British lines, with the 



THE REVOLUTION. lo9 

almost sure chance of being taken ; remain where they were, and be 
taken ; or go into the harbor with more than the same chance, for the 
boat would be recognized and known at once. 

With this fine prospect before them, they returned to the house, 
and like prudent men took food, and fed the prisoners, as they were 
not sure where they would take their next meal. When the tide had 
risen sufficiently to float the boat, the prisoners were made to lie flat 
in the bottom, and some green bushes were piled over them. As the 
boat was a man-of-war's boat, and on that account would be recog- 
nized immediately if seen in the light, it was necessary to disguise it 
in some way. Soft mud was taken, and the boat completely smeared 
over with it. The bushes were allowed to hang over the side, and 
everything was done to make it appear like a country boat. When 
all was ready, the boat unmoored and the sail hoisted, it was nearly 
daylight, and as it was fast growing light their situation was critical 
in the extreme. Simpson had thus far done nothing, but as he was a 
sea-faring man and sailor, he was now ordered to perform his part, 
which consisted in handling the sail. 

In order to reach the American lines it was necessary to pass 
directly by one of the enemy's ships. They knew that no boat would 
be allowed to pass without being hailed, but to attempt to pass 
farther off would ensure their having a boat sent for them, and make 
capture certain. Consequently it was thought best to put a bold 
face on the thing and steer directly for New York, which path lay 
directly past the ship which lay at anchor about three miles from the 
city. The wind was fresh and the course was laid to leeward of 
the vessel. They expected to be ordered alongside, and Simpson was 
ordered to take care of the sail, and to loose the sheet and let it fly, 
thus making the boat unmanageable ; consequently, as the wind blew 
from the ship, it would render it more impossible to obey the order from 
the ship. As anticipated they were hailed, to which the answer 
was made, " A country boat going to market with vegetables." As 
it was somewhat duskish the green boughs favored and proved the 
answer. When the orderly found his proximity to the ship he made 
an attempt to call for help, but Lieutenant McLellan put the heel of 
a stout boot into his mouth, which, with the loss of a tooth by the 
operation, caused him to groan and at once remain quiet. They 
were then ordered to come alongside as vegetables were wanted on 
board. This was the chance for the display of their seamanship; 
the sail blew out of Simpson's hands; all sprang about to try and 
catch the sheet, while the boat drifted off, and Lieutenant McLellan 



140 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

called at the top of his voice that he could not get to the ship but 
wished they would send after the vegetables. At this the Lieutenant 
of the ship, with an oath, told them to go to the devil with their cab- 
bages, and look out they did not get drowned. This was the order 
desired. At a proper time the boat was again under way, and made 
off in another direction, which if seen from the ship was doubtless 
attributed to ihtxr good seamanship. 

It was now light. They had passed the point from which the most 
danger was to be apprehended. Confidence and boldness would 
probably now carry them through. Without hesitation they kept 
directly up the North River till they arrived within the American lines, 
and were hailed from the shore by one of the Continental guards, 
when they landed with their prisoners, and were marched to White 
Plains, the headquarters of General Washington, where they gave up 
their prisoners to the army, and sold their boat. 

Simpson and Lombard remained with the army, and the two 
McLellans came home on foot through the country. They were 
obliged, most of the way, to beg their victuals and to sleep in barns, 
as they had no money. They were absent from home about four 
months. 

Philip Horr, of Gorham, who married Elder Joseph Cates's daughter 
Sarah, enlisted in Capt. Traffam's company, in a Rhode Island regi- 
ment commanded by Col. Topham. While he was engaged in rowing 
a boat, containing Col. Topham and two of his officers, across the bay 
from Rowland's ferry to Bristol, the boat was captured by the enemy. 
Horr wa? confined on one of the prison ships, where he suffered 
untold miseries before being released. From the effects of the hard- 
ships endured while a prisoner, he never recovered. When the 
pension acts were passed, Mr. Horr was one of the recipients of 
this bounty from the Government. 

On the 20th of May, 1776, the town of Gorham made choice of 
Caleb Chase, Esq. as a Representative to the Great and General 
Court to be held at Watertown on the 29th of May ; and at the same 
time, the inhabitants being generally met, agreed then and there, that 
they would abide by, and with their lives and fortunes support the 
Honorable Congress in the measure, if they think fit for the safety 
of these United Colonies, to declare them independent of the King- 
dom of Great Britain. • 

No town in the Colonies entered more fully into the spirit of the 
thing, nor was more unanimous in approving, heart and soul, of 
the Declaration of Independence when made, than was Gorham. In 



THE REVOLUTION. 141 

accordance with the order of the Council it was inscribed upon the 
town books, ''there to remain as a perpetual Memorial thereof." 

Nor was it an idle boast that Gorham made when it declared that 
it would support Congress with its lives and fortunes. It voted to 
give to Capt. Samuel Whitmore and Lieut. Cary McLellan, each, six 
shillings a day for eight days, while after powder. Benjamin Skil- 
lings, Prince Davis and James Gilkey were chosen a committee to 
provide the families of the non-commissioned officers and private 
soldiers, who had entered the service in the Continental army, with 
the necessaries of life ; agreeable to a resolve of the General Court, 
passed Sept. 29, 1777. On the January following, the town voted 
one hundred pounds, lawful money, for the support of these families ; 
in November, 1778, four hundred, and in March, 1779, one thousand 
pounds for the same purpose. The town was not slack, either, in 
voting bounties to encourage enlistment. 

Gorham also furnished its full share of beef and clothing for the 
army. In taxing themselves, the inhabitants who had such to dis- 
pose of, were allowed so much : for instance in procuring clothing, 
they were allowed 20 shillings for a shirt, 12/ for a pair of shoes, 
7/ for a pair of stockings, and 42/ for a blanket ; the quality to come 
up to the requirement of the General Court. 

The town was determined that, if it could help it, there should be 
no traitors within its limits, and in May, 1777, it made choice of Capt. 
Bryant Morton to procure and lay before the Court, described in an 
Act passed in the General Court in 1777, the evidence that may be 
had of any person's inimical disposition towards this, or any of the 
United States in America. They then voted, " That Capt. John 
Stephenson be entered on the Selectmen's list as a person inimical 
to this, and to the United States in America." Voted, " That Mr. 
Mcintosh, now living in the house formerly Samuel Jones', is ditto. 
Likewise, Adam Shallon, ditto." In June, however, a special town 
meeting was called to reconsider the vote in regard to Capt. John 
Stephenson. 

This town, like others, had what was called a Committee of Cor- 
respondence, Inspection and Safety. These, of which the first was 
chosen in 1772, were as follows : 

1772. Solomon Lombard, Esq., John Phinney, William Gorham, 
Esq., Bryant Morton, Nathan Whitney, Benjamin Skillings, Edmund 
Phinney, Josiah Davis and Caleb Chase. 

1776. Solomon Lombard, Esq., Caleb Chase, Nathan Whitney, 
George Hanscom and James Gilkey. William Gorham, Esq. was 



142 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

afterward added in place of Mr. Lombard, and Peletiah March as an 
extra member of the committee. 

1777. Col. Edmund Phinney, Samuel Jenkins, Samuel Davis, 
Nathaniel Whitney and Caleb Chase. 

1778. Col. Edmund Phinney, Samuel Jenkins and William Mc- 
Lellan. 

1779. Col. Edmund Phinney, Austin Alden and George Hanscom. 

1780. Austin Alden, Capt. Hart Williams and Dr. Stephen Swett. 

1781. James (Jilkey, Lieut. William McLellan and Lieut. Cary 
McLellan. 

1782. Capt. Samuel Whitmore, Lieut. David Watts and Lieut. 
Silas Chadbourn. 

1783. James Gilkey, Lieut. Enoch Frost and Lieut. Cary McLellan. 
It seems as if on account of the unsettled state of affairs, but few 

crops and but little grain were raised in 1774 in this neighborhood. 
On the 23d of April, 1775, Capt. William Harper arrived in Falmouth 
harbor, with a cargo of four thousand bushels of corn, and the fol- 
lowing day the town, at an informal meeting, chose a committee, 
consisting of Hugh McLellan, Prince Davis, Joseph Gammon, Josiah 
Davis and Dr. Stephen Swett, to go to Falmouth and obtain corn 
and flour for the use of the town. The town afterwards voted to 
pay the cost of the same, together with the expense of transportation 
to Gorham, and ordered that the Selectmen with Cary McLellan and 
Caleb Chase should be a committee to dispose of the said corn, 
and receive the pay for the same for the security of the town. 

The paper currency issued by Congress kept constantly depreci- 
ating in value ; but as there was no other money in circulation, people 
were obliged, though with great reluctance, to receive it in payment 
for their commodities. When David Harding came to Gorham in 
1780, he is said to have paid four hundred dollars for a cow, seventy 
dollars for seven yards of calico for a dress for his daughter, thirty 
dollars for leather with which to tap his boots, and five dollars a 
pound for coffee ; but was unable to purchase any land for continental 
money. This, while it was hard upon all, was particularly so in 
respect to the families of the soldiers who were with the army. 
Added to this was the usual desire, always inseparable from some 
mean natures, to make capital out of the necessities of those more 
unfortunate than themselves. 

In order to try and alleviate this to some extent, in 1779 a Con- 
vention was held at Concord, in July of that year, and Col. Edmund 
Phinney was sent as a delegate to this meeting. 



THE REVOLUTION. 143 

The following letter was sent to the committee of Boston in answer 
to a printed communication in regard to the matter : 

I "Gorham July 5th 1779 

Gentlemen We received your printed address of the 21'^' 
of June last, with all that sincere gratitude and joy that can result 
from hearts that have a feeling sense of the misery and ruin of our 
country by the sudden rise of everything bought and sold among us, 
which melancholy prospect has given us more pain and distress of 
mind than all the threats and power of Britain by their formidable 
fleets and armies in their martial operations, with their mean and low 
diabolical plans of tomahawk ancl scalping knives with their other 
infernal devices to destroy an innocent people (unprovoked). 

" Gentlemen our eyes and our hearts have been ever towards you 
as the first that made the noble stand against British tyranny, ancl 
that you stand forth again in this Critical Conjuncture to save a 
sinking Country from immediate ruin, gives us a new impression of 
joy and pleasure. Gorham never will be wanting in any thing that it 
can do in so great and glorious a cause: it never has departed from 
its first principles and resolves and \\t trust never will, but stands 
ready to put forth its most Zealous Exertions in the defence of the 
common rights of humanity, and do freely acquiesce in the County 
Committee's choice of Col. Phinney to joyn the Committees at Con- 
cord as proposed in your letter to us and we heartily concur with all 
the resolves passed by the members and inhabitants of the town of 
Boston as far as our situation & circumstances will admit of for the 
public good, and may the God of Wisdom and Truth give those 
Committees met in Convention all that knowledge and wisdom they 
may need to discern the Times and enable them to know what this 
Israel ought to do." 

The Concord convention was for the purpose of considering and 
concluchng upon such measures as might effectually lower the extrav- 
agant prices of every article of life, and also to raise the value of the 
paper currency, "which," as the selectmen of Gorham expressed it, 
" is now the grand object in view by all the true Sons of Liberty 
throughout this continent, and without which being done, we are a 
ruined people." 

In August the town voted unanimously that the doings of the Con- 
cord convention were acceptable and satisfactoiy ; and a committee, 
consisting of Solomon Lombard, Esq., Col. Edmund Phinney, Samuel 
Jenkins and Austin Alden, was chosen to regulate the prices of the 
several articles of consumption, labor, etc. — agreeable to the recom- 
mendation of the convention at Concord. Another convention was 
held at Concord, for the same purpose, on Oct. 6, 1779. This con- 
vention fixed prices as follows : 

I From the original rough draft in my possession. 



144 



HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 



4^ per bushel, $14. 
$30. 
$19. 
hundred. 



14 



Prices at the sea ports free of charge. 
Indian corn £4^ 

Wheat £9, 

Rye meal £s, 

Wheat flour ^30, 

Rye flour ^^16, 10^ " 

Oats 45' " bushel. 

Barley and Barley malt ^4, 4' " " 

Rye malt £5, 14' " 

Peas £9, " " 

White beans £G, 1 2^ " 

Potatoes and other vegetables, " " 24/. 

Beef, veal, mutton and lamb, 5/ per lb. 
Pork, weight seven score and upwards, 7/ 

Pork, well salted and seven score, 6/ 

Geese and fowls, 6/ 

Turkeys and tame ducks, 8/ 

Butter, 12/ 

Tr}'ed tallow, 1 0/ 

Hog's lard, 10/ 

Tallow candles, 16/ " " at retail. 

Salt beef, 240 lbs to the barrel, i;^6o per bbl. 

Salt pork, 1 1 score " " " £77 " " 
Cider, per barrel (without the barrel), £6. 

New Milk cheese, 8/. 



45/ 
36/ 
22/6 



per hundred. 



in Boston, and other sea ports 



Good English hay, 

Rowen, 

Salt hay, 

in proportion. 
Good Eastern hemlock bark, i;iS per cord in Boston, and other sea 

ports in proportion. 
Train oil, ^90 per bbl. 

Blubber, ^30 " " 

Refined iron, £2^ " cwt. 

Hollow iron ware, £1^ " " 
Good merchantable white pine boards, £ 35 
Others in proportion. 



per 



M. 



Merchantable shingles 


^shippii 


^g), 


£ 1: 


10/ " " 


Cedar and pine clapboards, 




£ 3(^ 


u a 


White oak sap barrels. 








54/. 


" " pipe staves. 






£^20 


u u 


" " hhd " 






£ 60 


u U 


" bbl 






£ io 


11 a 


Red " hhd " 






£ 40 


(( ii 


u l^bl 






£ 20 


a u 


Molasses shooks. 






£ 3 


each. 


The prices of lumber 


arc at 


the 


sea ports, v 


•hen delivered 


Jamaica fish £2^^ per 


cwt. 








Scale " ;i^2o " 


u 








Mackerel ^30 " 


bbl. 









THE REVOLUTION. 145 

The following articles are to be of the same price through the 
State. 

Green hides 3/ per lb. 

Sole leather 18/ " " 

Well dressed flax 12/ " " 

Sheeps wool 24/ " " 

Other wool in proportion. 
Bloomery iron at the forges £2^ per cwt. 
Nail rods 25% advance on the iron from which they are made. 
10 d nails to weigh 13 lbs. to the thousand, ^9 per thousand. 
Wool cards ^3 per pair. 

Teaming, 15/ " mile for every neat 20 cwt. 

W. I. rum " ^^6, 6/ per Gallon. 

Molasses £^, 14/ " " 

N. E. rum ;^5, " " 

Coffee iS/ " lb. 

Brown sugar 10/6 to 13/ per lb. 

Loaf " 36/ by the loaf. 

Chocolate 24/ 

Bohea Tea £6 per lb. 

Cotton wool 48/ " " 

German steel t^t,/ " " 

Salt (good quality) £g per single bushel, or larger quantity. 
Good merchantable French and Spanish brandy £j, 12^ per gallon. 
Copperas 10/ per lb. 

Alum 6/ " " 

Logwood 3/ " " 

Red Avood 6/ an 

English, French and Spanish steel 23/ single pound. 
Rice ^36 per hundred ; smaller quantities in proportion. 

But without " hard money " to back up and sustain the paper, 
these conventions could only retard for a very short space of time 
this widespread evil, which was only effectually checked by the sub- 
stantial aid of men and specie furnished to this country by France in 
1 78 1, when brighter days began to dawn upon the struggling country. 

In 1779 the British determined to estabhsh a military post near the 
mouth of the Penobscot River, in order to command the harbors and 
inlets frequented by the American cruisers and privateers. These 
vessels while preying upon the British and doing them considerable 
damage could easily escape from a superior force by their more per- 
fect knowledge of the coast, with the harbors and hiding places which 
it afforded. A fort in this locality would prevent this, as well as 
afford protection to their own ships, and lessen the chances of a suc- 
cessful expedition against Nova Scotia. Bagaduce (Biguyduce) Neck, 
now Castine, was the point selected, and a force of about nine hun- 



14(5 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

dred men, commanded by Gen. McLane, sailed from Halifax, and 
landed there on the 12th of June, where they immediately began to 
make preparations for erecting fortifications upon the highest part of 
the Neck. 

The General Court, alarmed at this invasion, proceeded to prepare 
an expedition to send against Gen. McLane before he should have 
time to complete his defences. A fleet of nineteen war vessels was 
fitted out and placed under the command of Commodore Saltonstall 
of New Haven, Conn. These vessels, accompanied by twenty- four 
transports, having on board about four hundred marines and soldiers, 
sailed from Massachusetts, expecting to take on board twelve hun- 
dred men of the militia of Cumberland and Lincoln Counties. But 
when the fleet arrived in Penobscot Bay on the 25th of June, it 
brought less than one thousand men. The land forces were under 
the command of Gen. Solomon Lovell of Weymouth. The second 
in command was Gen. Peleg Wadsworth. 

On the 28th, four hundred marines and soldiers were landed under 
a sharp fire, and after a brisk and very brilliant engagement of twenty 
minutes, during which they lost one fourth of their number, succeeded 
in scaling the almost perpendicular cliff, which was about two hundred 
feet high, and drove back the enemy ; after which a slight breast- 
work was thrown up within seven hundred yards of the fort. Lovell 
and Wadsworth wished to demand the surrender of the garrison, but 
Saltonstall was opposed to this. He was also opposed to a proposi- 
tion to storm the fort. It is said that if the demand for a surrender 
had been made. Gen. McLane was prepared to capitulate ; but owing 
to the stubborn willfulness of Commodore Saltonstall, and the lack 
of agreement between him and Gen. Lovell, nothing decisive was 
accomplished, until on the 14th of August, a British squadron, 
under command of Sir George Collier, entered the harbor. There 
was a very brief engagement, which resulted in the rout and destruc- 
tion of the entire American fleet. 

Cumberland County furnished for this expedition a regiment of 
militia, under command of Col. Jonathan Mitchell of North Yar- 
mouth. Enoch Frost of Gorham was the Sergeant Major of the 
regiment; and Gorham provided a full company of men for Col. 
Mitchell, under command of Capt. Alexander McLellan. 

Austin Alden, at this time a member of the Committee of Corre- 
spondence and Safety of Gorham, furnished the company with a drum, 
as the following: letter will show : — 



THE REVOLUTION. 



147 



" To the Selectmen of Gorham : — - 

Gentlemen: — I am obliged to carry off Austin Alden's 
Drum, or go without one. I desire you would pay him for it, as I 
think the Selectmen are obliged to find one for me; I think the 
Drum is well worth Ten pounds, ten shillings, old way, as things 
went seven years ago. 

Y>- Hub' Serv' 

Alex'' McLellan, Capt. 
Falmouth, July 15''^ i779-" 

This note, which is in my possession, has the following endorse- 
ment on the back : 

"Gorham, May i4''\ 1781. We have considered of the within & 
find that the Town were obliged to find a Drum for Capt. McLellan 
eV therefore think M"". Alden ought to be paid the same by the Town. 
i:i-8-o. 

W"\ Gorham ) 

S. Longfellow, Jn"". ) 

The roll of this company is as follows : 
Alexander McLellan, Capt. 

I St Lieut. 
2d Lieut. 

Sergt. 



Committee.'" 



Ebenezer Murch, 
Joseph Knight, 
Thomas Irish, 
George .Strout, 
Stephen Whitney, 
John Emeiy, 
Daniel Whitney, 
Jeremiah Ilodsdon, 
Samuel Files, 
Joseph McDonald, 
Josiah Lakeman, 



Edmund Phinney, Ji 
Benjamin Haskell. 
Moses Hanscom. 
John Phinney. 
Nathaniel Bacon. 
William McLellan. 
Lazarus Rand. 
James Murch. 
Richard Lombard. 
Prince Hamblen. 
John Parker. 
Josiah Swett. 
Charles McDonald. 
Joseph Irish. 
William Meserve. 
Uriel Whitney. 
Joseph Jones. 
John Blanchard. 



Of the foregoing 
Samuel Rounds an 



Corp. 



Drummer. 



Privates. 
Samuel Murch. 
Seth Harding. 
Gershom Davis. 
James Stubbs. 
John Davis. 
Daniel Whitmore. 
Abner Jordain. 
Moses Jordain. 
John Ehvell. 
William Irish. 
Samuel Rounds. 
William Files. 
Joshua Davis. 
Joseph Brackett. 
William Wood. 
Abel Whitney. 
Stephen Powell. 
Asa Thurlo. 

Signed. 



Peter White. 
John Meserve. 
William Murch. 
Edward Wilson. 
Zachariah Weston. 
John Akers. 
Benjamin Stevens. 
Ebenezer Whitney. 
Benjamin Roberts. 
John Harmon. 
James Huntress. 
Samuel Whitney. 
Isaac Chase. 
John Watson. 
Stephen vSawyer. 
John Smith. 
John Gammon. 
Joseph Gammon. 
Gorham, Nov. 27, 1779. 



Ebenezer Murch, Lieut. 



roll, William Meserve was of Scarborough, and 
d John Smith, both of Buxton. 



148 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

The soldiers, after the destruction of the fleet, made their way 
through the woods to the Kennebec River, a distance of about thirty 
leagues, suffering great hardships and privations. Not having taken 
sufficient food with them, they had to depend on such game as they 
could kill, and it is said that some who were in poor health and 
weak, actually perished in the forest on their way home. Capt. 
McLellan died soon after reaching home, of a fever, contracted 
through anxiety and by the hardships of the journey. 

During the war. Congress occasionally made requisitions upon the 
various towns for men to serve in its armies — each town being 
obliged to furnish a certain quota. The different towns were 
arranged in groups, called " Classes," which furnished the soldiers, 
and charged the same to each town's quota. On the 13th of May 
1782, Class No. 5, for Gorham, furnished Nathaniel Wing, a soldier 
for three years, for the Continental Army. The Class that furnished 
the soldier paid Wing a bounty of twenty dollars in silver, and six 
cows, "the cows to be equal to cows in general." This agreement 
is signed by Ebenezer Murch, William McLellan and Prince Davis. 

On the ist of November, 1782, the General Court of Massachusetts 
passed a resolve, directing the treasurer, in response to a petition 
of Thomas Porter and Stephen Longfellow, to discharge the town of 
Gorham from the deficiency of one man, and directing Thomas Porter 
of Topsfield to procure a man in lieu thereof. 

After the long weary struggle was over, and England had relin- 
quished her grip upon the Colonies, news of peace reaching Gorham, 
the town had a grand celebration, burning the public stock of pow- 
der in their joy. 

On May 12, 1783, the town passed a vote, presenting to the militia 
officers in Gorham, the powder that was burned here during the day 
of public rejoicing. 

In the State of Pennsylvania there were many and exciting trials 
on the confiscation of the property of those persons called Refugees, 
or Tories, and in relation to their civil rights as citizens. After the 
close of the war of the Revolution all the ability and power of the bar 
were put in requisition on both sides, and their attorneys and coun- 
sellors had the strong prejudices of the public to contend with, 
as well as, in some cases, the statute law. Great power and ability 
was displayed in their defence. In many cases it was contended 
and argued with success, that at the commencement of a civil war, a 
man had the right to elect the side he would take, and that his elect- 
ing to remain by the then constituted authorities was his natural 



THE REVOLUTION. 



149 



right. If he chose to leave his residence for the time being, and not 
be found in arms against the Revolutionary party, and they should 
finally succeed, his said election should be no bar to his returning 
and reoccupying his property, and claiming his rights. 

Judge McKeen, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, was a strong and 
inflexible Republican, but firm and uncompromising in his decisions, 
and a sound lawyer. His decision in the case of Mr. Chapman, a 
person of this character, evinced the correctness of his judgment, 
and the contempt he felt for the popular clamor. 

In May, 1782, the town voted "That no tories shall abide in Gor- 
ham, and that any person belonging to the town of Gorham, who 
may vote for, or encourage, the return of any tory to this State, shall 
be looked upon as an enemy to these U. S., and never be suffered to 
hold any oflice in the town of Gorham forever after." It will be 
seen that the former vote of the town in relation to tories is in some 
degree in keeping with the above. The town, although fully in 
earnest in passing this vote, never fully enforced it. 

Although poorly paid, while in the service, those of the soldiers 
who li\-ed until after the Government passed the Pension Acts, spent 
their last days in comparative comfort through this means of support. 

The following citizens of Gorham are among those that received 
their reward from a grateful country, in the shape of pensions : 



Capt. Oliver Hunt. 
Lieut. Ebenezer Storer. 
Lieut. Silas Chadbourn. 



David Morton. 
Stephen Whitney. 
Zebulon Whitney. 
George Waterhouse. 
Daniel Whitney. 
William P'iles. 
John Phinney. 
James Morton. 
Joseph Blake. 
Charles Thomes. 
Isaac Wescott. 



Officers. 
Capt. Josiah Jenkins. 
Capt. Joshua Swett. 
Adjt. Isaiah Thomas. 

Privates. 
Isaac Whitney. 
Allison Libby. 
Edward Webb. 
Thomas Irish. 
Edward Libby. 
Prince Hamblen. 
Samuel Files. 
Thomas Morton. 
Isaac Irish. 
Prince McLellan, (negro). 



Lieut. William McLellan. 
Lieut. Timothy Bacon. 



John Darling. 
Jonathan Stone. 
John Watson. 
Matthias Murch. 
Moses Fogg. 
Philip Horr. 
Ebenezer Files. 
John Blake. 
William Burton. 
Nathaniel Blake. 



CHAPTER VHI. 

POLITICS. rilK WAR OF l8l2. TIIK SEPARATION OF MAINE AND 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

In May, 1777, the General Court of Massachusetts directed the 
different towns in the State to " Instruct their next representatives, 
in conjunction with the Council, to form such constitution of govern- 
ment as they should judge most conducive to the public happiness." 
The constitution was then to be submitted to the people at their 
various town meetings, to be ratified or rejected by them. Gorham 
in July chose Capt. Bryant Morton as its representative to the 
General Court, and it was voted "that he join with the House of 
Representatives, in conjunction with the Council, in forming a new 
constitution, agreeable to a resolve of the General Court for that 
purpose." 

When the draft of this constitution was reported at the March 
town meeting, the town chose Solomon Lombard, Esq., Col. Edmund 
Phinney, Caleb Chase, Nathan Whitney, Hugh McLellan, Bryant 
Morton, Barnabas Bangs, Samuel Jenkins, George Hanscom, Andrew 
Crockett, William McLellan, Prince Davis, Benjamin Skillings, 
Nathaniel Whitney and Samuel Harding as a committee to take into 
consideration the form of government proposed by the General 
Court, and to report their judgment of the same. This committee, 
after due deliberation, in May reported against this constitution, and 
this report was unanimously accepted by the town. 

Another attempt was made to form a State constitution in 1779, 
when Solomon Lombard, Esq. was chosen to represent the town of 
Gorham at the State convention, held at Cambridge on the first day 
of September, when three hundr^ed and twenty-two delegates were 
present. These organized by choosing James Bowdoin, president, 
and Samuel Barrett, secretaiy ; and a committee was chosen to 
prepare and report a draft. This draft as reported, contained a 
declaration of rights (the failure to have which was one of the 
reasons why the adoption of the former constitution failed,) drawn up 
by Hon. John Adams. After several months of debate and revision 
a form was printed and distributed to the towns for adoption. At a 
town meeting held in Gorham April 25, 1780, it was "voted that the 



POLITICS. 151 

Bill of Rights, and a form of government agreed upon by the State 
Convention be read in this meeting, which was accordingly done." 
A committee was then chosen, consisting of Solomon Lombard, Esq.. 
Capt. Bryant Morton, William Gorham, Esq., Dr. Stephen Swett, 
James Gilkey, Nathan Whitney, Gary McLellan, Austin Alden and 
William Cotton," to examine the several articles contained in the new 
constitution, or form of government proposed by the convention 
chosen for that purpose," and report to the town at the next meeting. 
This committee made its report in May in favor of the constitution, 
which report was accepted by the town by a vote of forty-seven to 
six. This constitution was accepted by the towns throughout the 
State, and went into effect on the 25th of October, 1780. 

The Hon. John Hancock, Esq., who was the tirst Governor of 
Massachusetts and was elected on Sept. 4th, received in Gorham 
fifty-five votes as against two for James Bowdoin, Esq. For Lieut.- 
Governor, Gorham cast forty ballots for Hon. James Warren of 
Plymouth, and two for Hon. John Hancock, Esq. It seems that there 
was no choice made by the people for a Lieut.-Governor, so the 
General Court, when it convened, was obliged to choose one, and it 
elected Thomas Gushing. 

In 1787 a convention of delegates from the several states was held 
at Philadelphia for the purpose of forming a Federal constitution. 
This constitution was submitted to Massachusetts by the Governor 
at the November session of the General Court for its adoption. At 
a town meeting held in Gorham it was " voted to send but one dele- 
gate to the convention who are to meet at Boston in January next; " 
and it was also voted that Mr. Stephen Longfellow, Jr. should be 
this delegate. This convention met at Boston, and on Feb. 9, 178S, 
voted by a vote of one hundred and eighty-seven to one hundred and 
sixty-eight, in favor of the adoption by Massachusetts of the consti- 
tution agreed upon at Philadelphia. Mr. Longfellow being one of 
those who voted against it. 

The whole country now became divided into two great political 
parties : those in favor of the constitution were called Federalists, 
and those opposed, Anti-federalists. The purpose of both these par- 
ties was equally pure ; both were equal advocates of a union that 
could not be dissolved nor destroyed : but the former advocated a 
Confederate Government, possessing all the powers and attributes of 
a National Sovereignty as set forth in the Constitution, while the 
latter based their objections to the Constitution on the ground that it 
gave such power to the National Government as to swallow up the 
State Sovereignties. 



152 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

The nation, under the first administration of President U'ashington, 
enjoyed a season of public contentnicnt. The Federal parly was 
pleased and satisfied with the peace and prosperity of the country 
imder the workings of the Constitution, and those who had at first 
oppcxsed it (the Constitution) claimed that it was due to them that ten 
most important amendments had been effected, especially the Ninth, 
which added to the dignity of the individual States. 

But now France began to have a disturbing influence among our 
people. The French Revolution, which had begun in 1789, had now 
in 1794 reached a point where the people had beheaded their king, 
Louis XVI, and his queen, Marie Antoinette, and established a 
"Free Republic" by means of the blood and massacre of thousands. 
At the same time France was at war with Great Britain, and the sym- 
pathies of America were divided ; the one party being filled with 
horror at the cruelties, and, as they considered it, the crime of the 
French people ; the other, full of gratitude towards a country which 
had so essentially aided us in our struggle for liberty, wished them 
success in their attempt to achieve the same end. Both of these 
parties wished to take sides, the one with, the other against France, 
but President Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality, and 
through John Jay, our minister to Great Britain, in November, 1794, 
negotiated a treaty of amity, commerce and navigation with Great 
Britain, which was ratified by the American Government. The Fed- 
eralists believed in this treaty, while the Republican, Democratic, or 
French party, as the Anti-federalists were variously called, condemned 
it as a measure that the French, who had aided us in our time of 
trouble, might justly resent. 

The town of Gorham seems to have been strongly Federal in spirit. 
Nearly all the inhabitants were in favor of Jay's treaty. At the 
November election, in 1796, to vote for President, the three electors 
chosen from this district were all of this party, Stephen Longfellow, 
Nathaniel Wells and Thomas Rice. 

In 1800 the general Government changed hands, going into the 
power of the Republicans, Thomas Jefferson being chosen President. 
Under the new administration efforts were made to cut down expenses 
as had been promised, among which were notably the Civil List, the 
Army and the Navy. While the Administration was extremely 
unpopular with the people of Cjorham, as well as the entire State of 
Massachusetts, still the people, generally, approved of its course, and 
the country became very prosperous. Our commerce, owing to the 
re-establishment of jDcace in Europe, was in a very flourishing condi- 



POLITICS. 153 

tion ; our flag was seen on every sea and in almost every port of the 
world. In 1806 the General Court incorporated in Massachusetts 
the Cincinnati Society. This Society was founded in 1783 by officers 
of the Massachusetts line of the Continental Army to take care of 
their widows, orphans and indigent members. Lieut. Ebenezer Storer 
of this town was a member of this society. 

On the occasion of the breaking out anew of hostilities between 
Great Britain and P'rance, the United States Government took and 
maintained a position of neutrality. Both of these nations, however, 
charged the United States with partiality to the other, and abused 
our shipping and insulted our flag as much as they pleased. In 
December, 1806, Napoleon issued his Milan Decree^ which was to the 
effect that every vessel which should at any time either submit to be 
searched by the English, pay them a tax or duty, or be found on a 
voyage to any of their ports, should be considered as denationalized, 
and therefore of course liable to capture and confiscation. This was 
followed by the British Orders in Council, which forbade the trade 
of all neutrals who were not friends of Great Britain. Between these 
fulminations there was small peace for any craft flying the American 
*flag. But the thing that angered our people more than all else was 
the " Right of Search " insisted upon by Great Britain and empha- 
sized at this time by the King, by which our seamen were seized 
upon our own ships and transferred to the British Navy, under pre- 
tence of their being British subjects. 

In December, 1807, Congress laid a general embargo on all the 
American shipping in the harbors and ports of our country, as this 
was believed to be the best way "to preserve our neutrality, the 
honor of our flag and the rights of our sailors inviolate." This 
embargo was very distasteful to the Federal party, as they thought 
that England should have the right to her own seamen. It was also 
claimed by them that it was ruinous to our national character, and 
especially to our commerce and shipping. 

A committee, consisting of Hon. Stephen Longfellow, Capt. David 
Harding, Jr., Capt. Sylvanus Davis, Dr. Dudley Folsom and John 
Park Little, Esq., was chosen, at a town meeting held in Gorham 
Aug. 29, 1808, to prepare a petition to the President of the United 
States praying him to suspend the embargo. Which petition as 
afterwards presented was as follows : 

" To the President of the United States : — 

The inhabitants of the town of Gorham, in legal town meeting 
assembled, beg leave respectfully to represent that they are fully 



154 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

aware of the indispensable necessity of supporting at all times the 
laws enacted by the government of their choice ; under this impres- 
sion they have refrained from expressing their most ardent desire to 
have the Embargo removed. Although they are an agricultural 
town, yet their proximity to Portland, the most considerable com- 
mercial town in the district, has for many years past, led them 
considerably into trade with the people there. Large quantities of 
Beef, Butter, Lumber, &c. have been annually transported from this 
place to that, by means of which the inhabitants of this town have 
made a comfortable living, and have accumulated property, but since 
the embargo has taken place and commerce has been stopped, they 
sensibly feel the intimate connection there is between agriculture and 
commerce ; indeed they find it will be almost impossible for the 
former to exist without the latter. Debts incurred by them previous 
to the embargo, which would have been discharged with ease if com- 
merce had flourished as formerly, they now find cannot be paid at 
all, because they cannot possibly obtain money enough to discharge 
their taxes, which are continually accumulating ; the surplus of their 
agricultural productions, and their lumber, are left to perish for want 
of a market ; they therefore pray that the Embargo (which they think 
is the sole cause of their distress) may be suspended, and that your 
Excellency would do everything in your power to effect so desirable 

an object." 

* 

This petition was approved, and the town voted that it should be 
forwarded at once to the President. 

In spite of this, and other petitions from various towns, the embargo 
was continued until March i, 1809, when it was modified so as to 
permit our vessels to trade with any nation, excepting France and 
Great Britain. 

On the 30th day of January, 1809, Gorham held a town meeting 
" For the purpose of considering the present distressed situation of 
our National affairs." At this meeting a committee, consisting 
of Hon. Stephen Longfellow, Dr. Dudley Folsom, Rev. Reuben Nason, 
John Park Little, Esq. and Dea. Thomas Cross, was chosen to draw 
up a set of resolutions to be presented to the town in Februaiy. 
The adjourned meeting was held February 2, when the committee 
reported these resolutions : — 

Resolved. That we deem it a right vested in us by the Constitu- 
tion of our country, peaceably to assemble together, and freely to 
express our sentiments of the measures of government, and when 
grievances are felt to seek proper redress. 

Resolved. That we consider the present state of our country as 
calling loudly for the exercise of this right. 

Resolved. That we consider the measures of the National Govern- 
ment, in relation to commerce, and particularly in the several Acts 



POLITICS. 155 

laying and enforcing an Embargo, oppressive, unconstitutional, and 
threatening the most dangerous consequences. 

Resolved. That we consider the prosperity of eveiy class of citi- 
zens, and especially in the northern States, as essentially dependent 
on commerce, and those acts of the Government are arbitrary and 
oppressive, by which our intercourse with foreign nations is totally 
suspended, and our domestic intercourse laid under such restrictions, 
as renders it in all cases hazardous, and in most instances impracti- 
cable to pursue it ; while we fully believe neither our relations with 
foreign powers, nor national honor, nor wise policy, have demanded 
such sacrifices. 

Resolved. That we deem it unconstitutional for Congress, to 
whom is delegated only a power to regulate commerce, to destroy it, 
or prohibit it by law, for an unlimited term of time ; that we consider 
the property of individuals by the laws aforesaid, to be exposed to 
unreasonable search, seizure and forfeiture, excessive bonds required, 
and undue penalties exacted, contrary to express provisions in the 
Constitution ; and that exorbitant power over the lives and fortunes 
of the people, vested in Revenue and iVIilitary officers, and the dicta- 
torial power with which the President is clothed, are not consistent 
with the Constitution, nor the principles of a free government. 

Resolved. That we view with alarming apprehensions the contem- 
plated establishment of a large army in time of peace, to be placed 
at the uncontrolled disposal of the President, while in history we 
trace the downfall of the liberties of Greece, Rome, and almost every 
other free State to similar measures; while in our own time we have 
seen how much one man, with a soldiery devoted to him, has done 
toward enslaving the w^orld ; and while we consider the dreadful pur- 
poses, which disguised ambition, even in those who have made the 
highest pretensions to patriotism has conceived and effected, we 
cannot forbear to express our belief that this measure is portentous 
and hostile to the Constitution and liberties of our country. 

Resolved. That we entertain a lively sense of the benefits which 
the faithful administration of the government by Washington and 
Adams, and their wise policy, were instrumental in procuring us ; 
and that we consider the evils we now endure in a great measure 
occasioned by a dereliction of the policy adopted and pursued by 
them. 

Resolved. That we highly approve the patriotic and spirited exer- 
tions of the minority in Congress, to preserve the Constitution and' 
protect the interests of the nation. 

Resolved. That we view with approbation the conduct of those 
ofificers in the Re\'enue Department, who choosing to sacrifice private 
emoluments rather than be instrumental in enforcing oppressive laws, 
have resigned their offices, and that we consider their conduct worthy 
of imitation. 

Resolved. That, as we despair of obtaining redress from the 
National Government, a respectful petition be presented to the Legis- 
lature of this Commonwealth, praying that they will adopt such 



150 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

measures as they in their wisdom shall think best, to remove present 
grievances, and prevent those evils which threaten our liberties and 
fortunes. 

The town then voted unanimously to accept these resolves, and a 
committee of Correspondence and Safety was chosen. As recom- 
mended, a petition in line with the resolves was sent to the State 
Legislature. But Massachusetts, although strongly condemning the 
embargo and the state of affairs in the country, was herself powerless 
to do aught but protest, resolve and petition. 

In 1811 there was a military company formed at Gorham village 
among the boys and young men of about eighteen years of age, which 
had a uniform and light muskets, together with a drum and fife. 
Charles Dyer was captain. The forming of this company by the 
boys, and the appearance of a comet about this time, was taken as a 
sure sign of coming war by some of thjs more superstitious of our 
people. However this may be, owing to the totally different views 
held by our Government and that of Great Britain — England main- 
taining that a man born under the British fiag was always a British 
subject and that no act could absolve him from that allegiance — 
diplomacy seemed to be useless, and war the only resource. 

April 4, 18 1 2, Congress laid a general embargo for ninety days on 
all vessels in our harbors, and on the 18th of June, Congress 
"declared war to exist between Great Britain and the United States." 
Upon this a great outcry arose from the Federal party, condemning the 
Government as weak, inefficient and corrupt, and declaring that 
the country was plunged into disgrace and ruin. This party, which, 
having the Governor and the Legislature with it, was in power in 
Massachusetts, held a shameful and disgraceful attitude toward the 
General Government throughout the war. Both parties, however, 
rejoiced heartily over our successes at sea. 

On June 26, 18 12, Congress passed an Act authorizing the issue 
of letters of marque and reprisal. Shortly after, several privateers 
were fitted out from Portland and sailed under these letters issued by 
Isaac Ilsley, Collector of the Port. One of these vessels was the 
" Dart," commanded by Capt. John Curtis, father of Capt. John 
Curtis late of Gorham. It is said that the Dart was built, armed and 
fitted out for sea in five weeks from the time that war was declared. 
A few days after sailing she captured and sent into Portland the 
British brig " Dianna " with her cargo of two hundred and twelve 
puncheons of rum. This rum became the famous "Old Dart Rum," 
and traditions of its wonderful flavor and quality are current even to 



WAR OF 1812. 157 

this day. On a succeeding cruise Capt. Curtis, after taking a prize, 
sailed in company with it for a few hours after the capture ; a blow 
came on, they parted, the prize arrived safe in Portland, but the 
privateer probably went down, as she was never heard of afterwards. 
A cargo of coffee was brought into Portland, Nov. 5, 18 13, by the 
privateer " Dash," Capt. Kelloran commanding. As the people of 
Portland were fearing an attack from the British, Seward and Samuel 
Porter, the owners of the coffee, sent it to Gorham for safe keeping, 
where it was divided into three lots and placed under the care of 
Nathaniel Gould, Nahum Chadbourn and Capt. David Harding. 
A few weeks after, it was returned to Portland, and on Jan. 22, 1S14, 
it was consumed in a fire, which burned the warehouse on Union 
Wharf in which it was stored. As coffee was then worth a dollar a 
pound the loss was a heavy one. The second captain of the Dash 
was Capt. William Cammett, who married in 18 16 Mary Ryan, 
daughter of John B. Ryan of Gorham. A prize was brought in by 
the " Teazer," a part of the cargo of which consisted of crockery- 
ware which was sold at auction. At this time good crockery had 
become scarce in the country, and coarse brown earthern cups and 
saucers were in use. Four crates of the cream. colored ware from 
this prize were bought by Alexander McLellan, Esq., and taken to 
Gorham, where it sold at fancy prices — a cup and saucer for a 
shilling, plates at fifty cents each, etc. 

The following anecdote will illustrate the uncertainties of privateer- 
ing, A cargo of pork, seized from an English vessel, was brought 
into Portland by an American privateer. Thomas Patrick of Gorham 
with a team of three yoke of oxen hauled twenty-six barrels of this 
pork from Portland to Portsmouth, N. H., where it was put on board 
another privateer as part of her supplies and sent to sea in her. Mr. 
Patrick, loading his team with a cannon, proceeded immediately on 
his way from Portsmouth to Boston, where he delivered the cannon to 
the authorities and returned home. Before he reached Gorham the 
Portsmouth privateer had been captured and the prize pork had again 
become British property. 

Gorham, true to her principles, furnished but veiy few soldiers for 
active service in this war. 

In the Fall of 18 14, considerable alarm was manifested lest Port- 
land should be attacked by a fleet of British ships which were 
cruising about off the coast. Many Portland men removed their 
families to Gorham for safety ; among whom were Capt. William 
Cross, Capt. Thomas McLellan, Capt. David Stackpole, Capt. Wil- 



158 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

liam Kelloran, John Dix, Zachariah Nowell, Dana Quincy, and many 
others. 

Gen. James Irish, who commanded the second Brigade, twelfth 
Division, of the State miHtia, was called into Portland by the Brig- 
ade Major', at the request of the Committee of Safety of that town. 
The Major General refusing to issue any order to march troops into 
the town, Gen. Irish immediately assumed the responsibility, issued the 
necessary orders, and in thirty-six hours had his full brigade of 
twenty-five hundred men barracked in Portland, much to the relief 
of the citizens, who gathered in crowds to cheer the soldiers. Gen. 
Irish was afterwards arrested, and tried by Court Martial on the 
charge of insubordination in calling out his troops without due 
authority, but was honorably acquitted. 

The soldiers of Gorham, who comprised a part of Col. Burbank's 
regiment in Gen. Irish's command, consisted of companies of Infantry 
commanded by Capt. Toppan Robie, Capt. Jacob P. Bettis, Capt. 
Barnabas Higgins and Capt. Robert McLellan. Capt. Robie's 
company was known by the nickname of the "black" company, to 
distinguish them from Capt. McLellan's company of Light Infantry, 
whose uniform was verj' gay and bright, \^^hen the troops were 
ordered out, Capt. McLellan was on a visit to Topsham, and was 
unable to join the regiment until it had been two days at Portland ; 
so his company left Gorham under command of Lieut. Jacob S. Smith. 

The Field and Staff of Col. Burbank's regiment contained the fol- 
lowing Gorham men : 

John Tyng Smith, Major. 

Nahiim Chadbourn, Quarter Master. 

Joseph Hasty, Pay Master. 

Dudley Folsom, Surgeon. 

Samuel McLellan, Sergeant Major. 

David Cobb, Quarter Master Sergeant. 

Thomas Paine, Jr., Fife Major. 

Peter Sanborn, Drum Major. 

Roll of the four Gorham companies belonging to this Regiment. 

Robert McLellan, Capt. 
Jacob S. Smith, Lieut. Greenleaf C. Watson, Ensign. 

Sergeants. Musicians. 

Nathaniel Phinney. 

Samuel Edwards. Samuel Bartlett. 

Frederic Codman. Samuel Woodward. 

Calvin Edwards. 

Privates. 

Clark, John R. Flood, Luther. Freeman, Nathan. 

Elder, Simon. Frost, Mason. (iammon, James. 

Fickett, Joseph. Freeman, David. Hamblen, Joseph, 3d. 



WAR OF 1812. 



159 



Hanscom, Lewis. 
Harding, David. 
Harmon, Benjamin. 
Higgins, Enocla F. 
Hunt, Josepli. 
Jordan, Allen. 
Lakeman, Solomon. 
McLellan, David. 
McLellan, John. 



Levi Hall, Lieut. 

Sergeants. 
James Emery. 
Clark Swett. 
Ezekiel Ward. 
James Wescott. 



Bolton, Thomas. 
Bukfer, Livy. 
Brackett, Daniel. 
Clay, William. 
Cole, Joseph. 
Crockett, John, Jr. 
Elder, Reuben, Jr. 
Elder, Samuel, Jr. 
Emery, Elijah. 
Files, Nathaniel. 
Files, Robert, Jr. 
Flood, Joseph. 
Fogg, David. 
Getchell, Samuel H. 
Harding, James. 
Harding, William. 
Hicks, Ephraim. 
Irish, Jacob. 
Johnson, George. 



McLellan, Thomas. 
McQuillan, Wilham. 
Merrill, Nahum. 
Paine, Thomas. 
Paine, William, Jr. 
Patrick, Charles, Jr. 
Patrick, Stephen. 
Sawyer, Isaac. 
Skillings, Benjamin. 

Jacob P. Bettis, Capt. 

Corporals. 
William Bolton. 
Benjamin Irish. 
Uriah Nason, Jr. 
Josiah Waterhouse. 

Privates. 

Kemp, David. 
Kemp, Jonatlian. 
Libby, James. 
Libby, Jethro, Jr. 
Libby, John, Jr. 
Libby, Sewall. 
Libby, Walter. 
McDonald, James. 
McDonald, Joseph. 
Mitchell, Matthew. 
Mitchell, Zachariah. 
Millions, Ebenezer. 
Morton, David, Jr. 
Morton, John. 
Murch, Mathias, Jr. 
Nason, Ephraim. 
Nason, James. 
Nason, Joseph. 
Nason, Richard. 



Staples, Samuel, Jr. 
Stevens, John. 
Stone, Archelaus. 
Tole, Stephen. 
Waterhouse, William H. 
Webster, Nathaniel. 
Williams, Peter. 



Oliver Johnson, Ensign. 
Musicians. 



Robert Walker. 
John Walker, Jr. 



Nason, Samuel, Jr. 
Noble, Webber. 
Pennington, Daniel. 
Plummer, Christopher. 
Plummer, Isaac, Jr. 
Roberts, Joseph, Jr. 
Sanborn, Joseph. 
Smith, Samuel. 
Swett, David. 
Thomes, William. 
Tyler, Daniel. 
Tyler, James. 
Warren, Tames, 3d. 
Webb, Seth. 
Williams, Daniel. 
Williams, Joseph. 
Winship, Daniel. 
Young, Enos. 



Nathaniel Hatch, Lieut. 



Toppan Robie, Capt. 



Sergeants. 
James Babb. 
Philip Larrabee. 
Thomas Robie. 
Caleb Seaver. 



Alden, Gardner. 
Blanchard, William. 
Bragdon, Ephraim. 
Brown, Levi. 
Brown, Samuel. 
Burnell. David. 
Cash, Jacob. 
Coolbroth, Isaac.' 
Crockett, Nathaniel. 



Corporals. 
Seward Merrill. 
Moses Rice. 
Perez Burr. 
Alexander Phinney. 

Privates. 
Darling, George L. 
Davis, Luther. 
Edwards, William. 
Eldredge, Ebenezer. 
Farnham, John. 
Fogg, Daniel. 
Fogg, George. 
Freeman, Joshua. 
Frost, Daniel H. 



William Frost, Ensign. 
Musicians. 

Josiah Jenkins. 
George Knight. 



Gammon, Edmund. 
Gibb, Uriah. 
Hanscom, John. 
Hanson, Nathan. 
Harding, John, 3d. 
Harding, Joseph. 
Harding, Robert. 
Harding, Seth, Jr. 
Hunt, Daniel. 



I Dermis Coolbroth was Isaac's substitute. 



1()0 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Huston, Robert. 
Irish, Elisha. 
Johnson, William. 
Libby, Darius. 
Libby, Elliot. 
Libby, Lemuel. 
Ivincoln, Cotton. 
Lombard, Joseph, Jr. 
Lord, Nahum. 
March, Moses. 



McDugal, Thomas. 
McLellan, James, Jr. 
McLellan, William, Jr.i 
McQuillan, John. 
Mosher, Samuel F. 
Paine, Samuel. 
Penfield, Nathan C. 
Rice, John. 
Rice, Joseph. 
Rice, Lemuel. 

Barnabas Higgins, Capt. 

Corporals. 
William Weeks. 
Samuel Blake. 
Timothy Bacon, Jr. 
Major Morton. 

Privates. 
Hamblin, Charles. 
Hamblin, Enoch. 
Hamblin, Isaac. 
Hamblin, Nathaniel. 
Hunt, James. 
Knight, Colman W. 
Lewis, Samuel H. B. 
Libby, Benjamin. 
Libby, Daniel, Jr. 
Libby, Solomon. 
Lincoln, John. 
Mann, Edmund. 
McCorsen, Lemuel. 
Moody, John. 
Morton, Nathaniel. 
Paine, Richard. 
Phinney, Colman. 
Phinney, Nathaniel, Jr. 



Rice, Nathaniel. 
Roberts, Joshua. 
Roberts, Samuel. 
Scribner, Samuel G. 
Staples, Ai. 
Strout, George, Jr. 
Towle, Abner. 
Warren, David. 
Worcester, Thomas. 
Waterhouse, David. 



Cyrus Hamblin, Ensign. 
Musicians. 

Rufus Rand. 
Andrew Plaisted. 



Ephraim Blake, Lieut. 
Sergeants. 
Saul C. Higgins. 
John B. Rand. 
Andrew Crockett. 
James Thombs. 

Adams, Joseph. 
Babb, John. 
Bacon, James. 
Bryant, Abel. 
Cimbol, Daniel. 
Clements, Ebenezer. 
Clements, John. 
Cotton, Joseph. 
Cressey, Joseph, Jr. 
Files, Ebenezer S. T. 
Files, Ebenezer, Jr. 
Frost, Benjamin. 
Frost, Dominicus. 
Gibbs, Ileman. 
Gilkey, Reuben. 
Gilkey, Samuel. 
Green, Stuart. 
Hall, Isaac. 
Hall, John. 

Following is the roll of men who served in Lieutenant Leighton's 
Troop of Cavalry belonging to Gen. Irish's Brigade :. 

Lieut. Nathaniel 1 eighton, Conmiandant. 

William Thomes, Cornet. (Gorham.) 
Sergeants. Corporals. 

James Smith. (Gorham.) John Phinney. (Gorham.) 

Andrew Leighton. Levi Wilson. 

Privates. 

Freeman, Daniel. (Standish.) 
Fry, James. 
(Gorham.) Leighton, George. 

Libby, Joseph. (Gorham.) 

(Gorham.) Pettingill, Benjamin. 

Stevens, Harry. (Goiham.) 

(Gorham.) Webl), William. 

Wilson, Cyrus. 
Winslow, Adam. 



Plaisted, Joseph. 
Rand, Henry J. 
Rolfe, Benjamin. 
Smith, Caleb. 
Smith, George T. 
Snow, William, Jr. 
Stimpson, Amos. 
Stimson, John. 
Stone, Jonathan, Jr. 
Sturgis, Ebenezer G. 
Sturgis, Joseph. 
Thombs, Eli. 
Thombs, George, Jr. 
Treat, Richard. 
Wescott, Reuben, Jr. 
Whitney, Edmund. 
Whitney, Eli. 
Whitney, Luther. 
Wood, William, Jr. 



Abbott, Nathaniel. 
Baker, Solomon. 
Blake, Daniel.2 
Brackett, Zachariah. 
Chase, David.3 
Cochran, Timothy. 
Crockett, Samuel 
Deering, Joshua L. 
Fields, John. 



1 John Curtis was Wni. McLellan's substitute. 

2 Daniel J?l:ikc served as substitute for David Sturj^is of (iorliam. 

3 David Chase " " " " Thos. Johnson " " 



SEPARATION OF MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS. IGl 

Other Gorham men who served at this same time, in the Cavalry of 
Dyer and Leighton, were : 

Samuel Blake, William H. Smith, William Warren, Benjamin F. Johnson, David 
Sturgis, Adams Whitney, Benjamin Mosher, Samuel Miller and John Jay Libby. 

The alarm luckily proved to be a false one, for the enemy, although 
keeping close to the coast for awhile and gathering supplies from some 
of the islands, did not land, and the Gorham soldiers, having marched 
to Portland on Sept. yth, returned on the 21st, thus enabling most 
of them to make out the fourteen days service, which was necessary 
afterwards for the obtaining of land warrants. 

The United States sloop of war Adams in September, 18 14, was 
set on fire and destroyed at Hampden by her master, Capt. Morris, to 
prevent her falling into the hands of a powerful British tieet which 
was ascending the Penobscot River in search of her. A number oi 
men living in the vicinity of Portland, among whom was Thomas 
Patrick of Gorham, were hired by Samuel Storer, Navy Agent at 
Portland, to haul to Portland the seventy tons of pig iron which had 
formed the vessel's ballast. Mr. Patrick records that he with his team 
of six oxen made the trip to and from Hampden in eighteen days, 
bringing seventy-three hundred and eighteen pounds of the iron. 

At the time Portland was threatened by the British fleet, a barrel 
of tar had been hoisted to the top of a pole placed on the summit of 
Fort Hill, so that in case the enemy had made a sudden descent 
upon Portland, it could be lighted and by its flames arouse the 
surrounding country. When the news of the treaty of peace, signed 
at Ghent, Dec. 24, 18 14, and ratified by Congress on Feb. 17 of the 
following year, reached Gorham it was decided to celebrate. Capt. 
William Cross procured a swivel, which was placed on the hill near 
the meeting house, and did its duty nobly. The tar beacon on Fort 
Hill was also burned, but being lighted too early in the evening, it 
lost much of its effect. 

On New Year's day, 1785, appeared in Fahnouth the first number 
of the first newspaper published in what is now the State of Maine. 
This paper, which was called the " Falmouth Gazette and Weekly 
Advertiser," and was printed by Thomas B. Waite and Benjamin 
Titcomb, was founded for the purpose of aiding the erection of the 
Province of Maine into a State, separate and distinct from Massa- 
chusetts. 

At the close of the Revolutionary war, the District of Maine 
comprised what were known as the "three eastern Counties" of 
Massachusetts, — York, Cumberland and Lincoln. These Counties, 



162 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

being separated from the remainder of the State by New Hampshire, 
it was felt by some of the inhabitants that a separate government 
might possess many and great advantages. Just emerging from the 
long, hard struggle with the Mother-country, the State debt was 
large, and of necessity taxes must be very heavy for quite a number 
of years to come ; to the poor man this of course meant a good deal, 
particularly as thousands were already overwhelmed with debt. The 
seat of government was at a distance, and the expense of the journey 
such that, partly on account of this, in the year 1772 Gorham voted 
7iot to send a Representative to the General Court on account of 
poverty. For many years the towns were accustomed to pay the 
expenses of their Representatives. Another thing of which they 
complained was, that in order to get papers necessary for evidence 
they were compelled to go to Boston, where the records of the 
Supreme Court were kept ; that it was a great expense to the poor, 
on whom it generally fell, to return executions so far ; that no 
Supreme Court was held in Lincoln County, and only one a year in 
York and Cumberland. Many of the honorable, wealthy and influ- 
ential men also advocated the measure as being for the benefit and 
especial interest of the entire community. 

On the other hand, the opponents of the measure, among whom 
w^ere also to be found many men holding office, claimed that the 
people of Maine were ungrateful, that they had always received 
the best of care and many and great favors from the State Government, 
and that the power and force necessary to protect the District would 
be greatly weakened, if not altogether destroyed, by a separation at 
this time. 

On Sept. 17, 1785, the Falmouth Gazette printed the following 
which, although lacking date or signature, was accompanied by a 
written request for its publication signed, as Mr. Willis says, by the 
most respectable men on the Neck : — 

" Agreeably to a request signed by a large number of respectable 
gentlemen, and presented to the printers of this Gazette, the inhab- 
itants in the counties of York, Cumberland and Lincoln are hereby 
notified, that as many of them as can conveniently attend, are 
requested to meet at the Rev. Messrs. Smith's and Deane's meeting- 
house in Falmouth, on Wednesday the 5th day of October ensuing, 
to join in a Co/if erencc, upon the proposal of having these counties 
erected into a Separate government ; and, if thought best, to form a 
plan for collecting the sentiments of the people upon the subject, and 
pursue some peaceable and proper method for carrying the same into 
effect." 



SEPARATION OF MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS. 1G3 

Tliirty-three delegates, from twenty of the principal towns, met in 
Falmoulh on the appointed date. Gorham sent as its representatives 
William Gorham, Esq., Stephen Longfellow, Jr., Esq. and Col. 
Edmund Phinney. On the organization of the delegates into a 
Convention, William Gorham was chosen president, and Stephen 
Longfellow, Jr., secretary. After discussing the object of a separation, 
a committee of seven members, with Gen. Peleg Wadsworth as its 
chairman and Messrs. Gorham and Longfellow as two of its members, 
was appointed to draw up a circular to be sent to each of the towns 
and plantations in the District, requesting them to choose delegates 
to another Convention to be holden at the same place on the first 
Wednesday in January of the coming 3'ear to consider whether it was 
expedient that the eastern Counties should be formed into a separate 
State, and if so, the best method by which in a regular and orderly 
way to carry the measure into effect. 

At the opening of the General Court on the 20th of October, both 
the Governor and House expressed themselves strongly against 
"dismembering the Commonwealth." 

Many of the towns addressed in this circular refused to send any 
delegates, as requested ; but the town of Gorham, at a town meeting 
held December 5, 1785, 

"Voted, That it is the Opinion of this Town, that it would be for 
the interest of the Counties of York, Cumberland and Lincoln to be 
incorporated into a Separate State," and they chose Edmund Phinney, 
Esq'', Mr. Stephen Longfellow, Jun'', and the Plon'^^'^ Wm. Gorham, 
Esq'' their representatives to the Convention. 

The Convention met Jan. 4, 1786, and, after having chosen the 
same officers to preside over it as served the former Convention, 
proceeded to choose a committee to draw up a statement of the 
grievances experienced by the three eastern counties, and also to 
estimate the expense of a separate government. This committee on 
the next clay reported as follows : 

I. The interests of these three counties are different from those 
of Massachusetts, and therefore, they can never be fully understood 
by her, nor will they for the same reason ever be duly attended to 
and promoted, during the present connection. In fact their advance- 
ment and importance are checked and debased, to a degree prejudi- 
cial even to the United States at large. 

2 & 3. The seat of government is at a distance, the General 
Court large, and its business multifarious and perplexing ; so that 
the petitioners and suitors in their journeys, as well as in delays, have 



164 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

to suffer many and great inconveniencies, expenses and discourage- 
ments. 

4. Public Justice cannot, according to the Constitution, be ' admin- 
istered promptly and without delay' by the Supreme Judicial Court, 
throughout this extensive Commonwealth. Most assuredly so long 
as the Clerk's office, and the records of all that is done by that Court, 
within these Counties, are kept in Boston, legal process and lawsuits 
must be attended with additional costs, perplexities and delays of 
justice. 

5. The present regulations of trade operate unequally and 
unjustly towards these Counties; for they tend to depress the price 
of lumber and discourage and injure those employed in getting it, — 
thus contributing proportionably to the special emolument of traders 
and men in other parts of the State. 

6. A great portion of the inhabitants in these Counties are 
deprived of a representation in the popular branch of the Legislature, 
where all money-bills originate; — a grievance, from which there 
appears at present no prospect of relief. 

7. The present system of taxation upon polls and estates is 
unequal and unjust ; because the eastern inhabitants and their stocks 
cannot be employed to the same advantage, nor their lands improved 
with the same profit, as in other, or older parts of the Commonwealth. 

8. The excise and impost acts operate a grievance upon the 
inhabitants of these Counties ; — the eastern people being dispro- 
portionate consumers of foreign articles. Sheep cannot be kept by 
them without great difficulty and expense, owing to hazards from 
wolves and other beasts of prey, and the great severity and length of 
the winters ; and in general, they have no products from their 
orchards, and few conveniences of life, as the fruits of husbandry 
among them. 

9. The act imposing a duty on deeds, &c. operates unjustly upon 
us, by reason of the more frequent conveyances of real estate, and 
their smaller value in new, than in older settled countries. 

As it was somewhat uncertain just what form a separate govern- 
ment might take, the Committee concluded to present no estimate 
upon its cost. 

The Convention then voted to hold another convention, at the 
same place on the first Wednesday in September. 

At the annual town meeting, held in Gorham on the 20th of March, 
1786, it was 



SEPARATION OF MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS. 105 

" Voted, To choose Delegates for the Proposed Convention, to be 
held at Falmouth in Sep'. Next, i lo Voted for it, & but 2 against it. 
"Voted, That the Hon'^'"^ VVm. Gorham, Esq'., Edmund Phinney, 
Esq"'. & Mr. Stephen Longfellow, Jun"". be a Committee to meet in 
Convention at Falm°. on the first Wednesday of Sep^ next to Con- 
sider of the Grievances the Inhabitants of the Counties of York, 
Cumberland & Lincoln Labour under. And with the other delegates 
who may then meet, to Adopt & pursue some orderly & peaceable 
measure to obtain relief." 

This third Convention assembled in Falmouth Sept. 6, and organ- 
ized with the choice of the same oilicers as had served its two prede- 
cessors. The Convention then resolved that the list of grievances 
presented by the former Convention, excepting that in the fifth 
article, were as represented, and that the only remedy lay in their 
making their own laws. A committee was then chosen to draw up a 
petition to the General Court praying that they be set off into an 
independent State. The committee was also to prepare an address 
to be sent to the various towns and plantations throughout Maine, 
and the people requested to act upon the subject and make return of 
their votes to the Convention, when it should reassemble. The Con- 
vention met, after its adjournment, on Jan. 31, 1787, when it was 
found that of the votes returned, six hundred and forty-five were in 
favor of a separation and three hundred and fifty-nine were against 
it. The petition was not sent to the Legislature until the following 
year. 

The mass of the inhabitants of Maine were not really in favor of a 
disunion of the two parts of Massachusetts; and the Convention, 
after adjourning from time to time, and finding that the Portland 
members and the ofiicers were the only attendants of its meetings, 
and that its petition was a failure, expired in September, 1788, by 
having no meeting at its last adjournment. 

Another attempt looking toward the same end was made in 1791 
by the Senators and Representatives of the District, who attempted 
to revive the petition mentioned above ; but as this was thought by 
many not to represent the minds of the people, the idea was aban- 
doned, and a request sent to the various towns ; — that in order to 
know the true sentiment of the voters, a vote be taken on the 
propriety of petitioning the General Court, at its next session, for its 
consent to a separation and the formation of a new State. 

Jan., 1792, the Maine Senators and Representatives prayed the Leg- 
islature that an order might be passed for a general vote of the 



106 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

people upon the subject, so that the true state of public opinion con- 
cerning the matter might be made clear. After some days debate, the 
order was granted and the first Monday in May, 1792, set apart for 
the test. In accordance with this order, at a town meeting held on 
that date, Gorham voted, seventy-five to sixteen, in favor of " The 
Counties of York, Cumberland, Lincoln, Hancock and Washington 
being formed into a Separate Government." The result of the total 
vote in the District, being a plurality of four hundred and fifty votes 
against the measure, was a great surprise to its advocates ; but in the 
October of the year following it was decided to hold another Con- 
vention in December, as it was thought to be a good time to revive 
the subject, on account of the revision at this time of the Constitution. 
On Dec. 16, Gorham "Voted, That Mr. Stephen Longfellow, Hon'^i-^ 
Josiah Thacher, Esq"" & Mr. Cary McLellan be delegates for the 
town of Gorham to meet with, & Join the Convention in Portland 
the last Tuesday in DeC Ins', to Consider the expediency of the 5 
Eastern Counties being Erected into an Independent Government." 
This Convention did nothing, but recommended that another Con- 
vention be held in the following June to consider whether it would 
not be better to form the new State from York, Cumberland and 
Lincoln Counties, and exclude Hancock and Washington, which were 
strongly opposed to separation from the Mother- State. 

Gorham sent Hon. William Gorham, Esq., Edmund Phinney, Esq. 
and George Lewis, Esq. as its delegates to this Convention, which 
organized by choosing William Gorham, president ; it then adjourned 
to the second Tuesday of October, 1794; when having met, thirteen 
resolutions were passed, stating that the District was able to support a 
separate government, setting forth the reasons why the present 
union was inconvenient, and that a " total separation " was alone 
consistent with its prosperity. 

At the adjournment of this meeting, held in January, 1795, an 
address was prepared, signed by William Gorham as president, 
requesting the people to vote again upon this subject, and at a town 
meeting held in Gorham on the 6th of May there were cast forty-six 
ballots in favor of revising the constitution, and twenty-nine against 
it ; fifty-one ballots for the separation of York, Cumberland and 
Lincoln Counties, and seven against such action. 

Notwithstanding the rebuffs and discouragements experienced, in 
January, 1797, petitions were sent up to the General Court praying 
that the votes of the inhabitants of the District might be given on the 
subject. This request was granted, and a vote appointed to be taken 



SEPARATION OF MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS. 167 

in May on the question whether application should be made to 
the General Court for its consent to a separation and the making of the 
District into a State. On this question, Gorham voted twenty-six in 
favor, and thirty against it. This effort being found to be a failure, 
the subject was allowed to rest, with only a slight attempt at revival 
in 1S06-7, until 18 15, when at the close of the war it became again 
one of the questions of the day. Feb. 10, 1816, the General Court 
directed that on the 20th of May the votes of all the towns and 
plantations in the District should be taken on the question, " Shall 
the Legislature be requested to give its consent to the separation of 
the District of Maine from Massachusetts, and the erection of said 
District into a separate State ? " Upon the result of this vote, 
the Maine Senators, and most of the Representatives, petitioned the 
Legislature for its consent to form a new State out of the District. 
On June 20th, a law was passed authorizing a vote to be taken on 
" Is it expedient that the District of Maine be separated from 
Massachusetts, and become an Independent State.?" Each town at 
the same time was to choose as many delegates as it might have 
Representatives in the Legislature. The voting was to take place on 
the first Monday in September, and on the last Monday of the same 
month these delegates were to meet in convention at Brunswick, and 
if it was found that a majority of five to four of the votes were in 
favor of a separation, the Convention was to form a State Constitu- 
tion. Gorham voted one hundred and twenty-seven for separation, 
and one hundred and eighty against it, and chose as delegates to the 
Convention, Hon. Lothrop Lewis, David Harding, Jr. and Samuel 
Stephenson. The Convention met, when it was found that the five- 
ninths of the vote, necessary for the success of the measure, had not 
been received. About two-thirds of the Convention being ardent 
supporters of an independent State, it was endeavored to escape 
defeat by accepting the ingenious report of a committee, which said, 
"That the whole aggregate majority of yeas over the nays, in the 
towns and plantations in favor, was six thousand and thirty-one; — 
the whole aggregate majority of nays over the yeas, in the towns and 
plantations opposed, was four thousand eight hundred and twenty- 
five ; then z-s Jive is to four so is six thousand and thirty-one to four 
thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five. The General Court, 
however, would not hear of this construction, and dissolved the 
Convention. 

A final effort to accomplish this long desired object was made in 
18 19, when the Legislature, being presented with petitions from 



168 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

about seventy towns, passed a law on the 19th of June consenting to 
a separation, provided a majority of fifteen hundred votes were cast 
in its favor. This vote was to be taken on the fourth Monday in 
July, and the returns made to the Governor and Council, when if the 
necessary majority was found, each corporate town was to choose 
delegates, who were to meet in Portland, form a Constitution, and 
make application to Congress to be admitted into the Union as a 
State. 

Gorham this time voted in favor of separation, one hundred and 
eighty-three, and against it, ninety-five. Of the total vote, a majority 
of nearly ten thousand was in favor of forming a new State, and it 
was so declared by the Governor. Gorham then chose as its delegates 
to the Portland Convention Lothrop Lewis, Esq., Gen. James Irish 
and Joseph Adams, Esq. The Convention met at Portland on Oct. 
II, and framed a Constitution, which was signed on the 29th of the 
month, and the first Monday in December appointed for submitting 
it to the people for their adoption or rejection. A large majority of 
the people by their votes in December, ratified the Constitution ; 
Gorham voting ninety-four to one in its favor. 

The new State was admitted to the Union by Congress, March 4, 
1820, and as, by the Act of June 19, 1819, March 15 was to terminate 
the union of the District and the Mother-State, Maine on the i6th of 
March, 1820, became an independent State. 



CHAPTER IX. 

MEETING HOUSES AND MINISTERS OF THE STANDING ORDER. 

Our old ancestors thought well of building meeting houses, and 
settling ministers. With them it was as much a part of their duty 
as it was to build their own residences. By law it was made a part of 
the contract with all proprietors of townships for settlement, that as 
soon as they were able, or a sufficient number of settlers came in, 
they should build a meeting house, and settle a "learned, Orthodox 
minister." If this contract was not perfected in a reasonable time, 
they forfeited their title to the land. 

Our ancestors were not backward, but held squarely to their 
obligations ; and we find, that at the first proprietors'* meeting 
of which we have any record, held in Gorhamtown, at the house of 
Mr. John Phinney, Nov. 24, 1741, at which time there were probably 
about eight families in town, the meeting, after choosing a clerk, was 
adjourned to meet at the house of Mr. Moses Pearson, in Falmouth, 
Nov. 26, 1741; where the second vote passed was, "That a 
Meeting House be built for the public worship of God in said town 
(Gorham) ; forty feet one way, and thirty the other; twenty foot shed 
with suitable roof," and " That fifty shillings on a right be raised by 
each Proprietor in order to erect a Meeting House, and clear a 
suitable tract of land to set the same on." And a committee was 
chosen to determine where the house should stand, and to build the 
same. This meeting was then adjourned to meet the next Monday : 
this came in December, 1741, when it was voted "That twenty rods 
square be cleared on the westerly side of the way called King Street, 
in order for to build a Meeting House for the public worship of God ; 
partly on the Minister's and Ministerial lots, adjoining to the above 
said way, to lie common forever for the use of y*^ Inhabitants." A 
committee was chosen, consisting of John Phinney, William Pote, 
Hugh McLellan and Ebenezer Hall, to cut and clear the "twenty 
rods square," in order to " set the Meeting House ; " (eighty feet 
square of which was to be cut within six inches of the ground) within 
fourteen days, for which they were to have eight pounds. Feb. 16, 
1742/3, it was "voted to pay John Gorham and Daniel Mosher 
;{J"2 5-o-o, old tenor, for clearing and burning the stuff from the 



170 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Meeting House lot, twenty rods square; they having till y'= last of 
May to do y*^ same in." This would bring the preparations for the 
building up to the last of May, 1743, and probably the house was 
built that summer (1743). It was certainly built before February, 
1744, for at that time a notice was published for "all Proprietors 
to pay up their taxes for building the meeting house." It is said to 
have been constructed of logs, which is probably true, for nothing 
better could have been had at that time. Boards were not here, nor 
were there roads over which to haul them, or mills to saw them. The 
location above described would place this first meeting house on the 
top of Fort Hill, near where the old town house formerly stood, but 
that is probably not the exact spot where it was built, for reliable 
tradition fixes the site on the westerly side of the- hill, a little south of 
the burying ground, near where the locust trees now stand. The first 
log house of Capt. John Phinney was on the opposite side of the road, 
a little farther south. In the Indian war of 1745 this meeting house 
was burned by the savages, at the same time that the first mill was 
destroyed, and none was built to replace it on Fort Hill. For several 
years the inhabitants held their meetings in the fort. 

On July 25, 1750, at a Proprietors' meeting held at the fort in 
Gorhamtown, it was " Voted that eighteen pence on each share be 
raised, and paid into the hands of the Treasurer, for repairing the 
south-east flanker of the fort, for public worship," and Capt. John 
Phinney was appointed to have the repairs made, so far as the money 
would go. This was two months previous to the giving the Rev. 
Solomon Lombard his call to preach. In August, 1751, I find 
another vote to make further repairs on the south-east bastion to fit 
it for public worship. In 1756, April 2d, we find ^4 voted to make 
repairs on fort and meeting house (bastion). 

The Proprietors, by their contract with the settlers, were bound to 
furnish a meeting house ; the people had been a long time without 
one. Though they were all proprietors, some of the out-of-town 
proprietors were much the largest land-holders, and would have to 
pay largely. A movement was started amongst the settlers to have 
a meeting house, and in a more convenient location than the fort. A 
meeting was called to take the subject into consideration. 

In 1760, Feb. 26th, we find the last vote we have in relation to the 
old Fort Meeting house. And it is as follows: "Voted, that Capt, 
John Waite, Moses Pearson, Esq., and Mr. John Cotton be a Committee 
to repair to the Fort in Gorhamtown : View the Flanker that is used for 
Public Worship : Consider of building a Meeting House : Where to 



MEETING HOUSES. 171 

set said house, and how big to build the same." Also, "Voted, 
There be raised and assessed on the several rights in said township 
toward building a Meeting House, Sixty-six pounds, thirteen shillings, 
and four pence (;^66-i3-4)". Up to this time the old Orthodox 
Congregationalist Society had worshipped on Fort Hill, though the 
population had spread south much faster than north. Quite a 
village had grown up at Gorham Corner, and down the Portland 
road. Many did not like the going to Fort Hill to meeting. 
Moreover, a large number, including some of the most influential 
men of the town, were much dissatisfied with Mr. Lombard, and 
would not attend his meetings. Consequently, a society was formed 
at the village, of the disaffected and others. They built a meeting 
house, and settled a Mr. Ebenezer Townsend to preach to them, and 
called themselves Orthodox; — tried to get the Ministerial lands 'for 
their minister, but the Court decided that they had not settled "a 
learned, Orthodox minister,'' and they lost their case. This house 
was a small two-story meeting house, nearly, if not quite, square, with 
a four-sided roof, which sloped up, from each side, to the centre. It 
was built with gallery pews, and stood facing High St. (now so called), 
on the north-westerly corner of what was then Bryant Morton's lot, 
and is now called the old Parish lot. The lot extended northerly to 
what is now the southerly side of Church St., and included the lot 
now owned by Simon E. McLellan. 

About this time Mr. Lombard virtually ceased to preach. Religious 
matters being in rather an unsettled state, he filled his pulpit mostly 
by exchange. Transient preachers would be occasionally employed 
to preach on the Hill, till the death of Mr. Townsend, which occurred 
in 1762. In the mean time, the old Society had been moving, and 
procuring materials for building their new house. The death of Mr. 
Townsend, and the willingness of Mr. Lombard to take his dismissal, 
seemed to open a chance for a reconciliation. Accordingly, a nego- 
tiation was entered into for the purchase of the new meeting house at 
the Corner, by the Proprietors, for the use of the town (old Society). 
The result of the negotiation will be seen in the following report. 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON MEETING HOUSE. 

" The Committee appointed to confer with the owners of the 
Meeting House at Gorham to see on what terms they can purchase 
the same. Report as follows, that they have conferred with the owners 
of said Meeting House who are willing to sell the same to the Pro- 
prietors, with a quarter of an acre of land, whereon it stands and 
conveniently adjoining, for ;^i8o, lawful money, and oblige themselves 



172 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

to glaze it forthwith. Which the Committee think best to be done, 
provided the inhabitants discharge the Proprietors from any further 
expense concerning a Meeting House for public Worship." 

Signed by Enoch Freeman, Alexander Ross, Stephen Longfellow, 
William Cotton and Josiah Noyes. 

Dated, Gorham, Feb. i8, 1765. 

" We the subscribers, a Committee of the owners of the Meeting 
House above mentioned, agree to all the above, and promise to exe- 
cute a deed for said house and land, to said Proprietors, on demand." 

Signed by Bryant Morton, Edmund Phinney, Nathaniel Whitney, 
John Sawyer and Samuel Crockett. 

Dated, Feb. 18, 1765. 

And the timber for the new house was returned to Jacob Hamblen, 
Solomon Lombard and John Harding, who had procured it, together 
with ;^6-i3-4, to be proportionally divided between them, with which 
they professed themselves satisfied. 

The deed from Bryant Morton, Edmund Phinney, John Sawyer, 
Nathaniel Whitney and Samuel Crockett to Moses Pearson, for and 
in behalf of the Proprietors, of the meeting house and land for the 
use of the town (First Parish) was duly executed, March 4th, A. D. 
1765; and the Societies were again united- — and the old Orthodox 
Congregational Society took up its headquarters at Gorham Corner ; 
dedicating their church, June 5, 1765. 

It appears that previous to October, 1769, the meeting house had 
no pews ; and a vote was passed in town meeting to choose a commit- 
tee of seven men ; Samuel Crockett, Joseph Gates, Benjamin Skillings, 
Amos Whitney, William McLellan, Jacob Hamblen and Joseph Brown, 
" to rank, and finish, and appraise the (pews in the) Meeting-house, 
and that the pews shall finish the Meeting-house. And that the Pro- 
prietors pay into the committee one half of what their Pew privileges 
amount to in 1770, and the other half in 177 1, or else perfect their 
Pews 1 77 1, Nov. 22. 

" Voted, that the proprietors of pews have six months longer to 
pay to committee. 

" Voted, to have two pews more at the eastern end of the Women's 
seats, and two more at the western end of the men's seats below, and 
two pews above. 

"Voted, Solomon Lombard, Esq., William Gorham, Esq. and James 
Gilkey have each of them one of the pews above-mentioned, and that 
Samuel Murch and Jonathan Sawyer have one between them, on the 
floor, and that Joseph Brown, Jr and Thomas Irish have each of them 
one of the pews to be built above stairs." 

November 7 of the same year a town meeting was held for the purpose 
of drawing the pews. This house was occupied by the First Parish 



MEETING HOUSES. 



173 



for about thirty years. It becoming rather small for the congregation, 
it was voted in 1792, to enlarge the house thirty feet to the south. 
Nothing appears to have been done under this vote. At a meeting 
held at the old meeting house, Dec. 5, 1795, it was " A^oted, To build 
a new Meeting House," and " Voted, To build it of wood and to 
accept the proposition of Mr. Thomas McLellan for a lot on the 
south westerly corner of his lot, running from the corner northerly on 




FIRST PARISH MEETING HOUSE, 1 798. 

the Road, seven and one half rods, and easterly six and one half 
rods; Reserving a two rod road across the southerly side thereof" 
(running into what is now Church Street). For which said McLellan 
received a part of the old Parish lot, from the southerly end thereof, 
being four rods on the road, and five rods back. (Now Simon E. 
McLellan's lot.) 



174 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Operations were immediately commenced, under this vote, to build 
a new house, and the frame was raised in June, 1797. While raising 
the timbers for the belfry, some of the rigging gave way causing a 
most melancholy accident, whereby Dr. Nathaniel Bowman, a young 
and promising ph5'sician much respected in town, and James Tryon, 
a young man employed on the work, lost their lives. The 
building was completed in 1798. This house was finished with 
square pews, and falling seats, and had a gallery on three sides. The 
entrance was on the south side, directly from the Green, also on the 
east, and through the belfry on the west. The pulpit was on the north 
side, more than ten feet above the congregation, with a large old- 
fashioned sounding-board over the minister's head. 

The lirst stoves were placed in the house in 1822, when the parish 
voted, on the 2 2d of April, to raise ten dollars to help pay for the 
stoves, and also five dollars to pay for fuel. 

On April 8, 1823, the Society voted to choose six persons to keep 
the boys m order in the gallery. 

An alteration was made in the house in 1828. The square pews 
and gallery were taken out ; the lower floor was raised, and long 
pews built ; the pulpit lowered, and a porch built on the south side 
for an entrance and music-gallery. December 15, of this year, the 
Parish voted that they "do give their consent that the proprietors of 
the organ may place the same in the meeting house of said Parish," 
and " that the rent arising from the Parish land, after paying for the 
bell, and to the amount of not exceeding $100, be appropriated to 
the purchase of shares in the organ, providing every exertion is made 
to enlarge the present list of subscribers to said organ." This organ 
was made by Calvin Edwards, and was his first. In July, 1867, a new 
organ was purchased of E. & G. G. Hook of Boston, at a cost of 
$2,622.88. 

In 1848 another alteration was made. The floor was lowered to 
its old place, the pulpit changed to the eastern end, the windows 
reduced in number and greatly enlarged ; new slips were put in, and 
afterwards, — about 1854 — the present galleries were added. The 
spire was erected in 184.8. The clock was added in 1868, the gift of 
Hon. Toppan Robie. 

In 1885 the former pews were removed, and new ones of cherry 
substituted. The interior of the house was finished in cherry to 
match, and a new set of pulpit furniture was introduced. New win- 
dows of stained glass were also substituted for the plain ones, thus 
allowing of the removal of the blinds from the outside of the edifice. 



MEETING HOUSES. 175 

When the new meeting house was finished in 1798, the town voted 
to give the old meeting house to School District No. i , on condition 
that they would build a house sufficiently large (28 x 34 feet) to 
accommodate the town, in which to hold their town meetings, with 
the right of building said house on the south corner of their lot, there 
to remain so long as the one to be built, or one or more houses to be 
built, on the same spot, shall last : with the right of the town and 
parish to meet at said schoolhouse, and there to transact all the 
business of the town and parish, whenever they may think proper. 
This schoolhouse was built and occupied many years. Becoming 
too small for the town meetings, it was decided in 18 15 to build a 
town house. After much opposition by many who thought the build- 
ing should be located more nearly in the centre of the town, it was 
finally voted to place the new town house on F'ort Hill. The house 
was situated on the northeast corner of James Phinney's lot, No. 
57 ; was fifty feet long by thirty-two wide and had ten foot posts. The 
first meeting held in it by the town was the regular March meeting 
for 18 1 7. As is elsewhere related, the town, about 1850, exchanged 
this building with Capt. Robie for the old Free Meeting house at the 
village, which is still used by the town. 

The old schoolhouse, after the building of the town house, was 
sold to Mr. George Hight, and by him used for a blacksmith's shop, 
and was finally taken down and built into a small shop, which now 
stands on State St., owned by Col. Robie, and until lately occupied 
by Cyrus Abbott as a storehouse. 

Somewhere about the year 18 19, on the dissolution of the Shaker 
Society in Gorham, Rev. Asa Rand, acting for the Congregational Soci- 
ety, and Capt. Robert McLellan, purchased one of the Shaker buildings 
and hauled it to Gorham Village. Mr. Rand placed his half of this 
building on South St., just south of the burying ground, where the 
old brick schoolhouse lately stood, and converted it into a Conference 
House for the use of his church. In 1826 the brick vestry, situated 
east of the meeting house, was built, Dea. Thomas S. Robie giving 
five hundred dollars toward the building, and Thomas McLellan 
presenting the stone basement and the land on which it is located. 
After the erection of this building, the old Conference House was 
moved on to the new road to Saccarappa, and altered into the dwell- 
ing house where George Jewett lately lived. 

A new chapel and conference hall, which was erected at a cost of 
about thirteen thousand dollars, was built on the " Parish lot," on the 
opposite corner from the church, and dedicated on the nineteenth of 
January 1898. 



176 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

It is probable that the settlers held some kind of religious services 
in the town before a minister was hired, as we know that Mr. Smith of 
Falmouth (Portland) preached here Aug. 31, 1742, and "had," as 
he says, "great assistance." This was about a year previous to the 
building of the meeting house. At any rate it was before Mr. Crocker 
came. Mr, Crocker preached in Portland before he came to Gorham. 
There were at this time about twenty families in town, and a consid- 
erable number of the heads of these families were members of 
churches in the towns from whence they came. As early as Nov. 26, 
1 741, the Proprietors voted that ten shillings on a right of each 
Proprietor be raised in order to help the inhabitants support a minister 
for the time voted, and that John Gorham be chosen Treasurer, and 
that Col. Gorham and William Cotton be chosen collectors for the 
sums voted by the Proprietors on each right. 

As a meeting house was to be built, and the settlers were much in 
want of a minister to preach the gospel to them, the Proprietors held 
a meeting, and voted to hire a minister for six months, or at the rate 
of three pounds and ten shillings (old tenor) per sabbath, till the sum of 
sixty pounds was expended. A committee w.is chosen to procure a 
supply, and Mr. John Phinney was empowered to get the man ; when 
the following correspondence took place between the committee, and 
Rev. Benjamin Crocker : — 

For the Rev^ Benj Crocker, att Ipsitch, per Capt. Phinney. 

Gorham Town, so called, February 16"' 1742/3. 
Mr. Crocker, Sir, 

We, the Subscribers, Being this Day att a proprietors' 
meeting Chosen to Gett a Minister to Preatch to the Inhabitants for 
five or six months to Come, and We are Informed by Mr. J""^ Phin- 
ney that you signified to him you would come and preatch If we 
Desired It ; And these are to desire you to come and preatch here 
the time above mentioned, or Less time, as may sute your conven- 
iency, and We shall Readily pay your Reasonable Demands, and 
must Refer you to Mr. John Phinney for particulars. By Whome this 
comes. With Expectation of your Complyance, We Remain your 
humble servants 

Moses Pearson. 

William Pote. 

William Gotten. 

Benjamin Skillins. 

J"° Gorham. 

In March, 1743, the Proprietors voted that Moses Pearson, William 
Pote, William Cotton, Benjamin Skillings and John Gorham should 
have full power given them to raise the money already voted for 
preaching, etc., by sueing, and selling the lands of the delinquent 



MINISTERS. 177 

Proprietors. The same committee was also empowered to lay out 
two hundred acres of land, for the ministerial and minister's lots, 
wherever they might think most suitable. 

In September of the same year, twenty shillings, (old tenor), on 
each right, was voted to be raised as soon as might be, to pay a 
minister for preaching for the following year. It was also voted to 
sell enough of the timber standing on the common and undivided 
lands of the town to pay Mr. Crocker for his preaching. 

The following notice is certified to have been posted at several 
places ; and by John Gorham, to have been posted in Gorham town 
at "y^ Mil Doar." 

1743/4, February 3. 

These are to notify the Proprietors of Gorham town, alias Narra- 
gansett township, No. 7, laying in y'^ County of York, that there is a 
tax of seven pounds, four shillings, old tenor, laid on each of their 
lots, at their legal meeting : For the building of a meeting-house, 
paying their minister and for bringing forward the settlement of said 
township. Five pounds, ten shillings of which tax hath heretofore 
been notified and published in y^ Public Gazette, agreeable to the 
laws of this Province. These are to desire the delinquent Proprietors of 
y^ above township to pay y*^ whole of y^ above mentioned taxes, with- 
out further delay, unto John Gorham, Proprietors' Treasurer, or their 
rights must be exposed to sale agreeable to y laws of this Province. 
Falmouth, February 3, 1743/4. William Pote, ^ 

Moses Pearson, - Committee. 

John Gorham. ) 

Mr. Crocker renders an account of those from whom he received 
money, and a receipt in full as follows : — 

An account of what I received for preaching at Gorham Town. 

£ s d 

Of Mr. Gotten, ii-io-oo 

Of Mr. Pote, 2-00-00 

Of Mr. Cobb, for Finey (Phinney), i-oo-oo 

Of Mr. Pearson, 5-00-00 

Of Mr. J"° Eayer, 1 0-00 

Of Mr. Benj" Skillins, 3-10-00 

Of Mr. Benj" Stevens, 3-10-00 

Of Mr. McAllin (McLellan), 3-10-00 

Of Mr. Jeremiah Hodgdon, 10-00 

Of Cpt Gorham, ^ 10-00 

Of Mr. Pote, for boarding, 9-00-00 

Of Mr. Gotten, 200s, 10-00-00 

Of Mr. Gotten, 5-10-00 

^56-00-00 
Of Mr. Pearson, 4-00-00 

^60-00—00 



178 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Falmouth, Sept. 12^'' i743- 
Rec'd of the Within Comt for Gorham town sixty pounds old tenor 
Which is in full for preatching at Gorhamtown I say Rec'd per Me 

Benj". Crocker. 

This closed Mr. Crocker's labors in Gorham. He was the son of 
Josiah Crocker of Barnstable and his wife Militiah, daughter of Gov. 
Thomas Hinckley. He was born Sept. 26, 1692, and was graduated 
at Harvard College in 17 13. He taught the Ipswich Grammar School 
for many years, both before and after preaching in Gorham. In the 
years 1726, 1734 and 1736 he represented the town of Ipswich in 
the General Court. After the death of Edward Pell in 1752, he 
supplied the pulpit at Ipswich for about two years, and on the 25th 
of April, 1754, received a call to preach there. He was appointed a 
Feoffor in 1749, which office he held until his removal from Ipswich 
in 1764. His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. William Williams 
of Weston, Mass. Mr. Crocker died in 1766, leaving two children, 
Mary Gunnison and John. His wife Elizabeth, who survived him, 
afterwards married a Cogswell. 

After Mr. Crocker left it does not appear that they had any preach- 
ing at Gorhamtown for some time, but at a meeting of the Proprietors, 
held at the fort, Oct. 30, 1749, it was " Voted, that there Be assessed 
on Each Right within said township, ten shillings to be payd to some 
Gentleman that shall Be Imployed to preach to the people in s'' town 
and that Cpt. Jedediah Preble, Cpt. Moses Pearson and Enoch 
Freeman, Esq"" Be a com"^^ to agree with some suitable Gentleman, 
on the Best terms they can for s'l money to preach as afores^ ". 

About this time Mr. Solomon Lombard came to Gorham, and 
preached. He was born in Truro, Mass., and was graduated at 
Harvard College in 1723. Before coming to Gorham, he married, in 
Truro, Sarah Purrington. Previous to his ordination in Gorham he 
had preached about six months in this place. 

At a meeting, held at the fort Sept. 26, 1750, it was "Voted to 
Give Mr. Solomon Lombard a call to settle here in this Town in the 
Work of the Gospel ministry ", and it was also voted to give him fifty 
three pounds, six shillings and eight pence, lawful money, annually, 
during his ministry m this place. Capt. John Phinney, Mr. Jacob 
Hamblen and Mr. Joseph Weston were chosen a committee to treat 
and agree with Mr. Lombard respecting his settling in Gorham ; and 
lot 57 — with the exception of an acre and a quarter, adjoining the 
fort — , with after divisions, was confirmed to the first Congregational 



MINISTERS. 179 

minister in the town, his heirs and assigns forever. This lot adjoins 
the lot upon which the fort was built. It drew in after divisions, the 
hundred acre lot 43 and the seventy acre lot 28. 

This committee, after having performed the duties for which they 
were chosen, received the following reply from Mr. Lombard: 

Whereas this Day Cpt John phiney Mr Joseph Weston and Mr 
Jacob Hamblin, a Com'^*^ of the proprietors of the lands in Gorham- 
town, to treat With me the subscriber In Order to My settlement in 
s'^ town in the Gospel ministiy and in Order thereto presented me 
the Votes of s'^ proprietors Both as to My salary viz : fifty three 
pound six and Eight pence Lawful money p"" annum. During my 
Continuance in s'^ Town, in the ministry afors^' and the Improvement 
of the second Lott With the after Divisions During the term afors** 
and for my settlement Do Give to me my Heirs and assigns forever 
the fifty seventh lott With the after Divisions On the Common- or 
undivided Land thereto Belonging In answer I Beg leave to Return 
my harty thanks unto the Gentlemen the proprietors for that Great 
Regard they have herein expresed to me and Wish I may Ever merit 
there esteem. I Chearfully accept of their Call and offer I Beg 
their prayers to all mighty God for me that I may obtain Grace to Be 
faithfull and that While I preach y*^ Gospel to others I my self Be not 
cast away 
Gorhamtown September 27* 1750 

your humble servant Solomon Lombard 

And on the same day that this reply is dated (Sept. 27, 1750) the 
Proprietors voted to accept the answer of Mr. Lombard ; and " that 
the afore said committee wait on him and acquaint him that the Pro- 
prietors accept his answer and return him thanks therefor ". 

Lot No. 2, excepting an acre and a quarter adjoining the fort, was 
set off, and confirmed, for an orthodox Congregational minister, 
together with its after divisions, of which the hundred acre lot was 
directed to be laid out, as soon as possible, by Capt. John Phinney, 
Mr. Jacob Hamblen and Mr. Daniel Mosher. This land, the parson- 
age, as it was called, Mr. Lombard was to have the use of during his 
ministry. 

The following pastors, with their churches, were invited to the 
ordination of Mr. Lombard: — Mr. Smith, Mr. Allin, Mr. Loring, 
Mr. Thompson, Mr. Morril and Mr. Hovey.' 

Capt. John Phinney, Mr. Jacob Hamblen, Capt. Joshua Freeman, 
Capt. Moses Pearson and Maj. Enoch Freeman were appointed a 



I The Rev. 1 hos. Smith was of Falmouth; Rev. Benj. Allen, of Purpooduck ; 
Rev. Nicholas Loring, of No. Yarmouth; Rev. Wm. Thompson, of Scarborough: 
Rev. Moses Morrell, of Biddeford, and Rev. John Hovey, of Arundel. 



£ 


s 


d 


14- 


■ 7- 


-6 


8- 


14- 


-0 


4- 


8- 


-0 


2- 


- 6- 


-0 


14- 


■ 4- 


-0 


5- 


- 0- 


-0 


4- 


-12- 


-6 




5- 


-0 




14- 


-0 



180 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

committee to make provision for the ordination. This took place 
Dec. 26, 1750; Rev. Thomas Smith preaching the sermon. Forty 
five shillings, or one dollar, was assessed on each Proprietor's right, 
to defra)^ the expenses of the occasion. 

Following are copies of the bills for the ordination dinner, etc. : 

1750 
December The proprietors of Gorhamtown Dr 

to I Baril flower 

to 29'*^ suger 

to 4 Glasses, 40^ ; 3 Bushel aples, 48^ ; 

to I tea pot, 30^; Bushel aples, 16-0^'; 

to 2 Barils Cyder £g ; 4 Galonds rum, 104^ 

to 2 Galonds Brande 

to 35^^ flower, 52-6^^; 2 Bushel cramberys 

to a Botle vineger 

to Expence at sackerapy 

;^54-ii-o 

Errors Excepted per Moses pearson 

1750 

December 18 : The proprietors of Gorhamtown Dr to Enoch Freeman 

to 2 loves suger W^ 14''^, at 20^^ i- 4-2 

to i^'^ tea, 10^; 2 Cheeses W 361^, at 6^^ i- 9-6 

to I'b Ginger, 2-6^; 2 pots Buter W^ 26^^^ at lo^ 1- 4-3, i- 

to 54^^^ pork at 7^, 1-11-9''; 6 Galonds molases at 2-8^, 

16-0^ 2- 7-9 

to I fowl 8d; Beaf hide and tallo W 413!^ at oo^, is £4- 

8-iod 
to 6^'^ Candles at i® 
to I qt vinegar 
to 3 Geese W 173^"^ at 3 >^ 
to I pot Butter W i'j}4 at lo'^ 
to 3 days Wm Mekculeason help provide for ordination 

^12-16-8 
Errors Excepted pr Enoch Freeman 
alowed with the Deduction from Wm Meckcolison 15-0'^ and 5^ for 
the fowel ; Examined and alowed with the above Deduction of 20^ 
old tenner 

the ac^ of Charge for the ordination 

2_o-o Myself 8 days to Citing up y^ stores 10- 0-0 

to hors work 4 days 4- °~o 

-1 0-0 to Hugh Mclallin 2 days 2-10-0 

5-0*^ to Jn° Irish 1 day Bringin the Cow i- 5-0 



4- 


-12- 


-6 




6- 


-0 
8 




5- 


-2 




14- 


-7 




12 


-0 



MINISTERS. 181 

Killing the Cow lo-o 

to hors Keeping 19 days and nights at 10^ y*^ night 9-10-0 

to 7 horses the day time at 5^ 1-15-0 

to womans Cooking 10 days 5- 0-0 

2 men i day tending y« ordination 2-10-0 



37- 0-0 
the things that I provided X Errors 6-19-6 



43-19-6 

one ounce of nutmeg 12-0 

to 4 ounces of peyper 6-0 



44-17-6 
to 8 fowls 36^ ; 7 fowls 3i''-6'' ; pound Chocklat 18-0^ 4- 5-6 
to Yz Bushl onions 12-0'^; 10 qts milk 15-0'^' i- 2~° 

salt 4-0^; turnups 5-0'' 9-0 

petators half Bushel 5-0 



51- 4-0 
Deduct 6-19-6 ; Entered in the acount twice 6-19-6 



;^44- 4-6 
Deduct 6-16-6 as in the margen 6-16-6 



£zi- 8-0 

Deduct fowls of tuttel Maj'' Freeman p^ for 1-11-6 



;^3S-i6-6 

this acount alowed with 3-5-0 Deduction as in the margen as also 

for sundry stores in Hamblins hands 3-1 1-6 

the within acount aproved of with the above Deductions 

The above bills, after being examined and approved by a commit- 
tee, were on the 13th of August, 1751, voted to be paid by the 
Proprietors. 

For some time after the ordination of Mr. Lombard things seemed 
to go on well, but at length, in 1757, a schism arose. In this year he 
had difficulty with his church and people, on account of a sermon 
he preached which gave umbrage to a part of them, and in March 
1757 twenty-one of the inhabitants addressed a letter to the Pro- 
prietors in opposition to Mr. Lombard. In this they say; "Our 
Rev. Pastor's conduct in the discipline of his Church hath had such 
an evil tendency, it hath weaned our affections from him, and in a 
great measure spoilt his usefulness towards us ; further, his common 
conduct seemeth to us to be very extraordinary in setting neighbors 



182 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

against neighbors, which keep us in a fire of contention. And hke- 
wise he has taken upon him so much business which does not concern 
the ministry, which gives us grounds to think him more for the fleece 
than he is for the flock ". In consequence of this letter an article 
was inserted in a warrant for a Proprietors' meeting, March, 1757, to 
" inquire into the differences betwixt the Rev. Solomon Lombard and 
the inhabitants of the town ", but no action was taken on it. 

Dec. 14th of the same 3^ear a council was called at Gorham, and 
Parson Smith says,' "Dec. 16. The Council finished and brought 
the aggrieved brethren to agree". Jan. 19, 1758, another council 
was held, six churches being represented. On Jan. 25th, while the 
council was debating, " a motion came into the Council that the par- 
ties had agreed ".****** "And so the matter was finished by 
nine o'clock this (Jan. 26) evening." ^ 

The disagreement was settled by the formation of a new Society, 
which should be exonerated from any obligation to contribute to the 
support of Mr. Lombard ; as may be seen by the following which is 
a copy of the proceedings of the council : 

We, the pastors and messengers of five churches ; viz., the first in 
York, the first and third in Falmouth, the church in Biddeford, the 
second in Wells, and the messengers from the second church in 
Scarborough, convened in an ecclesiastical council at Gorhamtown, 
Jany 19*'^ -1758, by the desire of the Pastor and Church to give 
advice in the unhappy contention that has so long subsisted between 

them, after serious and humble prayer to God for direction, and 

after hearing and fully disputing all that was thought proper to be laid 
before us, The Rev. Mr. Lombard and the church voluntarily exhibited 
the conditions for a separation ; viz., That Mr. Lombard shall give up 
one half of all the parsonage upon the settlement of another minister, 
and that he will give security to all the disaffected brethren and 
disaffected inhabitants against ever paying any taxes for his support, 
and that the disaffected brethren shall be incorporated into a distinct 
church by this council by the name of The First Church. On the 
other hand the disaffected brethren do freely and fully consent that 
all the well affected brethren be by this council incorporated into a 
distinct church ; and they will secure them and the well affected 
inhabitants from ever paying any taxes to any other minister during 
Mr. Lombard's ministry, and that there shall be a distinct list of all 
the well affected and disaffected to ascertain what minister they 
support, and that all injuries, provocations, and oflences be forgotten, 
forgiven, and forever at an end, and the peaceful spirit of the Gospel 
be promoted to our uttermost. 



1 Smith's Journal, page 173. 

2 Idem, page 174. 



MINISTERS. 183 

Put to vote, — whether this council approve of this agreement, 
passed unanimous ; — to which the pastor and each party unanimously 
consented in the presence of this council. Now sincerely and ear- 
nestly wishing you all the blessings of peace, truth, and holiness, and 
exhorting you to use your endeavors to promote the peaceful kingdom 
of Christ among you, to whose guidance and blessing we commend 
you all. 

Gorhamtown, Jan>' 25''^ 175S. 

Thomas Smith, Moderator. 

Daniel Little, Scribe. 

The well affected and disaffected brethren, as mentioned above, 
were incorporated into two churches by a committee of four ministers 
and four messengers of said council, and obligations by mutual bonds 
given to free each party from paying towards the support of any other 
minister in this town but the minister to whom they are well affected 
as expressed in the above agreement. 

Certified per Daniel Little, Scribe. 
Gorhamtown, Jan^, 25, 1758. 

In spite of the above certificate it seems rather doubtful if such 
action did take place, for we find that on the sixth of May 1760, the 
Proprietors voted to assess and raise, on each right in the township, 
twenty shillings in full, to pay the Rev. Solomon Lombard's salary to 
the above date; and reserving to themselves for the future, if they 
saw fit to take any advantage of it, the right to make use of the 
agreement, made at the council mentioned above, for a separation of 
the Church and people in Gorham town. 

Capt. John Phinney and Capt. Bryant Morton appear to have been 
the head of the opposition to Mr. Lombard. It appears also that the 
dissatisfaction did not arise from dift'erence in doctrine, but from 
the performance of his clerical duties, as they understood them. As 
has been said before, the council that sat on the case in January, 
1758, of which the Rev. Mr. Smith of Falmouth was moderator, did 
not come to a conclusion, as the parties settled their differences 
among themselves, and the affairs of the church and society went on, 
not, however, very harmoniously, as we have reason to believe. Mr. 
Lombard had a family growing up ; and felt desirous of making pro- 
vision for them in a worldly point of view. He became quite a land 
speculator, and from an examination of records and documents, he 
must have devoted much of his time to looking after corner-lots, 
timber lands, and mills. Phinney, Morton and others of his oppo- 
nents were large land owners, and did quite a business in lumbering 
and land trading. It is possible that there was often some interfering. 
They did not like to be obliged to pay a man for ministerial duties. 



184 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

and then have him over-reach and out-do them in trade. Although 
there was a settlement between the two factions, it does not appear 
that there was a reconciliation. 

Things went on till 1759, when in April the Rev. Ebenezer Town- 
send was brought here by Phinney and Morton. The old colonial 
law of the times said that the ministers, settled by the Proprietors of 
the towns granted by the General Court, in order to be entitled to the 
settlements made for the ministry, must be " learned orthodox min- 
isters." Mr. Townsend was not an educated man ; had never studied 
theology ; or been ordained, or licensed to preach, by a council ; and 
moreover, Mr. Lombard had not been dismissed from his charge, 
and the disaffected had no permanent organization, or /^^"^a/ existence ; 
therefore, the clergymen of the neighboring towns refused to ordain 
Townsend. Consequently, Capt. Phinney and Capt. Morton took 
the thing into their own hands, and as Parson Smith says in his 
quaint way, "April 4, 1759, Mr. Townsend was ordained in Gorham. 
Capt. Phinney prayed before the Charge and Capt. Morton gave it, 
and Townsend did all the rest." Thus Mr. Townsend was settled 
over the disaffected portion of Mr. Lombard's society. It is probable 
that this was the first lay ordination that ever took place in New 
England. It was something new, and very strange for a minister of 
the Gospel to be inducted into office in olden times, without the aid 
of clergymen. 

We have no record of the settlement of salary voted Mr. Tow-nsend 
by his parishoners. There was an attempt made to compel Mr. 
Lombard, by a suit-at-law, to give up the parsonage to Mr. Townsend, 
(carried on by Phinney and Morton, and which was tried at York). 
The Court decided in favor of Lombard, who remained in possession, 
and Townsend had to be provided for otherwise. 

We know but little of Mr. Townsend before he came to Gorham. 
He came here from Newmarket, N. H., where he was in 1756. The 
History of the Free Will Baptists puts him down as a " New Light 
Congregational Clergyman." This could not be so, for he had never 
been ordained or licensed, and the New Lights did not make their 
appearance for many years after this time ; but he might have been 
an exhorter on his own account. Report says that he was a pious, 
good man. He purchased a house, and one hundred square rods (ten 
rods on the street, and running back ten) of land on King street, of 
Nathaniel Wliitney. The lot was opposite the house of Nathaniel 
Frost, which would place his house on the thirty acre lot, 8, just north 
of the house where Isaac W. Dyer now lives, and opposite the house 
lately owned by Daniel Billings. 



MINISTERS. 185 

We know of Mr. Townsend's having but one child, Isaac, who was 
born in Newmarket before the family came to Gorham. After the 
death of his father he went with his mother to Newmarket. In the 
time of the Revolution he enlisted as a soldier ; was taken prisoner and 
carried to Halifax. He was baptized into the Free Will Baptist 
Church by Rev. Mr. Randall, and finally settled in Wolfboro, N. H., 
where he was a preacher for many years ; and died when about ninety 
years of age. He often said in his old age that he remembered living 
in Gorham ; that Thomas McLellan was his playmate, and lived not 
far from his father's ; (Thomas was the son of Hugh, and lived in the 
brick house above the village, not far from where we place Mr. Town- 
send's house,) that his father went with the Gorham men to the Great 
Meadows to cut hay, where he caught a severe cold, which brought 
on a lung complaint, which latter terminated in his death. Also he 
remembered that he was buried in the orchard at the Corner, below 
the meeting house, under the apple trees. This spot is where the 
Methodist church now stands, where a number of our old settlers 
were buried. In another chapter will be found mention of the Gor- 
ham people going to the Great Meadows, now Fryeburg, to cut hay 
for their stock, about the year 1762. Mr. Townsendwas a shoemaker 
by trade, and in addition to his clerical duties, he had to work out by 
the day among his parishioners to eke out his slender means in order 
to support his family. He died Sept. 22, 1762. 

In regard to the lawsuit brought against Mr. Lombard by Phinney 
and Morton, we find the following in a memoir of the then Attorney 
General of Massachusetts, Hon. Jeremiah Gridley : — 

"About the year 1760, a Mr. Lombard, the settled minister of the 
Gospel in Gorham, upon some uneasiness which arose between him 
and the people of his charge, had a difficulty they could not settle ; 
they mutually agreed to dissolve the connection, and the parsonage 
being valuable, and under culture, he was to have its improvement 
until they should settle another minister, and Lombard, who was a 
gentleman of education, gave a bond in the penal sum of two or 
three thousand pounds to Morton and Phinney, two of the Elders, or 
Deacons, that upon their settling another minister he would deliver up 
the parsonage. In the space of a year or two, an illiterate man 
(Townsend) received a call to settle with them and become their min- 
ister. None of the neighboring ministers or churches would assist in 
his ordination, and thereupon the church proceeded to ordain him in 
the Congregational way, by the imposition of the hands of Morton 
and Phinne}^ Afterwards a suit was brought upon the bond of Lom- 
bard at the Court of Common Pleas ; the case was argued largely by 
counsel, and Mr. Lombard added something to what his counsel had 
said, to show that the man inducted to ofiice was not the minister meant 



186 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

and intended by the bond. The verdict was against Mr. Lombard ; 
he appealed to the Supreme Court, then held at York, and employed 
Mr. Gridley for his counsel ; Mr. Gridley introduced a plea, reciting 
the grant of the township, with the reservation of a parsonage for the 
use of a pious, leariied and orthodox minister, and averred that the 
town had not settled such a minister. The counsel for plaintiffs 
replied, that they had settled another pious, orthhdox minister, omit- 
ting the word learned. The answer was adjudged insufficient, and 
judgment was rendered in favor of Lombard." 

Thus the matter dragged on for some time. Mr. Lombard on Jan. 
20, 1762, on receipt of his salary in full to May 6, 1762, discharged 
" the Proprietors from all further demands on them, or their heirs, 
from him, or his heirs, for salarys forever." His final separation from 
the church took place Aug. 15, 1764, when a council met, united the 
two churches (Mr. Townsend having died), and dismissed Mr. Lom- 
bard. Dea. Alden in his Diary says: " 1764, Augt. 15, The Union 
of the two Churches this day. The Rev. Mr. Elvens preached from 
Luke 2d, 10 to 15 verses. Y*^ Council consisted of y*^ following 
Churches; Rev. Mr. Elvens, Mr. Morrel and Rev. Mr. Coffin." 

Previous to his coming to Gorham, Mr. Lombard had preached at 
Provincetown, and perhaps at some other places. After his dismissal 
from the church in Gorham he left not only the Congregational min- 
istry but the denomination as well ; becoming an Episcopalian. Mr. 
Lombard seems to have had a sufficiency of the ministerial life, for 
from that time on we find him engaged in public life and in private 
business. Whatever may be said of his popularity as a preacher, 
there can be no doubt as to the favor and esteem in which he was 
held by all as a man of public business. He was commissioned a 
Justice of the Peace, and was employed by the Proprietors of (lor- 
hamtown, to a large extent, in looking after their lands and afifairs. 
He was the town's first Representative to the General Court of 
Massachusetts ; being elected in 1765, the next year after his leaving 
the ministry, and was four times reelected; viz. in 1767, 1768, 1769 
and in 1780. In 1774 and 1779 he was the delegate to the Provin- 
cial Congress ; the second time, helping to form the State Constitu- 
tion of Massachusetts. Mr. Lombard was chairman of the Commit- 
tee of Safety and Vigilance in 1772 and '76, and was active in the 
cause of the colonies during the war of the Revolution. He was also 
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1776 to the date of his 
death, which occurred in 1781. 

The next preaching in Gorham was by Rev. Peletiah Tingley, who 
was born in Attleboro, Mass., about the year 1735. He was gradu- 



MINISTERS. 187 

ated at Yale College in 1761, and studied theology two years. He 
entered the ministry of the " old standing order, sadly backsUdden in 
heart," and after preaching a year or more, in Gorham as a candidate, 
declined in 1766 an invitation of the town to settle here. While 
reading his sermon, one warm summer day at Newmarket, N. H., his 
notes were blown from the desk. From this he inferred that grace 
in the heart was more reliable than a manuscript on the desk. He 
became convinced of his spiritual destitution, and by prayer and 
supplication, sought and found a deeper work of grace. He was 
living in Sanford, Me., when a Baptist church was organized there in 
1772, and became one of its first members. 

After a lapse of some three years the town and parish, by a nearly 
unanimous vote, agreed to settle Rev. Josiah Thacher as their minis- 
ter on the following terms : he was to have ;^ioo lawful money as a 
settlement, and £80 per year as long as he remained settled over the 
parish. 

Rev. Josiah Thacher was a native of Lebanon, in the State of 
Connecticut, and a graduate of Princeton College, New Jersey. He 
was a descendant of Anthony Thacher, one of the early settlers of 
New England. The records of the town of Bedford, Mass., show 
that that town gave him a call to settle there at, or near, the time of 
his acceptance of the Gorham call. The Bedford records say, " we 
sent the call, but on account of the badness of the roads and great 
distance, Mr. Thacher did not receive our letter till after he had 
accepted the call from Gorham." Mr. Thacher preached in Gorham 
on trial the first time, on Sunday, Oct. 19, 1766, in the forenoon, 
from the text, Mark, loth chap., 21st verse; in the afternoon, from 
Rev. 3d chap., 28th verse. He was settled in Gorham as pastor 
about a year later, on Oct. 28, 1767 ; and for several years his minis- 
trations were entirely acceptable to his people. 

About the year 1773, and for a few years following, much disturbance 
got into the religious matters of the town and parish, in consequence 
of the springing up of the New Lights and Come Outers, as they 
styled themselves, and their refusing to pay ministerial taxes for the 
preaching of Mr. Thacher. Many efforts were made to get rid of 
Mr. Thacher and many charges were brought against him to that 
end. Town meetings were held and committees chosen to oust him 
but in no way could they force him. He knew he had his rights, 
and that the law would sustain him, but when a committee of discreet 
men were chosen, who called on him in a proper manner, they found 
him ready and willing to meet them and a compromise was made 



188 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

satisfactory to all. Mr. Thacher was dismissed from the ministry on 
April 28, 1 78 1. 

In regard to one charge brought against Mr. Thacher in respect to 
his sermons, as being " barren, lifeless, and unprofitable," we find the 
following in a letter written by one of his people to her sister in 
Barnstable, " Tell cousin James Smith's wife I never forgot what she 
said to me, that I must write concerning religion, but I was loath to 
write that I did not well like my minister, though when I came home 
the first time I heard him, I thought I could not be content to sit 
under him, and it came to my mind, 'Despise not small things,' which 
made me to think I did not well to be uneasy. He has been dismissed 
two years." 

Like his predecessor, Mr. Thacher on his retirement from the 
ministry, entered public life. He represented the town in the General 
Court eleven years between 1783 and 1798. He was State Senator 
one year, and Judge of the court of Common Pleas for fifteen years, 
from 1784 to 1799, the year of his death. 

Although Mr. Thacher was not acceptable to his people as a min- 
ister, he was much respected by his townsmen as a man and citizen. 
In his change from the Reverend to the Honorable, he lost none of 
his dignity. He was said, by those who remembered him, to have 
been affable, courteous and dignified, fond of amusements, and ready 
at a joke, and that when he came out with his old cloak on, with the 
red side out, the man or boy that got the best of him was smart. 
About that old cloak ; it was blue, with a lining of bright red. It is 
said that when on business, the blue side was always out, then it was 
the Hon. Mr. Thacher, dignified, always courteous, and polite to all, 
but when the red came out, a good story or a joke at some one's 
expense was sure to follow. 

Mr Thacher was fond of agricultural and horticultural pursuits. 
He owned the thirty acre lot 14, opposite the Congregational church 
(west), and cultivated about fifteen acres in field and orchard. His 
orchard and garden were equal, if not superior, to any in the County, 
The best apples then known, a great variety of pears, some ten dif- 
ferent kinds, cherries, plums of several kinds, with grapes were to 
be found in his grounds. In those days fruit was rather scarce and 
a great temptation to the boys, old and young. Mr. Thacher was 
remarkably liberal, but this did not exactly satisfy — stolen fruits 
were sweetest. Some curious anecdotes were told of night adventures 
in stealing from, and protecting the orchard; as being fired on with 
fine salt, instead of shot ; and of keeping watch in a hogshead through 



MINISTERS. 189 

the bunghole, and the boys coming up behind, and rolling the cask, 
Reverend and all, down through the orchard, and the trick taken so 
kindly as to result in a general invitation to the boys to come on and 
help themselves to all they wanted. It was characteristic of the man 
to acknowledge a good joke, and give in when fairly beaten. He 
was an honest man, a good husband, kind father and neighbor. 
He died in Gorham, Dec. 25, 1799. 

In the warrant for a town meeting, to be held on the 14th day of 
June, 1 78 1, we find this article, "To see if the town will concur with 
the church in sending an invitation to Mr. Joseph Litchfield to preach 
for them two months, to begin as soon as he can get here, and to see 
what method they wall take to acquaint him therewith, pay and pro- 
vide for him. And also to see what method they will take to supply 
the pulpit for the future." In accordance with the above it was 
" Voted to choose Mr. Austin Alden as a committee to provide a 
minister to supply the pulpit in this town for two months by writing 
to him, and to agree with some person to board him at the town's 
expense." And it was also voted to raise fourteen pounds with 
which to pay the said minister. 

Aug. 13, 1781, Austin Alden was chosen to go and request Mr. 
Caleb Jewett of Newbury Port to come and preach in Gorham for 
three months, and if Mr. Jewett's engagements were such that he 
could not come, then Mr. Alden was directed to get the best advice 
he could, and apply to some other minister. A short time afterwards, 
an invitation was extended to Mr. Joseph Litchfield to come and 
preach in Gorham for three Sundays. On Oct. 15th, by a unani- 
mous vote, it was decided "further to improve" either Mr. Caleb 
Jewett, or Mr. Joseph Litchfield, as a candidate; and also that Austin 
Alden wait on Mr. Caleb Jewett, and invite him to come and preach 
for six months. Col. Edmund Phinney's was selected as a boarding 
place for Mr. Jewett, and thirty-five pounds, lawful money, was raised 
for the support of the Gospel. A few days later Mr. Alden was further 
instructed in regard to procuring a minister ("if Mr. Jewett cannot 
be obtained "), as follows : he was to proceed to the westward, and 
take the best advice he could get, and procure a minister to preach 
in the meeting house for ten months. 

On Jan. 28, 1782, the town "Voted unanimously (except one) to 
concur with the church in requesting Mr. Caleb Jewett to settle 
in the work of the Gospel ministry in this town ". One hundred and 
thirty-three pounds, six shillings and eight pence was voted as a 
settlement for him, and a committee, composed of Capt. John 



190 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Stephenson, Mr. Prince Davis, Capt. Samuel Whitmore and Capt. 
Samuel Harding, was chosen to join the committee of the church, in 
waiting on Mr. Jewett and receiving his answer. 

As there was an apparent prospect of having a regular settled 
minister again, the town now settled up its ministerial bills, incurred 
since the dismissal of Mr. Thatcher, as follows: 

£. -s. d. 

To Edmund Phinney, Esq. for boarding ministers 17-11-8 

" Mr. Josiah Thatcher " entertaining ministers 1-16-0 

" Dea. Jas. McLellan " keeping minister's horses 9-0 

'' Dea. Eliphalet Watson " his mare to Newbury after 

a minister 1- 4-0 

" George Hanscom " boarding a minister 5-0 

*' Amos Whitney " cash lent for expenses 

after a minister 1- i-o 

" Moses Noyes " his mare to Newbury after 

a minister 
" William Wood '' cash lent for expenses 

after a minister 
" Heman Bangs " cash lent for expenses 

after a minister, and to 

pay a minister 
" Austin Alden " procuring ministers and 

expenses 

Mr. Jewett must have had a presentiment of his future lot in 
Gorham, for he refused to accept this call to settle here. 

A committee was chosen in November, 1782, to procure a congre- 
gational minister to preach in the meeting house in Gorham, on 
probation with a view to settlement. The inhabitants of the town 
appear to have been very much determined to have Mr. Jewett, for 
March 25, 1783, he was again invited to preach in Gorham for six 
months, and in the following August he received a second call to 
settle in the work of the Gospel ministry in Gorham. In addition 
to the sum for settlement (;^i 33-6-8), it was voted to give him a 
yearly salary of ninety pounds, lawful money, and twenty-iive cords 
of wood per year, for his own use, hauled to his own door, as long as 
he remained settled in Gorham. Also, that as soon as Mr. Jewett 
should be settled, the hundred acre lot and the thirty acre lot 
belonging to the parsonage should be fenced. Mr. Jewett this time 
accepted the call, and at the next town meeting, held in October, it 
was voted to provide for Mr. Jewett's ordination council at its ow^n 
expense ; and that Col. Edmund Phinney attend to the afYair. Mr. 
Jewelt was accordingly ordained in Gorham over the church, Nov. 



4- 


-0 


6- 


-0 


9- 


-4 


9- 


_2 



MINISTERS. 191 

5, 1783. Parson Deane of Falmouth says, "1783, Nov. 5. I 
attended Gorham ordination; eleven ministers on the Council. Mr. 
Fairfield, first prayer; Mr. Lancaster preached from these words — 
' If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou 
shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ'; Mr. Browne, the charge ; 
Mr. Oilman, the right hand of fellowship ; Mr. Coffin, the last prayer."' 
In the same letter, from which we have already quoted in this 

article, Mrs. says, "We had a minister ordained this month, 

one C. Jewett, a fine man. I hope he will prove a blessing and 
that decayed religion will revive under his ministry. 

" It has been the practice of the place for parents to own the cove- 
nant and have their children baptized. There are counted to be 
near a third of the people to be Separate Baptists and some of that 
party are become what is called Shaking Quakers. I think they are 
a most monstrous deluded set of people. The performances at their 
meetings consist in dancing, hideous howlings like wolves, standing 
on their heads, pretending to speak in unknown languages and the 
like ridiculous behavior. I take them to be the people that Christ 
warns us of when he saith, ' Take heed that you be not deceived. 
Then if any man shall say unto you, lo here is Christ or there, believe 
it not ; for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and show 
great signs and wonders, if it were possible to deceive the very elect. 
Beloved I have told you before, if they say behold he is in the 
desert, go not forth, or in the secret chamber believe it not.' " 

We can hardly wonder at Mr. Jewett's declining his call at first, 
and the only strange thing about it is that he ever should have 
accepted such a bed of roses as the parish must have offered at 
that time. 

Caleb Jewett was born in Newburyport, Mass., Sept. 15, 17S3; 
and was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1776. After coming to 
Gorham to live, he purchased his house and sixty acres of land of Mr. 
Samuel Crockett, shipwright, Aug. 16, 1784, for the sum of three 
hundred and eighty pounds. This is the house on Main St., long 
known as the '• Henry Broad house," and lately occupied by Mr. 
Graffam. Nov. 27, 1794, Mr. Jewett purchased of Thomas Bangs 
the thirty acre lot, no, the corner lot, bounded southerly by the 
county road, westerly by the two rod road running northerly past 
the David Elder farm, and easterly by the Coburn lot. The town, 
apparently, was not much better in the way of promptly settling its 

I Mr. Fairfield was of Saco, Mr. Lancaster, of Scarboro, Mr. Gilman, of No. 
Yarmouth, Mr. Coffin, of Buxton, and Mr. Browne, of Stroudwater. 



192 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

bills for ministerial services at that time, than are some parishes 
at the present day, for Mr. Jewett was kept so short, that for lack 
of the money due him, he could not settle his bills with Mr. Crockett, 
and was obliged to pay him interest, which latter the town afterwards 
allowed and paid. 

After many troubles with his church and parish, Mr. Jewett's parish- 
ioners grew weary of him, and he of them. He at last consented 
to resign his office, provided the town would pay him a specified sum 
of money and exempt his property from taxation for a certain num- 
ber of years. This the town finally agreed to do, and on his receiv- 
ing a copy of the vote, Mr. Jewett replied in writing as follow'S : 

" I accept your conditions and resign my ministerial office, and 
consider it my jubilee. Mii/tiim Gaudio ! Gaudio Multum ! So I 
subscribe myself as one worn out in the service of God, and yours. 

Caleb Jewett." 

He was dismissed on the 8th of Sept., 1800, and died in Gorham, 
on the 1 6th of April, 1802. 

After an interval of about three years Gorham again settled a min- 
ister, the Rev. Jeremiah Noyes. At his ordination, which occurred 
on Nov. 16, 1803, the services were as follows: 

Introductory Prayer, Rev. W. Greg, Cape Elizabeth. 

Sermon, Rev. T. Miltimore, Scranton, N. H. 

Consecrating Prayer, Rev. Thomas Lancaster, Scarborough. 

Charge, Rev. Paul Coffin, Buxton. 

Fellowship of Churches, Rev. Elijah Kellogg, Portland. 

Concluding Prayer, Rev. Caleb Bradley, Falmouth. 

Mr. Noyes was born in Newburyport, and was graduated at Dart- 
mouth College in the class of 1799. While living in Gorham he mar- 
ried Miss Lucy Johnson of Salem, to whom he was published August 
30, 1806. 

Warned by past experiences, Gorham people were bound to take 
no chances as to troubles with their ministers for the future. Here- 
after, if a minister was unpopular with the people, he must take his 
dismission, and leave at once. In accordance with this feeling, the 
chief condition of Mr. Noyes's settlement was, that whenever two- 
thirds of the legal voters of the parish should request it, at a legal 
meeting held for that purpose, he should offer his resignation ; six 
months notice to be given. There was no need, however, for this pre- 
caution in the case of Mr. Noyes, for after four short years he died, 
Jan. 15, 1807, being but twenty-eight years of age; much mourned 
and universally regretted. 




RLV. ASA RAM). 



MINISTERS. 193 

Rev. Asa Rand was the successor of the lamented Mr. Noyes. He 
was offered as a salary six hundred and eighty dollars per year, for four 
years, and six hundred, annually, thereafter, which offer he accepted, 
and was ordained here Jan. i8, i8og. He was a native of Rindge, 
N. H., and was a graduate of Dartmouth College, class of 1806. 
He was a very grave, solemn, austere man, spending a large 
part of his time over his books and studies. The town is deeply 
indebted to him for much of its high religious and moral character. 
He highly disapproved of the "half-way" covenant, which had been 
adopted " in order to meet the request and afford some church 
privileges to the timid, but apparently, sincere." This was chiefly to 
secure the benefit of the rite of baptism for their children, while they 
themselves were not, strictly speaking, church members. Mr. Rand 
said he wished his people to be either in, or out of the church. In 
consequence of this, the half-way covenant was abolished, nearly all 
who had subscribed to it coming into full communion with the 
church. Under his care the church was greatly revived and strength- 
ened, nearly a hundred souls being added to it. During the pastorate 
of Mr. Rand, and at least as early as 18 15, the children were all 
gathered at the house of the pastor every Saturday afternoon, and 
thoroughly catechised by him. The very little ones were gathered 
about Mrs. Rand and received their instruction from her. This was, 
doubtless, the seed from which sprung the now flourishing Sunday 
School. Mr. Rand's health becoming poor, and his voice failing, 
he felt obliged to resign his charge, and was dismissed June 12, 1822. 

He removed to Portland, and feeling, that although unable to 
preach, he must do something for the cause so dear to his heart, that 
of religion, he founded in September of that same year what was the 
pioneer religious newspaper in the State, and one of the first in 
the country, the Christian Mirror. He afterwards edited the Boston 
Recorder — since merged in the Congregationalist ; and still later the 
Lowell Observer. He spent a large part of his life in the State 
of New York, but returned to his native New England, and died at 
Ashburnham, Mass., on the 24th of Aug., 187 1, being 88 years of age. 

The same council that dismissed Mr. Rand installed Rev. Thad- 
deus Pomeroy over the church, once more in need of the services of 
a pastor. Mr. Pomeroy was born in Southampton, Mass., in 1782, 
and was a graduate of Williams College, afterwards studying at 
Andover Theological Seminary. Previous to his coming to Gorham, 
he was settled at Randolph, Mass., where he preached for some years. 
He was an able preacher, and a popular man, and soon recovered 



194 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

what the church had lost from the rupture caused by the Handel and 
Haydn singing societies in 1820, which had resulted in the building 
of the Free Meeting House in 182 1-2. x\lthough a chronic invalid, 
and often laid low by hemorrhage of the lungs, he was always on 
hand to preach his two sermons on Sunday and conduct his Sunday 
evening services, as though he had not, perhaps, been prostrate on 
his bed the previous day. 

At this time the church was furnished with square pews, having 
the seats hinged. During the long prayer everybody stood and the 
seats were raised to give more room. When, at the conclusion of 
the prayer, the congregation seated itself the dropping of the seats 
was rather audible than otherwise. Indeed the writer, when a small 
boy, thought it a part of the worship to see who could slam down his 
seat the hardest, and thus make the most noise, and would even in 
his zeal lift and slam it again. Mr. Pomeroy, being a quick, nervous 
man, made war upon these obnoxious seats, and urged the people 
to do away with the square pews, saying that he thought the slam- 
ming of the pew seats a device of Satan to disturb public worship. 
He accomplished his design, and the pews were changed to long 
stationary seats in 1828. Mr. Pomeroy could not relish the idea of 
laboring hard to prepare a discourse, and while delivering it, see it 
affecting his congregation only in the shape of a narcotic. One warm 
Sunday afternoon, observing that some of his people were calmly 
refreshing themselves with sweet slumber, and that the whole con- 
gregation had rather a drowsy appearance, while he was expending 
all his energies to interest and instruct them, he could stand it no 
longer, and stopping in the midst of his sermon requested the choir 
to sing the doxology. The strains of " Praise God from whom all 
blessings flow" drove repose from the eyes of his audience and quiet 
from their brains, and it is safe to say that when he resumed his ser- 
mon, and for the remainder of the services as well, slumber was 
absent from that meeting house. 

In 183 1 Mr. Pomeroy spent the winter in the South for the bene- 
fit of his health. After his return, when it was proposed to start a 
Seminary in Gorham for the education of women, he was deeply- 
interested in the project, devoting much time and strength to urging 
and soliciting funds for the same. Perhaps the Seminary owed its 
existence more to Mr. Pomeroy than to any other person. Thinking 
that some of his parishioners were disaffected on account of his 
course in regard to this, he resigned his office as pastor, greatly to 
the regret of his people, and was dismissed, Dec. 11, 1839. He 




REV. THADDEUS POMEROY. 



MINISTERS. 195 

removed with his family to the western part of the State of New York. 
This journey was made in a large covered wagon, being before the 
days of railroads. In 1855 Mr. Pomeroy made a visit to Gorham, 
and was most cordially received and welcomed. The church passed 
resolutions expressing its love and respect for him, to which Mr. 
Pomeroy responded in an appropriate letter. He died at DeWitt, N. 
Y., April 14, 1858, aged 76. He was deeply interested in the work 
of Maine Missions, and was one of the originators of the Maine State 
Conference. The Onondaga Presbytery, of which he was a member 
at the time of his death, passed resolutions, calling him "A man 
sagacious in judgment, candid in spirit, open in manner, a sincere 
lover of the church of God and a faithful promoter of its interest." 

June 3, 1840, a call was given to Rev. John Davenport of New 
York, who had preached for five Sabbaths in Gorham. This call was 
accepted, and Mr. Davenport was installed, July 16, 1840. The 
Installing Council voted the papers presented before them satisfac- 
tory, " except the Parish taking the lead in giving the invitation 
aforesaid." Mr. Davenport, in the following December, reports the 
church as having one hundred and seventy-three members. In June, 
1842, Mr. Davenport, in a long letter, expressed his views in regard 
to the non-validity of Congregational ordination, and maintained 
that ordination by a Bishop was an essential matter. He therefore 
resigned his charge in Gorham. This resignation was accepted, and 
the church, at a meeting on the 29th of June, 1842, " voted, to spend 
a day in fasting, humiliation and prayer that the Lord will speedily 
send a pastor." Mr. Davenport was soon after ordained by a Bishop, 
and preached for a time in Newburyport. He did not long continue 
in the ministry, but returned to the business in which he had formerly 
been engaged, that of a merchant. 

Oct. 5, 1842, Rev. Aaron C. Adams was settled here; the church 
this time inviting the parish to concur. Mr. Adams was a brother 
to Rev. Dr. George Adams, for many years pastor at Brunswick, and 
was himself a graduate of Bowdoin College. In September, 1845, ^^■ 
Adams resigned on account of the state of his health, though deeply 
regretting the necessity of so doing, saying that there never was a 
time when he felt more disposed to labor permanently here than then. 
He was dismissed by Council on the 4th of the following Novem- 
ber. He is still (1901) living in Wethersfield, Conn. 

After the dismission of Mr. Adams an attempt was made to secure 
as pastor. Rev. Asa Rand, the beloved and respected former pastor, 
but this failed. They heard many candidates, but remained for 



196 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

nearly two years without having found a man to their minds to become 
their leader. 

In March, 1846, Rev. John R. Adams came to preach for a Sabbath 
or two, and at once met with great acceptance. He received a unan- 
imous call to the pastorate, which he accepted, and was installed June 

4, 1846. Mr. Adams was born in Plainfield, Conn., March 20, 1802. 
He was the son of John Adams, for many years the Principal of 
Phillips Academy, Andover, and his wife, Elizabeth (Ripley) Adams. 
He was graduated from Yale College in 182 1. After four years at 
Andover Theological Seminary, he was licensed as a preacher ; and 
for a time labored as an evangelist in the State of New York. Oct. 

5, 1831, he was ordained and installed over the Presbyterian church 
at Londonderry, N. H. In 1838 he resigned this charge, and preached 
for three years at Great Falls, N. H. ; then for five years at Brighton, 
Mass., coming from this latter place to Gorham. 

For nearly twelve years the Gorham church prospered under his 
ministry, and its numbers were greatly increased. The congregation 
grew in size until it was necessary to reseat the church, putting in 
slips in place of the old time pews. Mr. Adams was still the hon- 
ored and beloved pastor of the First Congregational Church, when 
slight differences arose in some quarters, and he deemed it wise to 
resign the pastorate, to the great regret of the large majority of his 
people. In a very especial manner was he beloved by the young peo- 
ple, and one hundred and eleven of them signed a petition which was 
handed to the Council who met to consider his resignation, praying 
that one whom they loved as a father might be retained. The Council, 
after dissolving the connection between pastor and people, made the 
following statement : — 

" It is clear from what has appeared on this occasion, and from 
our own personal knowledge, that the Rev. Mr. Adams, during the 
twelve years of his pastorate, has been a most earnest and devoted 
minister ; that his heart has been set in an unusual degree on the 
spiritual advancement and the salvation of his people ; and that his 
labors for their good have been untiring. Nor have his efforts been 
without success. Various important objects relating to the external 
prosperity of the parish have been accomplished, which could hardly 
have been secured under a less energetic minister. Through the 
effectual influences of the Holy Spirit, a large number of persons 
have been, it is believed, brought to repentance and the acceptance 
of the offers of salvation through Christ, and have united with the 
church; making its number some fifty per cent, larger than it was at 




REV. JOHN R. ADAMS, I). D. 



MINISTERS. 197 

the time of his settlement. We would cordially commend Rev. 
John R. Adams to the churches, and to all whom it may concern, as 
an upright, sincere Christian man, a sound, discriminating, earnest 
and able preacher, and a faithful pastor." 

Dr. Adams continued to reside at his home in Gorham, (the Dr. 
Folsom place, on South St., now owned by Mrs. Tolford), supplying 
the pulpit in various towns, till the breaking out of the Rebellion, 
when he volunteered, and was appointed Chaplain of the Fifth Reg- 
iment of Maine Volunteers, with which he served till it was mustered 
out, June 24, 1864, when he was chosen Chaplain of the 121st New 
York Volunteers, and was mustered in, Sept. 15, 1864. He served 
through the war, was mustered out, June 25, 1865, and returned to 
Gorham. He soon accepted a commission from the Maine Mission- 
ary Society, and preached that winter in various destitute churches 
in Maine. In April, 1866, he went to Hadley, Mass., where he was 
taken suddenly ill, and died on the 25th of that month. He 
was buried in Andover, Mass., and many of his friends from Gorham 
attended the funeral, and bore him themselves to his grave. 

Mr. Adams married, Feb. 19, 1833, Mary A. McGregor of London- 
deny, N. H. Their children were John McGregor, a well-known 
and influential citizen of Chicago ; Elizabeth McG., who married July 
27, 1864, Rev. Edward S. Dwight, and died in Hadley, Mass., July 4, 
1879 ; and Albert Egerton, a late resident of Davenport, Iowa, who 
was captain of a Rhode Island Battery during the Civil War, and 
died at Chicago Jan. 4, 1896. 

After an interval of about a year and a half, the church and parish 
united in giving Rev. Stephen C. Strong, a native of Northampton, 
Mass., a call, which was accepted, and Mr. Strong was installed as 
pastor of the First Congregational Church and Parish, Jan. 30, i860. 
Mr. Strong was a man of most excellent Christian spirit, and greatly 
beloved. In April, 1866, after a severe sickness, Mr. Strong resigned 
his charge. AtTectionate resolves from the church and parish were 
. passed, requesting him to withdraw his resignation, and ofifering him 
six months vacation, with salary continued, and supply of pulpit 
during that time. A communication was read from the "silent 
members," signed by Mary Anne Adams (Mrs. J. R. Adams) and 
eighty-eight others. Mr. Strong withdrew his resignation, but in 
July, 1867, continued ill health compelled him to renew it. This 
was accepted with great regret. At this time the church numbered 
two hundred and twenty-one. 

After giving two or more unsuccessful calls, the church and parish 



198 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

extended a call to Rev. Dr. Charles C. Parker. Dr. Parker had been 
for many years a successful pastor in Waterbury, Vt., and had come 
to Gorham as Principal of the Maine Female Seminary a year or 
more before this call. Having accepted the invitation to settle here, 
the same Council installed him that dismissed Mr. Strong. Dr. 
Parker was an excellent and faithful pastor, and a genial man, but 
the people, not having been fully unanimous in their call to him, 
failed to sustain him in his work ; and his pastorate here could not 
have been a very enjoyable one to him. Dec. 22, 1S71, he resigned 
in a brief note. This was accepted, and the parish unanimously 
passed appreciative resolves in relation to him and to his labors. 
He soon after left Gorham, and preached in Parsippany, N. J., where 
he died not many years after leaving here. 

Rev. Leonard Z. Ferris, a native of Western New York, was the 
next minister to accept a call to Gorham, where he was installed June 
13, 1872. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College, and came here 
from Lawrence, Mass. He married Mrs. Elizabeth Pond, and second. 
Miss Hannah Paine of Gorham. Mr. Ferris resigned his pastorate 
here Jan. 2, 1877, going from Gorham to Rockland, Mass. He is 
now pastor at East Providence, R. L 

Mr. Ferris was succeeded by Rev. Heniy S. Huntington, who came 
to Gorham from Galesburg, 111., where he had been pastor of the First 
Church from 1872 to 1876. He was born in New York City, July 
15, 1836; graduated at Vale College in 1857, and at Andover Theol. 
Seminary in 1862. He married Mary Herbert. Two of their chil- 
dren, Theresa L. and Ellsworth, are engaged in the missionary work 
of the American Board at Harpoot, Turkey. Mr. Huntington was 
installed over the Congregational Church in Gorham, June 11, 1877, 
and resigned Sept. i, 1887. He is and has been for several years 
pastor of the Congregational Church in Milton, Mass. 

Rev. George W. Reynolds was called to this church from Osage, 
Iowa, and was'installed here Dec. 14, 1887. Mr. Reynolds was born 
in Sidney, Me., and is a graduate of Amherst College and Union 
Theol. Seminary. He married Kate A. Cragin of Colchester, Conn. 
Mr. Reynolds was dismissed Jan. 24, 1901, having accepted a call to 
the Congregational Church in South Manchester, Conn. He has 
been succeeded by the Rev. James C. Gregory, called from Bingham, 
Me., and installed over this church and parish Feb. 7, 1901. 

For a few years after the organization of the church in Gorham, 
there was a leaning toward the Presbyterian form of church govern- 
ment, and Hugh McLellan, Edmund Phinney, Andrew Crockit and 



MINISTERS. 199 

Joseph Gates were chosen Rulhig Elders. The following persons 
have served the church as deacons : Stephen Phinney, Eliphalet 
Watson, James McLellan, Austin Alden, George Lewis, Thomas 
Gross, Samuel Paine, James McLellan, 2d., Thomas S. Robie, Nahum 
Ghadbourn, Enoch Gross, Marshall Irish, Edward P. Weston, 
Nathaniel Brown, Horatio PL Merrill, Edward Robie, Thomas 
Jameson, Joseph Ridlon, Rufus A. Fogg, Samuel Garruthers, John S. 
Leavitt, Albert Sampson, Gharles G. Alden, Dr. A. W, Lincoln, and 
E. H. Foster Smith. 



CHAPTER X. 

OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 

COME-OUTERS, OR NEW LIGHTS— FREE-BAPTISTS — CALVINIST BAPTISTS — METH- 
ODISTS — SHAKERS — QUAKERS. 

Somewhere about the 3'ear 1773, a disaffection arose in town, in rela- 
tion to the preaching of the Rev. Josiah Thacher. People were poor, 
and the times hard ; a feeling began to arise with some that they did 
not wish to be compelled to pay for preaching. Their great plea was 
that Christ preached without pay, therefore there should be no paid 
clergy — no standing order — all who had the gift could preach ; God 
would give them utterance and make them as good preachers as the 
"learned clergy;" Christ needed no learned clergy; he ordered his 
disciples, poor, illiterate men, to go forth and preach his gospel. 
This was proof to them that ignorance was one of the needful qualifi- 
cations for the ministry. It was not long before the disaffected found 
leaders, who took charge. Meetings were appointed, and held often, 
and conducted with much enthusiasm. They did not believe that 
the "old standing order" Christians, as they called them, could go 
along to heaven by law, and written rules ; education could not make 
a man-of-God ; God would educate his preachers just as he wished 
them to be ; so all took it upon themselves to preach and expound 
the word of God according to their own notions. 

The Revolution, that great struggle for our liberties, commenced 
about this time. Many of the young men went into the army, carry- 
ing rather unsettled notions of religion, and returned with still looser 
ideas of religious liberty, and liberal religion. These, almost to a 
man, joined the crowd carried away by the excitement of something 
new. Meetings were held day and night, mostly the latter, probably 
for the reason that they were sometimes disturbed by the unbelievers. 
None were admitted except by introduction of the initiated. The 
excitement kept on increasing; many would attend from curiosity, and 
the novelty of the thing, so different from what they had been used 
to in the staid old congregation. Exhortations of the most exciting 
nature, singing, dancing and whirling, became a part of the services. 
All who did not join were vehemently denounced by name, called 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 201 

anti-Christs, devils and children of the devil. Some thought the ven- 
geance of God would visit them if they even held communication 
with any of this wicked race. The learned clergy, or the old Stand- 
ing Order, were called men of sin, hirelings of the devil ; and all 
who followed, or believed in them were no better. Men and women 
would commence their exhortations, and run on in the highest strain 
of neither sense nor music, till they wrought themselves up to com- 
plete frenzy, even to frothing at the mouth, dancing, stamping, and 
whirling around. These last were generally females, who would con- 
tinue till they fell prostrate on the iioor in a state of complete exhaus- 
tion. This was called going into a trance, or spiritual state, and as 
they said, holding communion with God. The coming out of these 
trances was watched with some anxiety or curiosity, for then gener- 
ally some poor sinner had to take it. When the trance was ended, 
they, the subjects, usually came to their feet with a spring or bound, 
like india-rubber, darting at once before some individual sinner, to 
whom they had a special message, assailing them with a torrent of 
invectives, such as calling them devils, children of the devil, sinful, 
lustful, artful devils, men of sin, anti-Christs ; not forgetting to 
remind the poor culprit of each and every known fault, or deviation 
from the path of right, which he had been known to take from his 
infancy up ; often revealing curious and funny family, and even pri- 
vate affairs, that had much better have been kept to themselves, but 
their doctrine was — Free your mind, brother, free your mind, sister, — 
Hew to the line, let the chips fall where they may. These scenes 
often brought the blush to some, but always the fun to the young and 
foolish ; consequently were much enjoyed, and brought crowds to the 
meetings. 

This Come-Out, or New Light affair, as it was called, made quite a 
disturbance, at the time, in the old Society. Some of the enthusiasts 
went so far as to fasten up the meeting house one Sunday, forbid- 
ding Mr. Thacher's entering to preach, saying that he was no minister 
of the town, parish or church, but an emissary of the devil, and an 
anti-Christ ; having some of their number inside to keep the house, 
armed with axes and clubs. Soon the congregation began to assem- 
ble outside, and learning how matters were, men enough were found 
to force the doors and turn out the intruders, and it is said that even 
the women gave them a kick as they passed out. A suit-at-law grew 
out of this barring the house ; the New Lights entered a complaint 
for assault and battery, but were beaten, as they themselves were the 
trespassers, the ministerial party doing no more than was necessary 
to get possession of their own house. 



202 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Meetings of the old Society were often disturbed by these people. 
Sometimes one would spring to his feet as if stung by a big wasp, 
thrust his fingers into his ears, and run for the door as fast as possible 
with more or less of the fraternity at his heels, giving indication that 
something dreadful had been said by the minister. Sometimes one 
would stand up and denounce the preacher, and tell him that he was 
preaching the doctrine of the devil instead of Christ. These things 
went on for awhile till they became unbearable by the more thought- 
ful of the congregation. When a man got up, and loudly denounced 
Mr. Thacher, and plainly told him that he lied, the time had come. 
He was at once laid hold of, and in a few minutes found himself sitting 
in the stocks in front of the church, where he had full liberty to use 
his powers of speech as he thought best, and he did so to the best of 
his ability, denouncing and cursing Mr. Thacher, the old Standing 
Order, and the paid clergy, praying for curses to rain down in heaps 
on the whole set. He was kept till the meeting closed, when he was 
set loose, and went home a wiser if not a better man. He never dis- 
turbed the meeting again, 

Mr. Thacher was strenuous in receiving his salary according to 
his settlement, and the disaffection continued to spread through sym- 
pathy of friend for friend, till it became wide. Those refusing to pay 
their parish tax were often sued at law for the collection, and their 
property seized. Men who could pay would not, but allowed their 
property to be taken and sold, in order to spread the idea of perse- 
cution. Some would offer their coat ; the collector would take it and 
have it sold, then the owner would raise a great hue and cry about 
having his coat sold to pay the Orthodox minister. Thus the thing 
went on till the usefulness of Mr. Thacher as a minister was entirely 
gone ; but under the old custom, he was settled for life, and thinking 
himself insulted and injured, would not resign. Several town-meet- 
ings were called, committees were chosen to close the house, to order 
him not to preach as minister of the town or church, and to get rid 
of him in some way, even if by force, but this effected nothing, nor 
could they do anything with him. He disregarded all their notices, 
and continued to preach till some of the more prudent of the town's 
people took up the matter. When a suitable committee was chosen, 
who met Mr. Thacher in a kind and conciliatory manner, he met 
them with a like spirit. No difficulty was found, a compromise was 
made, and Mr. Thacher was dismissed from his ministry here, and 
his settlement over the church and parish ended. The difficulties 
and excitements lasted several years. 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 203 

These New Lights had strange notions of the contamination of sin. 
They, in their opinion, had become holy and pure, and they did not 
allow themselves to come in contact with, or even to speak to "people 
of the world," as they called the outsiders, for by so doing they com- 
mitted a sin. It was often the case that fathers, mothers, brothers 
and sisters, and near neighbors would pass each other without speak- 
ing, or recognition, and would even look away from each other. They 
also held to the doctrine of non-resistance. This state of things was 
about destroyed by an epidemic of some kind, which broke out in 
town. A great many who were taken down sick and needed help 
were compelled to have the objectionable ones about them, and the 
foolishness of the thing became so apparent, that it cored itself. 

Their non-resistance doctrine caused many of them to be abused 
and maltreated by the boys and thoughtless persons about town, giv- 
ing much uneasiness to the more prudent part of the community, but 
there did not seem to be any way to prevent it, for although some 
applied to the magistrates for protection from the stones and eggs, 
which their peculiar notions and queer actions would bring upon them 
from the boys, yet many of the deluded would rather court such treat- 
ment, calling it persecution for religion's sake. This went on for quite 
a while, till a young man was badly hurt, when Esq. Gorham issued a 
warrant, and had a number of young men arrested, and compelled 
the non-resistants to testify. The delinquents were punished, and the 
charm was broken. A few complaints were subsequently made, and 
the delusion ended. 

Mr. Thacher was rather a quaint and whimsical preacher ; always 
to the point. He often gave his congregation severe reprimands, 
for going to hear these people at their meetings. At one time when 
the whirlings and dancings were in full blast, and everybody running 
to see and hear, he came out with a sermon from the text " What 
went ye out into the wilderness to see ; a reed shaken with the wind .? " 
It was said to have been " a powerful sermon, slaying the Come- 
Outers right and left." So records one of his old Deacons. 

During these times of turmoil, and high pressure of religious excite- 
ment, a young lawyer from Massachusetts came and settled at Gorham 
Village. He wore the ruffled shirt, which was the fashion of the day. 
He had a desire to see and hear the New Lights, and with a friend 
went to their meeting, wearing the ruffled shirt-bosom, and modestly 
taking a seat near the door. The unfortunate ruffle was soon discov- 
ered by one of the brethren. When all had become quiet the brother 
rose to his feet — he was a large, powerful man — came marching 



204 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

across the room to directly in front of the esquire ; extending his 
long arm and pointing to the ruffle, he exclaimed in a loud, stentorian, 
and sing-song tone, " There is a ruffle, I hate ruffles, I know I hate 
ruffles, and God knows I hate ruffles ; " then folding his arms, he 
marched back to his seat. This brought the young lawyer into notice 
rather unexpectedly. Ribbons, ruffles, jewelry and ornaments of all 
kinds were in their estimation especial articles of temptation used by 
the devil to work evil, and ruin the soul of the wearer : and the 
opportunity was never neglected of ranting and railing at the unfor- 
tunate sinner who was found offending. Such was often the effect 
of this on the females that many would rise up, strip off ruffs, ribbons, 
and jewelry, trample them under foot, or go to the door, and cast 
them to the devil, their owner, and in a loud voice tell Satan to take 
his temptations to himself, as he could not come it over them with 
such sinful baubles. Men have been known to take off their silver 
shoe-buckles, and throw them away as wicked temptations used by 
the devil to create vanity and sin. 

This high-pressure state of affairs could not last forever. About 
1780, or 1 78 1, a Free Will Baptist preacher made his appearance; 
also at about the same time, a man and woman of the Shaker per- 
suasion came along, who stopped, and held meetings at West Gorham. 
Some little differences of opinion having sprung up amongst the 
faithful, the way was somewhat prepared for the new-comers. Some 
followed the Baptist, and some became Shakers. 

About the year 1781, agreeable to the vote of the town, a regular 
poll-off was made, from the old Congregational society, of some sixty 
persons claiming to be Baptists, and these joining with the balance 
of the Come-Outers a respectable Free Will Baptist society was 
formed, including some of our best citizens, which for many years 
worshipped in the church on Fort Hill. It was many years before 
these Come-Outers could get rid of their old prejudices, and allow 
that peace and heaven, as a part of the final inheritance, belonged to 
the old Congregationalist and Standing Order. 

Sometime in the year 1780, toward the close of the New Light 
excitement in Gorham, some of the more sober-minded and reasonable 
among the Come-Outers hearing of the Free church in New Durham 
sent Dea. William Cotton, to request admission to their fellowship. 
Benjamin Randall and .Robert Boody were sent back to them, "to 
inquire into their principles and order. " Stewart says, " A few New 
Light Christians were there found, serving God (under great trials. " 
Randall preached to them a few times, and by his labors, John Cotton 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 205 

and William Thomes were converted, and began to hold meetings. 
There was great opposition to them among the old " standing order : " 
at a town-meeting, held March 25, 1780, there was an article in the 
warrant, " To see if the Town will admit the Baptists to preach in 
the Meeting-house, until the Congregationalists shall get a minister.'' 
Dea. Austin Alden, who was town clerk, in making his minutes of the 
vote on the question on the back of the warrant, says " Voted Not to 
admit the Baptists into the Meeting-house," and adds, " Praise be 
to God, the Devil is defeated this time." 

The next year, 1781, Randall again visited Gorham, and after 
laboring here for a few days, a Church was organized at Fort Hill. 

In 1786, at the December Quarterly Meeting, Samuel Thombs was 
ordained as Ruling Elder, and Andrew Cobb, and George Hamblin 
were ordained as Deacons. James McCorson, at a Quarterly Meet- 
ing held in Gorham Dec. 4, 1788, was set apart to the work of the 
ministry. Daniel Hibbard preacTied from the text, " Take heed unto 
thyself, and unto the doctrine, etc." Samuel Weeks gave the charge, 
and Benjamin Randall, the hand of fellowship. 

Gorham has furnished the Free Baptist denomination with quite a 
number of ministers, among whom, perhaps, James McCorson, who 
was born in the fort during the Indian war of 1745, and Clement 
Phinney were the most prominent. Clement Phinney was the great- 
grandson of Capt. John Phinney, and was born in 1780. 

The Society evidently believed in the doctrine of Peace on earth, 
for at a monthly meeting, held on March 28, 1799, there was a dis- 
cussion as to whether they were all agreed to come out from War, 
and not to go into the field to " training." They found that all pres- 
ent were agreed, let them suffer what they might. And on April 17, 
1799, we find the following, "Voted, that we take under consideration 
the vote that was passed in yearly meeting at Parsonsfield in February 
for to send a petition to General Court to be set off from ' trainings. ' 
Accordingly agreed to and concurred with to send to General Court." 

They were, apparently, the first secret society in town, for we find 
the following on record under date of April 17, 1799, "Voted, that all 
our members keep our labors to ourselves, that are done amongst us 
and if any tells any matters out, shall be counted transgressors. " 

As the inhabitants of the town were compelled by law to pay a tax 
to support a learned, orthodox minister, those who were not of that 
way of thinking did not enjoy having to pay that tax, and at the same 
time support a minister of their own choice. The Baptists repeatedly 
petitioned the town to abate the obnoxious tax. Finally, at a town- 



206 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

meeting, held on the 14th day of June, 1781, it was voted, "That all 
the inhabitants of Gorham, who are of a different denomination to 
the Congregational, are to be excluded paying any future charges 
to the Congregational minister, or charges towards supplying the 
Desk in Gorham Meeting house, only upon bringing a certificate from 
the heads of either of the opposite societies, in Gorham, called 
Baptists, in two months from this date." And we iind on record 
this, "The following is a list of those persons in Gorham, who call 
themselves Baptists, according to their own return given in to ye 
Selectmen, agreeable to a vote passed the 14th of June 1781." 

" To the Selectmen of Gorham — Gent" — These may certify, that 
the persons whose names are in the following List, are in our opin- 
ion, cleared from paying to the support of ye Congregational Ministry 
in this Town, both by Law, and agreeable to a vote of ye Town 
passed sometime in June last, they attending our meeting, and 
desiring their names to be entered in the Certificate to yourselves. 

Daniel Hebard, Pastor. 

Capt. Briant Morton. 

Andrew Crockit, ) Elders of the Easterly 

Elisha Strout, ) Baptist Church in Gorham. 

Andrew Cobb. Jonathan Freeman. 

Nicholas Cobb. Car)' McLellan. 

Jedediah Cobb. Caleb Lombard. 

Andrew Cobb, Jr. Daniel Cobb. 

Nathaniel Edwards. Capt. Hart Williams. 

Ephraim Hunt. Daniel Gamman. 

Pelatiah Crockit. James Gilkey. 

Moses Hanscom. William Lakeman. 

James Bangs. Jonathan Crockit. 

John Foy. Jabez Morton. 

"Gorham, July 4, 1781. At a Church meeting at the House of 
Nathan Freeman, part of ye Society that meet with us to Worship 
God according to their Conscience, met with us and gave in their 
names as a Society belonging to the first Baptist Church in Gorham, 
or that differ in Religious matters from the Congregationals in Gorham. 

the Names of the Church. Names of ye Society. 

Nathan Freeman. Ezekiel Rich. 

James McCorson. Nathaniel Stevens. 

William Cotton. Joseph Whitney. 

George Hamblin. Jeremiah Hodsdon. 

Nathaniel Freeman. Isaac Elder. 

Ebenezer Morton. John Carsley. 

Samuel Thomes. Decker Phinney. 

.Samuel Brown. Stephen Swett. 

Joshua Harding. Joseph .Stone. 

Ebenezer Hamblen. Joel Sawyer. 

Barnabas Rich. Calvin Lombard. 

I,emuel Rich. Barnabas Bangs. 

Josiah Whitney. Thomas Bangs. 

Samuel Harding, Jr. Lemuel Hicks. 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 207 

Gershom Hamblen. John Sella. 

Samuel Crockit, Jr. Joseph Brackit. 

Nathaniel Muckford. Benjamin Stevens. 

Aaron Whitney. Joel Rich. 

William Monson. Barnabas Bangs, Jr. 

WiUiam File. 

Samuel Elder. 

WilHam Marks. 

Ely Webb. 

We do entreat that you the Selectmen of Gorham will set u.s free 
from paying minister's rates, or any supply that way to the Desk in 
Gorham meeting house, agreeable to a vote passed in Town meeting, 
held at Gorham meeting house, June 14, 1781." 

Bearing upon the foregoing we find this in the records of the 
Church, "Monthly meeting at the meeting house, April 11, 1798, on 
Wednesday the meeting opened as usual, Some Brethren from Buxton 
were desirous to have an order on their town treasury, that they may 
receive the money they paid for ministers' rates. The request was 
agreed to. Samuel Leavitte wanted a certificate. Likewise granted." 
This certificate was of his being a member of the Free Will Baptist 
Church, and a regular attendant at their meetings, to clear him from 
paying the Parish taxes, for the support of the Orthodox minister, as 
required by the law at that time, as has been already said. 

Matters, however, did not seem to go on very smoothly in spite of 
the foregoing settlement, for in the warrant for a meeting in 1787, 
this article was inserted; To see what method the town will take 
with sundry persons that think themselves greatly aggrieved in pay- 
ing Ministerial Taxes, whether they will excuse the whole or a part 
of them, or whether they will make any agreement with them about 
the poor of the Town that belong to their Societies, or to do what- 
ever the Town see fit respecting the matter." At the meeting, it was 
" Voted, To choose a committee of five persons, to take the complaint 
of those persons mentioned in the third article, into consideration, 
and report to the town, at the adjournment of this meeting, which of, 
or how many of those persons, shall be excused from paying Minis- 
terial Taxes." " Voted, That Edmund Phinney, Esq., Austin Alden, 
Dea. George Lewis, James Phinney and Capt. Nathaniel Frost be 
the committee for the above purpose." 

Later, it was voted to accept the report of the committee, which 
was, "We the subscribers, beg leave to report to the Town as 
follows, vizt ; We have met a Committee from those called the Ana- 
baptist Society in Gorham, and heard all they had to offer, patiently 
and candidly, and are of opinion that if any person in Gorham, of 



208 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

that Society, or of any different denomination from the Congrega- 
tionals, who is a Public Protestant teacher of Piety, Religion and 
Morality, agreeable to the Constitution, should produce a Certificate 
or List to the Town, of any number of persons (inhabitants of said 
Gorham) who are in his opinion, conscientiously of his Society, and 
do constantly attend upon his instructions, that in this case, we 
would recommend to the Town to exempt all those persons from 
paying to any Congregational minister in said Gorham." 

Thereafter only those escaped the payment of the tax who were of 
a decided religious opinion, and attended regularly upon the Baptist 
meetings, in short, were such as the Baptist minister or teacher could 
conscientiously vouch for. 

At a town meeting held in November, 1788, the sixth and seventh 
articles in the warrant were " To see if the town will vote to exempt any 
person or number of persons in Gorham (being of the Baptist denom- 
ination) from paying taxes to a Congregational minister in said Gor- 
ham." And " To see if the town will vote that Mr. James McCollister 
shall be discharged from paying any State, County or Town Taxes in 
Gorham, on account of his being a Baptist Minister." Both of these 
articles were dismissed by the town. In the warrant for a town 
meeting, about a year later, is this article, " To see if the Town will 
vote, that the 'Baptist Society be set off, by themselves, in order 
that they may be incorporated into a parish separate from the 
Congregationals — Agreeable to an Application." This article was 
dismissed by the meeting. 

Feb. 12, 1790, the Baptists of Gorham, presented to the Legisla- 
ture a petition for an act of incorporation, in which they say that 
they have maintained a society in Gorham for the seven years past. 

" Be it enacted, etc. That George Thomes, Enoch Waite, Ebenezer 
Hamblen, Nathaniel Stevens, Daniel Mann, Samuel Crockett, Jr., 
Charles Thomes, Lemuel Hicks, Barnabas Bangs, Jr., Thomas Bangs, 
William Burton, Gershom Hamblen, Isaac Elder, Nathaniel Freeman, 
Samuel Thomes, Andrew Cobb, Barnabas Bangs, William Files, 
Elisha Strout, George Hamblen, Jonathan Freeman, James McCorson, 
Amos Rich, James Ross, Ebenezer Bangs, Lemuel McCorson, John 
Ward, Ebenezer Cotton, Joel Sawyer, David Elvil Morton, Ebenezer 
Morton, James Morton, Nathan Hanscom, Christopher Plummer, 
Isaac Irish, Isaac Plummer, John Haskell, Jr., Reuben Libbee, 
Edward Webb, Joseph Hodgdon, John Lombard, John Carsley, John 
Carsley, Jr., Thomas Bolton, Jeremiah Clement, William Bolton, 
Daniel Gammon, William Lakeman, Ephraim Crockett, Peletiah 
Crockett, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Gates, James Mcintosh, Reuben 
Elder, Benjamin Chamberlain, Ebenezer Cobb, Samuel Elder, Samuel 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 209 

Warren, Micah Whitney, James Gilkey, Hart Williams and Jonathan 
Crockett, together witli their families, and estates, be incorporated by 
the name of 

"The Baptist Religious Society of Gorham." 

March 7, A. D. 1791. 

Lemuel Rich, Lemuel Rich, Jr., Boaz Rich, Amos Thomes, Seth 
L. Hamblen, Jacob York, Moses Richardson, James Rich, Israel 
Rich and William Harmon, all of Standish, were set off from 
Standish and annexed to the Antipedobaptist Society in Gorham, by 
Act of June 10, 1796. 

A meeting house was built on Fort Hill before the year 1798, for 
we find that on June 4, 1798, the town voted that all the town meet- 
ings should be held in the Baptist meeting house until the school- 
house, to be erected at the Corner, should be made convenfent 
to meet in. 

There seems always to have been considerable trouble with church 
music in Gorham as well as in other places, as these votes by the 
Fort Hill Society will show, as well as the way out of it. "June 10, 
1801, Opened meeting by prayer, then entered into labor concerning 
spiritual gifts, and how improvements ought to be made (both in 
speaking and in singing). Concluded to speak and sing as we are 
moved by the spirit of Truth." "July 14, 1802, Concerning singing, 
concluded, for those who are singers ( when a hymn is read) to sing, 
and as many as can for to join, and so carry on the worship of God." 
We judge that all the congregation were not equally endowed with 
the gift of song. 

In the year 1839, the meeting house was enlarged and finished in 
good style with forty-four pews, and dedicated Jan. i, 1840. Regu- 
lar meetings were held for a few years after this, up to about 1846, 
when, the members having either died or become scattered, the 
Church was dropped from the Conference. There was no preaching 
after that time, and the house falling into a state of decay, permission 
was granted by the Legislature to Frederic Gilkey to sell it, which 
was accordingly done; it being sold at public auction on Feb. 21, 
1877, for fifty dollars, to Capt. Gerry Rounds, and by him taken 
down, carried to the Village and used in building his house on 
Preble St. 

A Free Baptist Church was organized at Mallison's Falls in 
1827, and a meeting house erected on the Windham side of the river. 
This Church was formed as the result of revival work done in this 
locality by Elder Clement Phinney. In 1839, after a period of lack 



210 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

of interest, there was a strong revival of religion here, under the work 
and preaching of Elder James Buzzell, M. D., and having received 
large additions to their numbers, it was decided to build a new 
church. This building was erected, in 1841, in Little Falls village, on 
the Gorham side of the Presumpscot. Until this time the church 
had had no settled pastor, but was supplied, as was the custom of the 
denomination, by itinerant preachers, amongst others : Elders Joseph 
White, Joseph Phinney,. Andrew. Rollins, Samuel Hathorn, Sargent 
Shaw, Charles Bean, David Swett and Jeremiah Bullock. Dr. Buzzell 
was the first settled pastor, and remained here until about 1844. 
He has been followed by Revs. Amos Redlon, B. S. Manson, O. P. 
Smith, Mr. Fairfield, David Newell, William F. Eaton, William J, 
Twort, Elder Maddox, J. R. Franklin, E. C. Harmon (now at So. 
Gorham, 1899), Leroy S. Bean, A. F. Cox, E. C. Cook, W. A. Tucker, 
George Gray, William Fultz, and others. 

During the pastorate here of Mr. Redlon, there arose some trouble 
in the denomination in regard to an educated ministry, instrumental 
music, and choir singing. This difference of opinion resulted, under 
the leadership of Dr. Buzzell, in the formation of what was known 
as the "Association Baptist Church," afterwards incorporated as 
the "General Baptist Church and Society." Some thirty members 
of the old church here were dismissed to join the new. 

In January, 1864, the society at Little Falls was so unfortunate 
as to suffer the loss of its church edifice by fire. Two years later, in 
1866, the present meeting house was built, which occupies the spot on 
which the former one was located. 

The Baptist meeting house at White Rock was built in 1839, and 
dedicated in June, 1S40. It has since been twice remodelled. This 
society in 1854 took the name of General Baptist. Among other 
preachers, they have had Mr. Twort, Elder Maddox, Milton Pratt, 
and Mr. Fultz. 

There is also a Society at South Gorham, the outgrowth of a 
Sunday School started many years since in that region. 

Williamson says, (Hist, of Maine, Vol. i, p. 569), the Baptists first 
made their appearance in Maine, A. D. 1681, when several persons 
in Kittery embraced their doctrine. William Screven, who was an 
Englishman, was one of the first and most prominent. He became a 
leader. He was fined ten pounds for the first ofi'ence, and ordered 
to cease teaching and preaching. He refused compliance. Finally 
a church of eight members was embodied, Sept. 25, 1682. The next 
year Mr. Screven, with the members of the church with their families, 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 211 

removed to Cooper River, So. Carolina. This is said to have been 
the only instance of religious persecution within the State. The old 
Colonial laws of Massachusetts were rather severe on the Baptists 
and Quakers. Fines, whippings and imprisonments were used, but 
these laws were never enforced with anything like stringency in the 
District of Maine. 

A Baptist church was organized at North Berwick June 28, 1768, 
and one at Sanford, York County, in 1772, which was Congregational 
in 1788. Dr. Deane of Falmouth, says, (Diary, p. 322,) "Rev. H. 
Smith and Burnham here. Burnham urged me to invite Smith to 
preach, which I refused to do." This was in June, 1767. In a note 
is added, " Rev. Hezekiah Smith was a respectable Baptist preacher, 
settled in Haverhill, Mass. He made the earliest movement in 
behalf of the Baptists in this State. He was a man of fine personal 
appearance, a full and sonorous voice, and captivating address." 

It is said that the Rev. Hezekiah Smith preached, and gathered a 
church in Gorham, which was organized June 20, 1768. Of this I can 
find no local record. Dea. Alden, who kept a daily record of things 
passing in town, makes no reference to this whatever. And as the 
Deacon was rigid in his religious notions, and sensitive for the honor 
of the old church, it is wonderful how such a wicked thing could have 
escaped his notice. 

'Mr. Backus, who was agent for the Baptist Churches in Massa- 
chusetts, drew up an appeal to the honorable Congress of the 
Massachusetts province, convened at Cambridge, Nov. 22, 1774, 
designed to show by the instances of oppression adduced, that others 
than the "enemies of America" had good and sufficient reasons to 
memorialize the Continental Congress. In this petition he says, 
"A Baptist church was regularly formed at Gorham, Me., in 1768, 
and Mr. Joseph Moody of Scarborough, a member of it, yearly had 
the same certified to the Assessors of his town, yet still he has been 
taxed and strained upon ; and when he petitioned our Legislature last 
winter for help, we are credibly informed that his petition was thrown 
out, because Mr. March, the representative from Scarborough, had 
said There zvas no Baptist church in Gorham^ 

I have heard, many years gone by, that there was a person by the 
name of Hezekiah Smith who preached in Gorham, and that he was 
called a Baptist ; but as to his gathering a church, I think that that 
was not the case. From 1765 to 1768 was a time of some disaffection 
in the old church. Rev. Mr. Lombard had gone into secular busi- 
iFrom Dr. Hovey's life of Backus. 



212 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

ness, and paid but little attention to his ministerial work. He 
preached but little, and many said his preaching was not worth 
half he got, and contended stoutly against paying him his minis- 
terial tax. Many thought themselves persecuted for being compelled 
to pay what, as by law and their own agreement, they were 
obliged to do. But this war was not so much against the doctrine 
as against the minister, for when Mr. Thacher was settled, who, 
for a time, was remarkably popular, all quieted down, and the 
old church went on harmoniously, and we can find of the old settlers, 
none who appear to have seceded. If Mr. Smith preached, it was 
probably at some time during this turmoil, and probably he had 
hearers, but if he got up a church it certainly was small, or some 
account or tradition of it would have come down to us, as has been 
the case with the Free Will and Quaker Societies. It is certain that 
it never had a pastor, or belonged to any association. There is no 
church of the denomination now in town. 

In June, 1803, those professing to be of the Methodist persuasion 
in Gorhani, joined in a petition to the General Court, to be incorpor- 
ated into a separate Society; and at a town meeting held at the 
schoolhouse at Gorham Corner, Jan. 12, 1804, it was ''Voted, that 
this town has no objection to the petition exhibited to the General 
Court by a number of the Methodists, praying to be incorporated into 
a distinct Society. The petitioners were : Hugh Moore, Jonathan 
Moore, James Waterhouse, James Cochran, Josiah Paine, Thomas 
Irish, James Davis, Daniel Hill, Ebenezer Lombard, Isaac York, Amos 
Thomes, Samuel Files, Moses Fogg, Josiah Berry, James Lewis, 
Richard Lombard, Nathaniel Brackett, Elkanah Harding, Abraham 
Webb, John Whitmore, Lot Nason, Uriah Nason, Simeon Libby, 
Samuel Dennett, Philip Ayer, Richard Lamb, Thomas Thomes, 
Daniel Kimball, Sylvanus Bangs, Daniel Lowell, Richard Willis, 
Joseph Bryant, Thomas Ayer, Stephen Hopkinson, John W'hitney, 
John McGill, Joshua Moody, Asa Whitney and Colman Phinney. 
These, by an Act of the General Court, were incorporated with their 
families into a religious society by the name of 

"The Methodist Society in Gorham, Buxton and Standish." 

March i, A. D. 1804. 

In the early days of the Society, preaching meetings were held at 
the dwelling-houses of its members. Amongst these, where we learn 
that meetings were held, were the houses of Elkanah Harding, 
Simeon Libby, Thomas Irish, Samuel Files, and probably there were 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 213 

Others. The first Quarterly Meeting of which we have tradition, was 
held at the house of Elkanah Harding, Feb. 22, 1807, on the same 
day that Mrs. Nathaniel Knight of Windham and her child were 
drowned at Little Falls. The husband, wife and child were on their 
way to the meeting. On Little Falls bridge their horse became 
frightened, and backed off the bridge, drowning the mother and 
child. We have tradition also of these meetings being held at the 
houses of Mr. Irish, Mr. Files and Mr. Libby, but we have no means 
of fixing dates. The first class-meeting held in Gorham was at the 
house of Ebenezer Lombard, which stood near where J. N. Libby lately 
lived. The first class-leader in Gorham, or in the County of Cum- 
berland, was Ebenezer Lombard, who was appointed class-leader by 
Rev. Timothy Merritt, about 1797. It was the custom with all the 
brethren to have open houses for meetings, or religious purposes, and 
it is said that provisions and fodder were free to all comers from a 
distance. 

The Methodists had no meeting house of their own previous to 
18 1 2. They often used the houses of other denominations, by 
consent. But it is a notorious fact that denominations in those days 
were not over hospitable to each other, more particularly the Old to 
the New. The Baptists were no more tolerant than the Congrega- 
tionalists. They admitted, and even invited some of the early 
Methodist ministers to preach in their house, thinking as they were 
anti-Congregationalists, and opposed to the old standing order, all 
would be right, but finding that their preaching was likely to make a 
schism in their own church, they were forbidden the use of the 
Baptist house. This was the case with Rev. Samuel Thomes, and 
with Rev. Mr. Lee who was one of the first Methodist ministers that 
came to Gorham. Nevertheless, the Methodists did occupy the 
Baptist house for their Yearly and Quarterly meetings. But these 
were oftener, in early times, held at dwelling-houses and schoolhouses, 
where, if there was not room enough inside, there was plenty outside. 

We are able to give the names of but few of the very early min- 
isters, the custom of the society being to change often, and but little 
record was kept. But we have Rev. Jesse Lee, who is said to have 
done much toward a more perfect organization of the Church, Rev. Asa 
Heath, Rev. Mr. Buck, Rev. James Lewis, Rev. Ebenezer Lombard, 
Rev. Richard Lombard, Rev, Timothy Merritt, Rev. Mr. Hubbard, 
and Rev. Joshua Taylor. Few of these were citizens of the town. 
Mr. Heath must have been a preacher here as early as the first 
organization, for he stated at the funeral of the Rev. James Lewis in 



214 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

1855, " I took the side of the Lord and commenced preaching in the 
early days of Methodism in this town, and forty-five years ago I 
baptized Brother Lewis into the Methodist Church, soon after which 
time he commenced to preach the Gospel." 

It will be borne in mind that there was no organized Methodist 
Church, or Society, at Gorham Village before 1821, although there 
was occasional preaching by ministers of that denomination in the 
old town schoolhouse, which stood back of where the house of Simon 
E. McLellan now stands. 

Rev. Asa Heath, though not a Gorham man, was closely connected 
with the early Methodists in town. He was born in Hillsdale, 
N. Y., July 30, 1776. Becoming pious in early life, he joined 
the Methodist Church, and being fluent of speech, was advised to go 
into the ministry. He was admitted to preach on trial, September, 
1798, at the annual conference in Granville, Mass., and was recom- 
mended to the then District of Maine. He landed in Portland, about 
the year 1800, coming as an itinerant preacher, and commenced work 
in his field of labor, this being the entire State of Maine, as at this 
time there was scarce a minister of the Methodist denomination in 
the whole territory, or at most but few of them. Mr. Heath's first 
ground was from Portland, up through Gorham, Buxton and Standish. 
Having been recommended to Capt. Hugh Moore of Standish, he 
made his house his home, and on March 21, 1801, married his 
daughter, Sarah Moore. Elder Heath died Sept. i, i860, aged 84. 
Elder Jesse Lee was another Methodist preacher who had a great 
deal to do with early Methodism in Gorham. Aug. 1, 1793, Elder 
Lee received an appointment to the Province of Maine. 

In 1793 Maine "was a new country in many respects, sparsely 
settled, with an odd mixture of many 'kindred, nations, tongues and 
people ' poorly cultivated by a people of plain manners, with a very 
little refinement, and a loose morality. Of religion, except in a few of 
the more populous settlements, in so far as it is developed by the 
presence of ministers, churches, and means of grace, there was very 
little in the Province. The ministers who waited for calls had not 
received them ; and as a general thing, they are not received from 
those who are at ease in sin, and the mere presence of sinners is not 
regarded as a very potent element in a call. But poor and rude as 
were the people, they had been redeemed by the precious blood of 
Christ; and Christ authorized His ministers to preach the gospel 
to every creature." So the conference at Lynn, Mass., reasoning 
upon the general principles of Methodist doctrine and usage, con- 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 'J15 

eluded ; and resolved to send to the sinners in Maine the word of 
salvation — and who so fit to carry it to them as Mr. Lee ? A few 
weeks after the adjournment of the conference, he entered upon what, 
in those days, was a journey of considerable magnitude. Leaving 
Lynn he passed through Newburyport, Greenland and Portsmouth, 
preaching as he went, and thence, on Sept. lo, 1793, entered Maine, 
and, at a " little village called Saco," on the same night preached in 
a private house crowded with attentive hearers. This, Lee says, was 
the first sermon preached in the Province, by a Methodist preacher. 

Somewhere about the year 18 12, the members of the Society in 
Gorham built a house at White Rock. It stood on the Hurricane 
road, a little to the east of where the schoolhouse now stands. This 
house they did not finish, and in 1825, not being conveniently located 
for the majority of the worshippers, it was taken down and moved. 
The Methodist minister then in Gorham was the Rev. John Shaw. 
He was active in moving the house. After it was taken down and 
loaded on to the teams, some of those who were opposed to the 
change appeared on the ground, and forbade the moving. But 
the teams were ordered to start, and start they did. The material 
was landed in the Johnson neighborhood (so called), at the North, 
where the house stood for many years. One old gentleman told me 
that it is hardly worth while to say that one was more enthusiastic 
than another in the business of having a meeting house ; all joined 
heart and hand. Mr. Shaw, w^ho was a joiner by trade, worked hard 
to complete the house, anticipating much satisfaction in being able to 
assist in the dedication of the first Methodist meeting house in Gor- 
ham, but Providence ordered it otherwise. He was taken sick, and 
went to Limington on a visit to recruit himself, and there died, before 
the day of the dedication, which took place in the autumn of 1825. 
In 1843 the house was repaired and new pews placed in it. This 
house was occupied by the Society at the North until 187 1, when it 
was taken down, and the present handsome and commodious build- 
ing was erected, where a large and influential society now worship. 

As I have before said, the MethocUsts at the village, before the year 
182 1, had no place of worship other than the schoolhouse. About 
this time church music took quite an impetus. Much attention was 
paid to the singing of sacred music. Singing schools were much in 
fashion. The singing-seats of the old Congregational church were 
all the ground there was for display, and there were more musicians 
than room. There was no organ in the church then, but there were 
bass viols, violins, cornets and flutes, and they did not make bad 



216 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

music. All wanted to occupy the seats. Some wanted to crowd 
one out, some another, some families were too tiat, some too sharp, 
some were too aristocratic, some were not enough so. This made a 
lively quarrel, in which there was more music than harmony; and 
about every family in the village had some one in it ; and the female 
combatants were not in the minority. Two singing societies were 
formed, the Haydn, and the Handel. Their meetings were held 
weekly. One occupied March's and the other Hunt's Hall. The 
Haydns finally got possession of the old seats, and the Handels were 
out. The outs had the sympathy of a large number. This society 
had many of the oldest and best singers in town. At once an effort 
was made to get them a place in which to sing. A subscription 
was started to build a free meeting house, and it met with great 
success. iVlexander McLellan, Esq., gave them a lot, where the 
town house now stands, and in 182 1 the "Free Meeting House" 
was built. Here the Handels found a home, and occupied the 
singing-seats, whoever occupied the pulpit, whether Universalist, 
Methodist or Baptist. This house was dedicated in June, 1822. 
Clergymen of several denominations were present and assisted, 
among whom, old Elder John Buzzell of Parsonsfield, and Elder 
James Lewis of Gorham took prominent parts. Mr. Buzzell preached 
the sermon. His text was Haggai, 2: g, "The glory of the 
latter house shall be," etc. The Baptists and Methodists occupied 
the house most of the time ; occasionally a preacher of another 
denomination would come along, but there was never any trouble 
about who should occupy the pulpit. However, as the Baptists 
decreased, the Methodists increased, and having become an organ; 
ized society, with a minister in charge, they occupied the house most 
of the time. But to obviate all difficulty, and help to hold their 
members together, when others wished to occupy the Free House, 
somewhere about the year 1830 they built a vestry, sufficient to 
accommodate their society, on a lot immediately adjoining the Free 
Meeting house, where they could worship when the other house was 
occupied. Thus things went on harmoniously till 1840, when the 
society, thinking themselves able, and being desirous of having a 
house of their own, purchased a lot on High St., built a new house 
of worship and moved their vestry on to their lot and converted it 
into a parsonage. An excellent organ was purchased and placed 
in the church, in April, 187 i, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. In 
1880 it was deemed best to build on a different site a larger and 
better church edifice. The Society accordingly sold the old church 




METHOIUST CHURCH, (iORHAM VILLACIE. 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 217 

and parsonage and the lot on which they stood, and purchased the 
lot on School St., where they built the large and handsome building, 
which they now occupy. 

After the Methodists abandoned the Free House it fell somewhat 
into decay, and the proprietors petitioned the Court for license to 
sell, which was granted. The house was sold at auction, and bid off 
by Toppan Robie, Esq., for the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars ; 
and he then exchanged it with the town for the old town house, on 
Fort Hill. After the building came into the possession of the town, 
some alterations were made by taking down the spire, adding the 
pillars in front, and adapting the inside to suit its present use. 

Thacher, in his Military Journal, speaks of a new order of fanatics ; 
" That pretend to be a religious sect, but are a disgrace to religion 
and to human nature. They are called Shaking Quakers, or Danc- 
ing Quakers ; but have no affinity in principle or character to the 
established order of Quakers. Their leader is a woman, Ann Lee, 
niece of Gen. Lee in our Army.' She is called ' Mother Ann', and 
pretends to have received revelations from heaven. The method 
they practice, under the idea of religious worship, is so obviously 
impious as to exceed the bounds of credibility. A spectator asserts 
that the fantastic contortions of body in which these pretended relig- 
ious exercises consist bear a semblance of supernatural impulse, and 
the extraordinary conduct of these infatuated people is a burlesque 
on all moral and religious principles." 

While this account of the doings of the early Shakers may, possibly, 
not be overdrawn, the Shakers of the present day must be conceded 
to be of an entirely different style, and are most orderly in all their 
ways. They are worthy, industrious members of the communities in 
which they dwell, and are noted for their neatness, industry and hon- 
orable dealing. They pay much attention to agriculture, and engage 
in many kinds of manufacturing interests. 

The first Shaker that came to Gorham was Henry Clough. He 
came from Loudon, N. H. ; and was accompanied by a female Shaker. 
He stopped with the Brown family at West Gorham, and commenced 
preaching his peculiar doctrines. This was about the year 1780, at 
the time of the New Light excitement among the Rev. Josiah 
Thacher's people. About all the disaffected, or "New Lights," went 
to hear the new preaching. The first convert to Shakerism in Gor- 
ham was Barbara Brown, Samuel Brown's wife. The Browns lived 
in the house where J. Hanson Clement recently lived, and which was 

I American Army of the Revolution. 



218 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

lately owned and occupied, by Simon Lewis. Soon others joined 
them till there was quite a society. The Loudon Shakers did not 
remain long after having established this Society. Mr. Brown became 
the leading man among them. 

In the early days of Shakerism in Gorham, it was concluded by the 
Society to be necessary to make a pilgrimage to the head of the clan, 
Mother Ann Lee, whose home was at Niskenna (now Watervliet), 
near Albany, N. Y. The Gorham, Alfred and Sabbath Day Pond 
(New Gloucester) families joined, and chartered in Portland a small 
schooner of twenty-eight tons burthen called the "Shark." She was 
owned by Capt. Greenfield Pote. They victualled and fitted her out, 
and in the month of August, 1784, started on their journey. Samuel 
Brown was commander and Enoch Waite assistant skipper. It is 
said that Mother Ann in a vision saw them on the way. and that on 
their arrival at Niskenna they were met at the door with the words 
" Welcome here, we were expecting you. Mother saw you some days 
ago and told us to prepare for you." 

On the 7 th of September the party left New York, and on the suc- 
ceeding Sabbath reached Portland. 

The following are the names of those that made the journey : 

Robert McFarland, Dora Abigail Tlioms, 

Barnabas Bangs, Lydia Freeman, 

Nathan Freeman, Sen., Barbara Brown, 

Samuel Brown, Nory Hatch, 

Moses llanscome, Catherine Bangs, 

Nathaniel Stevens, Betty Cotton, 

Ezekiel Hatch, Hannah Whitney, 

Tames Merrill, Sen., Betty Stevens, 

Nathan Merrill, Molly Merrill, 

Solomon Twombly, Raichael Merrill, 

Gowen Wilson, Molly Wilson, 

Enoch Waite, Hannah Starbird. 
Thomas Bangs, 

The most important convert to Shakerism, made in (iorham, was 
Barnabas Bangs, who owned a large tract of land. This land, 
when Mr. Bangs joined the Society, became the common property of 
the Family. The story is, that Mr. Bangs was in the habit of taking 
a daily allowance of grog. To this expense the Society objected. 
Mr. I5angs then threatened to withdraw from the Shakers ; but was 
unable to get back his land. He, however, finally obtained his allow- 
ance, and concluded to remain in the Family. 

The Shakers a few years after their organization here split up, and 
most of the Family moved to Alfred. Some remained in town, and 
settled, and had a village on Mr. Bangs's land, which is where Frank 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 



219 



Merrill now lives, where they remained many years; but they made 
little addition to their numbers, and finally disposed of their property 
and removed to Poland, where the Family now lives. 

Of the buildings which formed their village, Rev. Asa Rand, acting 
for the Congregational Society, and Capt. Robert McLellan purchased 
one and about the year 1819 hauled it to Gorham Village. Mr. Rand 
placed his half of this building on South St., just south of the burying 
ground, and made it into a (Conference House. Capt. McLellan con- 
verted his half into the dwelling house, situated just north of the old 
church, and lately owned by Mrs. Marcia Parkhurst. About 1826, 
the old Conference House was moved on to the new road to Sacca- 
rappa, and altered into the dwelling house occupied by the late Geo. 
Jewett. The house on High St. in which Alfred Bailey and his sister 
live was also one of the Shaker houses. There still remain in the 
old neighborhood three of the original buildings, the small house, 
formerly occupied by Ichabod Leighton, and the large ones, in one 
of which the late Andrew Twombly lived, and the other of which is 
occupied by Frank Merrill. In the Merrill house is still to be seen, 
in one of the upper back rooms, the marks in the floor worn by the 
feet of the Shakers in their dances. 

The Gorham family of Shakers possessed a grist mill of their own, 
for grinding their corn. It was situated in what is now Frank Hopkin- 
son's pasture on "Tommy's brook," not far from where it empties 
Little River. 

The following is a specimen of the early Shaker songs : 



Come Life Etarual ! 

Come Life Etarnal ! 
Shake, shake out of me 

All that is carnal ! 

All thatis carnal ! 



" I'll take nimble steps, 
I'll be a David! 
I'll tell as much as twice 
How he behaved ! 
How he behaved ! " 



The first Friends (or Quakers, as they are usually called) in this 
country, came to America about the middle of the 17th century, from 
England, where they originated not many years before. At this 
time, in Massachusetts, the Quakers were designated as a religious 
sect " who were foes to forms, fashions, oaths, parish taxes, wars, and 
the dictates of magistracy ; — believing the outer and inner man should 
'be yea, yea, and nay, nay.'" A law was passed in 1677, which 
rendered the mere attendance upon a Quaker-meeting a misdemeanor, 
punishable by a fine. 

The first meeting held for worship by the Friends, in Maine, was 
at Newichawanic (York Co.), in December, 1662. This, however, 



•2'20 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

was only a transient meeting ; the first permanent meeting being 
held at what is now Eliot, in the year 1730. In 1743 a meeting for 
worship was established in Falmouth. Under date of May 6, 1779, 
Parson Deane of Falmouth says, " Continental fast. Four Quakers 
at our meeting — sat with hats on, all the forenoon service, and then 
harangued.'" 

Previous to the year 1696 the Friends held meetings for worship 
on the first day of the week only, but in that year they established 
four kinds of meetings, known as Preparative, Monthly, Quarterly 
and Yearly. The Monthly meetings were for the transaction of 
business, such as certifying membership, approbating marriages, pro- 
viding for their poor, disciplining members, etc. 'I'he Quarterly 
meetings were composed of two or more Monthly meetings, to hear 
and determine any appeals from the latter, while the Yearly meeting, 
composed of several Quarterly meetings, heard appeals, made laws 
and looked out for the general interests of the whole body. 

The first Quarterly meeting of Friends, held in Maine after being 
set off from the Salem Quarterly meetings, occurred on the 4th of 
12 month (December) 1794. It was held in the town of Durham. 

The first meeting of this sect in Gorham, of which we have any 
record, was held in June, 1777, at a dwelling house, by David Sands, 
who probably did more than any other man to plant this denomina- 
tion in Maine. There was, however, a small society in Windham 
previous to this date. As was the case with the Baptists and Shak- 
ers, the Quakers owed the formation of their Society, or at least owed 
a large number of their members, to the New Light excitement, 
already mentioned. Among these members were George Hamblen 
and his family, William Burton, Jedediah Cobb and his son William, 
Stephen Harris, Janies Bangs, Decker Phinney and others. Their 
meetings, for some years, were held at the houses of different mem- 
bers of the Society, until, in 1804, it was decided to build a meeting 
house. This house was erected during the following year at a cost 
of three hundred dollars. It was located on land which belonged to 
Jedediah Cobb, in what is called the Horton District, not far from 
the farm now owned by Isaac L. Johnson, and stood near the maple 
trees, on the western side of the road, nearly opposite where the 
schoolhouse lately stood. It was a small, plain building, about thirty 
feet square, and with ten-foot posts. At the end of the audience 
room were situated what were called " facing seats," where only the 
ministers and elders sat. These seats were raised, and so placed that 
their occupants faced the door and the congregation. The congrega- 



OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 221 

tion was divided by the aisle, the men sitting on the right and the 
women on the left. 

Preparative meetings were established quite early in Gorbam. They 
were held on the 4th day of the week, before the third 5th day 
of the week in each month. As early as the 28th day of 7th month, 
1S15, the Preparative meeting of Gorham sent delegates — who were 
John Hamblen and Wm. Harris — to the Windham Monthly meeting. 
This Windham Monthly meeting was first held on ist month, 29th 
day, 1803 ; and to it the Gorham Society sent their delegates, and on 
its records the minutes of the Gorham meetings were inserted. 

Gorham Friends held religious services twice each week, Sundays 
and Wednesdays, beginning at 1 1 o'clock and lasting for an hour and 
a half, with no evening services, except on special occasions. One of 
the principles of the Quaker religion is that women, equally with men, 
shall " know, possess and perform their offices and services in the 
house of God," and take part in all the affairs of the Church. It is 
not surprising, therefore, that we find a woman, Mary Barker of Nan- 
tucket, the first minister coming from a distance to conduct a service 
in the new meeting house at Gorham. This was in 1807. Strangers 
frequently preached in this little house, one of whom is said to have 
foretold the death of two young men, Stephen P. Mayberry and John 
Elder, who on the loth of June, 1824, were drowned in Little River, 
near Harding's Bridge, by falling from a raft. 

About 1849, the Society, having become much reduced in numbers, 
through the death, and removals from the neighborhood, of many of 
its members, decided to merge itself with the Windham Society, which 
it accordingly did, and sold its meeting house, which was moved to 
Little Falls, and converted into a dwelling house on Brackett St., 
at present occupied by Mrs. Samuel Rand. 



CHAPTER XI. 

EDUCATION. 
TOWN SCHOOLS — GORHAM ACADEMY AND SEMINARY — NORMAL SCHOOL. 

In granting townships for settlement, either as bounty lands to sol- 
diers, or otherwise, in early times, the General Court of Massachu- 
setts held the grantees to conform in all things to the laws relating to 
education and schools. Having in mind the well-being of the rising 
generation, the cause of religion and education were the first things 
for consideration when a new settlement was to be made. All grants 
were made with the express condition that one share of the town- 
ship so granted should be set off for schools. The laws in relation 
to schools, about the year 1700, — and we can find no material 
alteration for many years after the settlement of our town — appear 
to us of the present day somewhat curious, when we read from the 
" Act Respecting Schools, Section i ; It being one chief project of 
Satan to keep man from the knowledge of the Scriptures, as in former 
times keeping them in unknown tongues ********; to the 
end that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers, 
in the church and commonwealth, the Lord assisting our endeavors ; 
It is therefore ordered by this Court and authority thereof that every 
township within this jurisdiction, after the Lord has increased them 
to the number of fifty householders, shall then forthwith appoint one 
within their town to teach all such children, as shall resort to him, to 
write and read. The instruction to be paid by the parents or by the 
inhabitants in general, as a major part of those that order the pru- 
dential concerns of the town shall appoint. The teacher shall be 
Orthodox and no Minister of any town shall be deemed, or held 
accepted to be Schoolmaster of such town. That no person shall 
presume to set up, or keep, a school for teaching children in reading, 
writing, or other sciences, but such as are of sober and good conver- 
sation, and have the allowance of the Selectmen. When this town 
has one hundred householders, or more^ there shall be kept a gram- 
mar school, whose teacher shall have the approbation of the minister 
of the town." These laws and regulations were to be observed under 
penalty of a fine. 



EDUCATION. 223 

At a meeting of the Proprietors of Gorhamtown, held at the house 
of Mr. William Pote in said town, Sept. 9, 1743, it was "Voted, that 
there be a right allowed by this proprietary, for the use of the school, 
that is, to help to the maintenance of a school in said town ; said 
right to be No. 123, and that the Committee chosen to lay out a hun- 
dred acres to the Minister, and Ministerial lot be also empowered to 
lay out one hundred acres for the use of the Schools." This appears 
to have been a good start for the cause of education in the town, but 
unfortunately, the vote seems to have been the last of it. After this 
we find no allusion to the subject for some time. This right, No. 
123, was not entered on the plan of the thirty acre lots, nor was it 
recognized in the after divisions of the hundred or the seventy acre 
lots. 

On the 22d day of March, 1753, the Proprietors passed a vote that 
the right numbered 106 be appropriated for schools. This right, 
or the thirty acre lot belonging thereto, is the Col. Edmund Phinney 
homestead, on the old road to Portland ; and the hundred acre lot 
drawn to this thirty is 85, and the seventy acre lot is 112. This vote 
was eleven and a half years previous to the incorporation of the 
town. The right may have been sold, and the proceeds used for 
the school in the plantation, but there is no record that we can find, 
other. than that it was taxed to Capt. John Phinney in 1762, to help 
raise Mr. Lombard's salary, and to build bridges and repair roads. 
, From the first settlement of the township to the time of its incor- 
poration, we have no record, and but little of tradition, informing us 
of schools kept in the plantation, but as there was about thirty years 
of time we must believe that the children were not allowed to grow 
up without some instruction. During this time a learned orthodox 
minister had been settled, and well supported ; and a large number 
of settlers had come in, amongst whom were some men well-educated 
for the times, who knew the worth of education. Tradition says that 
while in the fort the younger children were instructed by some of the 
older boys, and that the latter had a fixed salary per week for their 
work, which was paid in mink and muskrat skins ; and it is said that 
one of the females, while in the fort during the Indian war, used to 
take the children into a room, and keep them out of mischief, teach- 
ing the boys to read and spell, and the girls to sew and knit. 

At the time of the incorporation, there were probably as many as 
sixty or seventy householders in the township, for we have by us a 
Province tax bill for 1763, in which there are one hundred and forty- 
six poll taxes. John Green is said to have kept the first school in 



224 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

town. Of this we have some doubt. However, we find him taxed 
for a poll tax in 1763, and know from record that he kept the first 
school after the incorporation. In December, 1765, he received an 
order on the treasurer for three pounds fo;- keeping school. Austin 
Alden came here about the year 1754, and it is said that he kept a 
school soon after that time. Mr. Alden kept a diary for many years 
after he came here, all of which previous to 1 761, is unfortunately 
lost, but we find under date of "March 14, 1763, First to McLellan's 
schooling." As he probably 'did not attend school as a scholar, it is 
likely that he kept school in Hugh McLellan's house. It is also said 
that Edmund Phinney kept a school, when quite a young man. 

Towns were not divided into school districts, by vote of the town, 
before 1789. Previous to this time the selectment had control of 
the schools ; selecting the teachers, appointing the place where the 
schools should be kept, if from the location of the settlers it w-as' 
inconvenient for their children to attend the school at the Corner, 
where the first school was kept. After the incorporation, they made 
a Class, as it was called, and ordered the teacher to keep school 
there a portion of the time. 

We have no record of the building of schoolhouses in the early 
days of Gorham, and it is probable that there were none built 
expressly for that purpose before 1796, when the following vote was 
passed at a parish meeting held at the meeting house on the 5th of 
April, "Voted, That the first School Class have liberty to build a 
School House on the South-east corner of the Meeting-house lot in 
said Gorham, said School House to continue on said land during the 
pleasure of the Parish and no longer." Schools were usually kept in 
private houses, or in buildings temporarily fitted up for that purpose. 
The first schoolhouse at Gorham village, and probably the first in 
town appropriated to that purpose, was the old Congregational 
meeting house given by the town to the District with the under- 
standing that the town should have it when wanted for the purpose 
of holding town meetings. This was no extraordinary gift, for the 
town was obliged to build all schoolhouses up to about the year 
1802, when the law was changed, so that school districts were com- 
pelled to build their own schoolhouses. 

Our records show that the town was never backward in raising 
money for schools. It is true that during the war of the Revolution, 
when money was scarce, times hard, and the expenses of providing 
soldiers and taking care of their families bore hard on the people, 
they did not raise much money for school purposes. In 1765, the 



EDUCATION. 225 

first year after we became a town, ^40 was raised ; in 1766, nothing ; 
in 1767 the town raised ^^"40, and voted not to divide it; in 1768 
;^i5 was raised, and it was "voted to improve Mr. John Green" 
till the money is expended, and the selectmen to say where the school 
shall be kept. 

It appears that in 1769 the town had come up to a hundred house- 
holders, for that year the town voted to raise ;!^2o to pay the fine for 
not keeping a grammar school. In 1771 it was "voted to raise ^30 
for schools, one-third of which to be for a grammar school. Gram- 
mar school to go one mile square from the Meeting-house in said 
town." From the orders drawn for boarding the master we think 
the schools were movable, and kept in different parts of the town. 
In 1773 it was "voted to raise ^40 Lawful money for a grammar 
school." As no money was raised for common schools, it is probable 
that the schools were somewhat improved. At a town meeting, 
March 22, 1773, it was " Voted, that the selectmen are impowered to 
give to some of the remote inhabitants liberty to pay their proportion 
of the school money to a Master, or Mistress, to accommodate them- 
selves, at the discretion of the Selectmen." This appears to have 
been the manner of creating classes, and probably this vote was 
acted upon for some years, for in the year 1804 the town voted a 
Class to be school district No. 4, which leads us to believe that at 
that time there were but four organized school districts in town. 

Of the old school-masters and school-wc?r?;zj- we can give but an 
imperfect list. Amongst them we find John Green, who was an 
Englishman. He kept school in Gorham at times from 1765 to 1769. 
Austin Alden kept from 1766 to 1779; James Ross, who was a 
Scotchman, from 1766 to 1779. Caleb Chase from Newburyport 
taught from 1769 to 1779. A Mr. Hearn was one of the old school- 
masters. Andrew Crockett kept in 177 1; Mrs. Abigail Weston in 
1771 and 1773. Mrs. Bethiah Freeman kept in 1771, '73 and '79; 
Mrs. Brown in 1783 ; Thomas Kennard, 1779 ; the wife of Nathaniel 
Walker, 1772. Salmon Chase taught at the village at one time. He 
was an uncle of the celebrated statesman, Salmon P. Chase. In the 
winter of 1790, Capt. Sylvanus Davis taught a school, which was kept 
in four private dwellings successively. Mrs. Lydia Watson (daughter 
of Samuel Prentiss) kept a school quite early in the Class above Fort 
Hill. She boarded herself and son in the little schoolhouse, while 
keeping the school. The names of Master Grace and Francis Mor- 
risey have come down to us, the latter of whom was long remembered 
for his strict discipline and the liberal manner in which he used the 



226 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

rod. Among the host of teachers who have figured in the schools of 
Gorham, whose names we would gladly give had we room, we cannot 
forget that of Nathaniel Phinney, Esq., who for many years (probably 
longer than any other man) kept the school at the Corner. His was 
the first man's school we ever attended, and we will say that he was 
a good citizen, an honest man, and a good disciplinarian, and in 
school always just, for he never missed giving the boys the full 
amount of the contract. 

In 1826 the brick schoolhouse, which stood just south of the cem- 
etery on South St., was built. William Ashley was the first person 
that taught in this house. This building was used until the erection 
of the present High School building in 1868, when it was converted 
into a fire-engine house, and was lately torn down to make room for 
the new Library building. 

In 1873 the town established a Free High School at White Rock, 
and in 1876 one was kept at West Gorham, which was transferred to 
the village the following year, and again returned to West Gorham. 
It was the custom for some years to have two High Schools in 
Gorham, one at the village, the other in the northern section of the 
town with one term at White Rock and one at Little Falls. A High 
School has been kept for the past seven years at North Gorham 
(Great Falls). 

Thus Gorham has been going along from early times to this day, 
increasing in scholars and schools, raising money liberally from year 
to year for educational purposes, and em])loying the best of teachers. 
In 1874 there were nineteen school districts, with a flourishing High 
School located at the north part of the town, and there were in town 
one thousand and sixty-six school children. The nineteen school 
houses then in town were worth about twenty thousand dollars in 
cash. The school money for distribution among the several districts 
amounted to forty-six hundred and thirty-three dollars, besides four 
hundred dollars for the lligh School. 

Gorham, among other towns, has recently abolished the school dis- 
tricts and substituted what is known as the Town System. 

Our town now (1901) possesses twelve schoolhouses, of many of 
which any town might well be proud, and among these we might men- 
tion the fine, large house at the village built in 1868 at a cost of about 
ten thousand dollars ; a building erected at Little Falls in 1888, 
called the Frederick Robie schoolhouse; the Levi Hall school 
building, built at North Gorham in 1895 ; the Longfellow school- 
house, built near Geo. Allen's in 1897 ; and the schoolhouse, just 
completed, near Wm. E. Strout's. 




LEVI HALL SCHOOLHOUSE. 



EDUCATION. 227 

With the opening of the century the time had arrived when the 
opinion of the leading men of the town was, that the common schools 
were very well in their place, but that that place was not to teach 
Greek and Latin, and that Gorham ought to have a school capable of 
fitting her boys for college and the higher walks of life. In accord- 
ance with this feeling, we find this in a warrant for a town meeting, 
held Jan. 21, 1S03, to consider the application of sundiy persons of 
Gorham, " To see if the town will petition the General Court, at the 
present session, for a grant and an incorporation of an academy in 
said town." "Third, To see if the town will choose a committee to 
consult where y*^ most suitable place will be for the erecting of a 
building for that purpose, that will most accommodate the inhabitants, 
and to consult what sort of a building will be most advantageous." 
At the meeting it was " Resolved, Whereas a number of persons in 
this town have subscribed liberally for the purpose of erecting an 
academy here, and are about preferring a petition to the General 
Court at the present session, therefore — Voted, That Lothrop Lewis, 
Esq., the Representative of this town, now at the General Court, be, 
and he hereby is, requested to do all in his power that said incorpor- 
ation take place, and that the usual grant be made." The article 
referring to the erection of a building was dismissed. 

On the petition of the citizens of Gorham, the General Court of 
Massachusetts passed an act incorporating the Gorham Academy, 
which was approved by Gov. Caleb Strong March 5, 1803. By this 
act the Rev. Thomas Lancaster of Scarborough, Hon. William Gor- 
ham of Gorham, Hon. Stephen Longfellow of Gorham,' Rev. Elijah 
Kellogg of Portland, Rev. Daniel Marrett of Standish, Rev. Caleb 
Bradley of Westbrook, Capt. David Harding, Jr., of Gorham, John 
Park Little, Esq. of Gorham, Mr. Matthew Cobb of Portland, Hon. 
Woodbury Storer of Portland, Dr. Dudley Folsom of Gorham, Mr, 
William McLellan of Gorham, Mr. James Phinney of Gorham, 
Mr. Samuel Elder of Gorham and Capt. Samuel Whitmore of Gor- 
ham were nominated and appointed trustees, by the name of the 
Trustees of the Gorham Academy, and it was enacted that the num- 
ber of trustees should not at any time exceed fifteen, nor be less than 
nine, and that not less than five should be a quorum for transacting 
business, — with power to fill vacancies in their board. 

The first notice for a meeting of the trustees under the act of 



1 Hon. William Gorham and Hon. Steplien Longfellow were members of the original 
board of Overseers of ]5owdoiu College, and Hon. Josiah Thacher a member of the 
first board of Trustees of the College. 



228 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

incorporation, was issued by the Hon. William Gorham, on the first 
day of June, i8o3; and the meeting was held at the Inn of Mr. 
Samuel Staples in Gorham. on Wed. June ist, at 2 o'clock in the after- 
noon, when the Hon. William Gorham was chosen President ; John 
Park Little, Esq., Secretary, and Capt. David Harding, Jr., Treas- 
urer. A committee of five was chosen to solicit subscriptions, — 
Rev. Thomas Lancaster, Rev. Daniel Marrett, Hon. Stephen Long- 
fellow, Dr. Dudley Folsom and Rev. Caleb Bradley. 

June 20, 1803, a resolve was passed and approved by the Governor 
of Massachusetts, on the petition of Lothrop Lewis. Esq., in behalf 
of the trustees of Gorham Academy, as follows, — "Resolved 

That there be, and hereby is, granted unto the trustees of Gorham 
Academy, one half township of land, of the contents of six miles 
square ; out of any of the unappropriated lands of this Common- 
wealth in the District of Maine (excepting the ten townships on 
Penobscot River, purchased of the Indians; and the townships 
north of Waldo Patent) said half township to be laid out under the 
direction of the Commonwealth's agent for the sale of eastern lands. 
Provided, however, that the agent aforesaid shall not proceed to lay 
out and assign said half township, unless said trustees shall within 
one year from the passing of this resolve, lodge in the Secretary's 
office, a certified list of the subscriptions and donations, which have 
been made and secured to said Academy, which amount to three 
thousand dollars." 

By a vote of the trustees the notices for their meetings were pub- 
lished in Jenk's Portland Gazette, at least seven days previous to the 
meeting. 

Dec. 12, 1803, a committee was chosen to take a deed from Mr. 
Thomas McLellan of a lot of land on which to erect the Academy 
building, which lot was to be in the southeasterly corner of his home- 
stead lot (where the Academy now stands) ; and the trustees were to 
build and maintain a stone wall on the westerly and northerly sides 
of the said lot, equal to that which was on the front. Also a com- 
mittee was chosen to fix upon a plan for the building, which it was 
decided should be of two stories, built of wood, with a cellar under it. 
It was also settled that it should be forty by fifty feet on the ground, 
with stories thirteen and eleven feet in the clear, and that there 
should be a cupola on the top of the building for the reception of a 
bell. 

By the records of a meeting held Dec. 27th, it would appear that 
the amount of subscriptions required by the Legislative resolve was 
not readily obtained, as, at that meeting, a committee was chosen to 



EDUCATION. 229 

solicit a subscription from the town to help make up the deficiency, 
in order that the Academy might be able to obtain the grant of land. 
Also an addition was made to the solicitation committee to procure 
additional subscriptions. The Academy lot was appraised, by a com- 
mittee chosen for that purpose, at three hundred and fifty dollars, 
and Thomas McLellan, who was to give the lot, was requested 
to add that sum to his previous subscription of one hundred dollars ; 
and when he gave the deed, he had a receipt for so much of his sub- 
scription, if the Academy was completed in five years. 

The first committee chosen by the trustees to draft rules and regu- 
lations for the good government of the Academy was Hon. William 
Gorham, Rev. Elijah Kellogg and Hon. Woodbury Storer. This was 
on the twelfth of December, 1803. 

The Hon. Stephen Longfellow, Esq., Mr. Samuel Elder and Capt. 
David Harding, Jr., were a committee, chosen on Feb. 6, 1804, to 
draw the plans, which they were to deliver to the building committee, 
Mr. Samuel Elder, Capt. David Harding, Jr. and Capt. Samuel 
Whitmore, who were to procure the underpinning and the timber for 
the building, as well as to provide for the erection of a stone wall on 
the north and west sides of the lot. It was also voted that this build- 
ing committee should provide all the. material necessary for the 
erection of the Academy as soon as possible, and that Samuel Elder 
be a committee to finish the cellar under the Academy, and to build 
and finish the outside of the building and the inside of the lower 
story as soon as might be. Mr. Elder was also to build a chimney, 
and furnish the schoolroom wath three rows of desks on each side of 
the broad aisle. It was voted that he should receive one dollar and 
seventy-five cents per day, including board, for his services. And at 
the same meeting the committee on material were authorized to draw 
on the treasurer for nine hundred dollars, if so much was needed, to 
forward the said building. 

It appears that the trustees had procured the amount of subscrip- 
tions required by the Land Resolve, for at a meeting, held May 14, 
1804, Mr. Matthew Cobb and Lothrop Lewis, Esq. were chosen a 
committee to locate the half township of land, granted by the General 
Court to the Academy. This half township, as afterwards located, 
and which was surveyed by Gen. James Irish, is situated in what is 
now known as the town of Woodstock, in the County of Oxford. 

At a meeting held on the twentieth day of August, 1804, in conse- 
quence of the decease of the Hon. William Gorham, the Hon. Stephen 
Longfellow was chosen President, and Lothrop Lewis, Esq. was 



230 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

chosen to fill the vacancy in the Board, occasioned by the death of 
the said Hon. William Gorham. 

It appears that the land-locating committee had attended to its 
duty, although no report of its doings is on record ; for at a meeting 
held May i6, 1805, Matthew Cobb and Lothrop Lewis, Esqrs. were 
chosen a committee to sell the land granted, if an opportunity should 
offer that should be advantageous to the Academy. Stephen Long- 
fellow, John P. Little and Lothrop Lewis were chosen a committee to 
make and execute deeds for the land, and to take security therefor. 

The first meeting of the trustees called to meet in the new academy 
building was on the 29th day of November, 1805, at 1 1 o'clock A. M. 
At this meeting, Hon. Stephen Longfellow, Rev. Elijah Kellogg and 
John P. Little, Esq. were chosen a committee to procure a Preceptor 
on the most favorable terms they could, for the Academy : and it was 
voted that the terms of admission to the Academy be two dollars per 
quarter for students. 

On the 24th day of Eebruary, 1806, the following report was made 
by the committee for the sale of the land : — 

The subscribers, appointed to make deeds to any person, or per- 
sons, that should purchase any part of the land granted to Gorham 
Academy ; Report, That we have made a deed of the whole of the 
land, granted to said Academy, to James H. Chadbourn, Ephraim 
Eogg, Daniel Eogg, Joel Whitmore, David Cobb, Ellis Standish, 
Thomas Lothrop, Stephen Whitney, Xahum Lord, Moses Clark, 
Josiah Shaw, John Watson, Elijah Stearns, Thomas McLellan, Sewall 
Lancaster, Thomas Harding, Samuel Murch, John Lincoln and Sam- 
uel Longfellow, all of Gorham, in the County of Cumberland, and 
Samuel Harding of Buxton, in the County of York, who have all 
purchased said land for ten thousand dollars, for which sum we have 
taken good security of the before mentioned persons and others ; 
which securities we have lodged with the treasurer of said trustees. 

Stephen Longfellow. 
' John P. Little. 

There is no direct report of the committee chosen to procure a 
Preceptor, but on Aug. 4, 1806, at a meeting, it was voted that the next 
meeting be at the tavern of Mr. Josiah Shaw, and that the trustees 
dine together : and that the Rev. Elijah Kellogg make the prayer at 
the Inauguration, on the second Monday of September (Sept. 8, 1806) ; 
and that Stephen Longfellow, Esq., Dr. Dudley Folsom and Lothrop 
Lewis, Esq. be a committee of arrangements. At this meeting a vote 
was passed that Capt. Harding purchase a set of globes, to be not 
less than eighteen, nor over twenty-four inches in diameter. The 
trustees also directed Mr. Elder to lay a floor in the "smaller room," 



EDUCATION. 231 

procure a lock, hang the bell, procure a rope for it, and any other 
necessary articles suitable to put the Academy into operation, previous 
to the second Monday of the coming September. 

The Inauguration of the Academy took place on the appointed 
date. The Rev. Elijah Kellogg of Portland made the prayer, and 
Rev. Reuben Nason, the Preceptor elect, delivered the address. This 
latter was a learned and scholarly effort, well worthy of the man. In 
it he touches briefly upon what education is, and what evils it is 
intended to counteract. Also he says " Among the studies pursued 
here, that of our own language will hold a distinguished rank. Of 
literary acquirements all should consider this the basis. *. * * * Permit 
me to add that this is an accomplishment which the fair sex should 
hold in no mean estimation. In view of the wise and discerning, it 
gives brilliancy to all their other charms. 

"Mathematical learning constitutes another important branch, of 
academical education. * * * * *- 

" Geography is at once a very pleasing and useful study. * * * * 
Connected with this is astronomy, of which, by the help of a proper 
apparatus, so much knowledge may be acquired, etc. 

" Another department of instruction, for which we hope this 
seminary will not be undistinguished among its sisters, is that of the 
learned languages. ***** For the divine to be destitute of this, 
is to be dependent upon man for the sense of the sacred oracles ; and 
to be liable to deliver for doctrines of God, the inventions of men, if 
he attempt critically to explain the scriptures. * * * * For the 
physician, to be ignorant of the learned languages, is to be ignorant 
of the language of his profession. * * * * The lawyer, who is 
destitute of this, can never, in the walks of his profession, pass the 
threshold of the temple of fame. 

"To have said so much may suffice respecting the literary pursuits, 
to which this seminary invites. May I be permitted to notice one 
thing more, which, it is to be feared, is in our schools too much 
neglected; that is moral and religious instruction, etc." 

After the conclusion of the exercises, the trustees met as agreed 
upon and dined at Josiah Shaw's tavern, where they held a meeting, and 
voted the following set of laws and regulations for the infant institution. 

(^)UALIFICAT[ONS FOR ADMISSION. 

" No person shall become a member of this Institution without 
sufficient evidence that he is of good moral character. 

" No student shall be admitted for a less term than one quarter, 
the price of tuition for which shall be paid in advance ; no student 
shall be admitted under ten years of age, nor without being able to 
write Join-hand, and read English correctly. 

COURSE OF STUDIES. 

" Students in this Institution will receive instruction in any, or all, of 
the following branches, Vizt. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, English 



232 IIISTOKV OF GORIIAM. 

Grammar & Composition, Speaking, Geography and the use of the 
Globes, the Mathematics in their various branches, and the Latin and 
Greek Languages. The Preceptor will also instruct them weekly in 
the Doctrines and Precepts of the Christian Religion. 

" In teaching the above branches, the following books shall be used, 
together with such others as the Trustees, together with the Pre- 
ceptor, may see fit to introduce, Vizt. The Bible, which shall be read 
daily, previous to morning and evening prayers, Beauties of the Bible, 
Columbian Orator, F^nfield's Speaker, Walsh's Arithmetic, Murray's 
English Grammar and Exercises, Blair Abridged, Morse's Geography, 
Webber's Mathematics, and Moor's Navigation, Adams's Latin and 
the Gloucester Greek Grammar, the Latin Primer, Bigelow's intro- 
duction to making Latin, together with such Classical authors in both 
languages as are requisite for admission into any of the neighboring 
Colleges, the Worcester Catechism, and Mason on self knowledge. 

HOURS OF ATTENDANCE. 

" From the first of April to the first of October, from six to half past 
seven, and from nine to twelve a. m., and from three to six v. m. 
During the remaining part of the year, from half past eight to half 
past twelve a. m., and from two to five i\ .m. 

VACATIONS. 

" I'here shall be three vacations annually, Vizt. The first, of three 
weeks, commencing the Wednesday preceding the third Wednesday 
in August; the second, of three weeks, from the first Wednesday in 
January, and the third, of two weeks, from the first Wednesday 
in May. 

"If any student shall fail to return punctually at the close of the 
vacation, he shall, if a minor, produce a written certificate from those 
who have the charge of his education, specifying the reason of his 
absence. 

" No student whose connections do not reside in town, shall on any 
pretence leave town, or absent himself from any stated exercise of this 
Institution, without leave previously obtained of the Preceptor. 

" When any student, whose connections do reside in town, is 
detained from attendance in the Academy, he shall bring a written 
excuse from his parents or guardian with the reasons of his non- 
attendance. 

"When any student shall come into the Academy after the exer- 
cises have begun, he shall be considered as tardy. 

" At the tolling of the bell every student shall repair immediately 
to his seat, which he shall not quit without permission from the 
Preceptor. 

" Silence and strict attention are required of every student during 
the hours of study, and especially in the presence of the trustees, and 
during the performance of religious exercises. 

" To prevent noise and confusion, it is expected that each student 
be provided with every thing necessary to the achantageous prosecu- 
tion of his studies. 



EDUCATION. 283 

" That the minds of the students may not be diverted from those 
pursuits which ought, during the hours of study, to engage their 
undivided attention ; no prints, playthings, books of amusement, etc., 
shall be brought into the Academy under penalty of forfeiture. 

"If any student shall wantonly, carelessly, or maliciously injure 
the buildings or property of the Academy, or the property of his 
fellow students, he shall make such compensation as the Preceptor 
shall deem adequate. 

" It is strictly enjoined on the students to abstain from all quarrel- 
ing and contention among themselves, from insulting or abusive 
language, and any thing which may tend to disturb the peace and 
harmony, which ought ever to be found among those who are engaged 
in similar pursuits. On the contrary, it is earnestly recommended to 
the members of this Institution, to cultivate a spirit of concord and 
unanimity, and to consider each other as brothers of one common 
family, remembering 'to do to others as they wish others to do to 
them.' 

"The behavior of the students as they pass the streets to and from 
the Academy, and at other times, shall be decent and orderly; with- 
out noise or confusion; especially on the Sabbath, when every 
appearance of mirth or levity is strictly forbidden. 

"It is particularly enjoined on the students of this Academy to 
remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy; by attending public 
worship on both parts of the Day, with proper reverence and atten- 
tion, and by spending the remainder of the Day at their lodgings in 
a manner suitable to the character of Christians. All walking or 
assembling at each other's lodgings for amusements, or trifling con- 
versation, is most positively forbidden. 

"All gaming and intemperance, and all profaneness and indecency 
in language or behavior will be considered one gross violation of the 
laws of this Institution; and will be censured and punished accord- 
ingly : and no student shall spend his time in any tavern, or other 
place of public resort of a similar kind. 

" Every member of this Institution is most positively forbidden, as 
a practice highly criminal in itself, and utterly inconsistent with 
the character of young gentlemen, to take fruit of any kind from the 
gardens, orchards, or other inclosures of the town, without leave 
being first obtained of the proprietors. 

" It is considered as the indispensable duty of the students of this 
Academy on all occasions, to treat the inhabitants of the town, and 
all strangers passing through it, with civility and respect ; and care- 
fully to abstain from any thing which might afford them just cause of 
complaint. 

" Strict attention shall be paid by the students to the order and 
regulations of the families in which they board, and particularly, care 
must be taken not to incommode them by staying out late in the 
evening. 

"There shall be a monitor appointed from time to time, whose 
duty it shall be to note those who are absent, or tardy, at any 



234 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

exercise of this Institution, or who are irregular in their attendance 
on the exercises of public worship. 

" If any member of this Institution, after repeated admonitions and 
discipline, obstinately persists in a course of negligence and inatten- 
tion to his studies; so that the purposes of this Institution, as it 
respects him, are likely to be frustrated: or if he be generally irregular 
in his deportment, or so corrupt in his morals as to endanger others 
by his example, after all proper methods to reclaim him have failed, 
he shall be privately removed, or publicly expelled in the presence, 
and with the consent, of one or more of the trustees, as the nature 
and circumstances of the case may require, and his name blotted from 
the Books of the Institution. 

Stephen Longfellow. 

Klijah Kellogg." 

It was then voted that the Preceptor should be a committee to 
judge of the qualifications of students to be admitted to the school, 
and that the number should be limited, for the present, to thirty 
pupils, for any one term; but afterwards, if the Instructor thought it 
expedient, he might admit thirty-six. At this meeting it was also 
voted, "That Rev. Caleb Bradley, Stephen Longfellow and Lothrop 
Lewis, Esqrs. be a committee to wait upon Mr. Reuben Nason, and 
in the name of the trustees of Gorham Academy, to thank him for 
his address this day delivered before them, and to request a copy 
thereof for the Press, and that the Rev. Caleb Bradley procure the 
same to be printed." 

Mr. Nason, under whose care the Academy opened, was a thorough 
teacher and a strict disciplinarian. A man of marked individuality, 
he left his impress for good on the town and people. Passionately 
fond of the classics, and excelling in them, it was his ambition that 
every boy under his care should become proficient in Latin and 
Greek, and faithfully did he drill those classes to this end. The 
student under him must have been a stupid one indeed, who, grown a 
man, could not to the end of his days, construe and repeat from 
memory page after page of the old Liber Pi ivius. It was a common 
thing for Mr. Nason to call out the Virgil class and hear their 
recitation without so much as taking up a book himself; but let no 
scholar hope on that account to succeed with a poor lesson — not one 
slip in any point could escape the teacher's notice. 

Mr. Nason was genial and pleasant to those scholars who merited 
his favor by good scholarship and correct behavior ; but the idle and 
mischievous did not fail of receiving their due reward. Corporal 
punishment, in vogue generally in schools at that date, flourished 
under Mr. Nason at the Academy. The ferule and cowhide occu- 



EDUCATION. 



235 



pied a prominent place on his desk. When some trick was detected, 
or some insult suspected, swift and severe was the punishment that 
fell on the offender ; unsparingly plied was the cowhide, until he 
thought the offence expiated, and without fear or favor he chastised 
rich or poor, his own or other's children, impartially. It was his cus- 
tom to pray in the school with his eyes open and the Amen was 
usually followed by the sharp command " Come up," and well did the 
luckless culprit know what was implied in that command. His 
authority was never resisted in school but once, when on one occasion 
a party of boys left school without permission to hear Lorenzo Dow 
speak. When called to account for it the next morning, the leader 
had the temerity to inform Mr. Nason that he wasn't going to take a 
thrashing for that, at the same time looking around to his mates for 
support. Quick as a flash the cowhide played around and about 
him, and the thunder of Mr. Nason's voice and the lightning of his 
eyes, cowed all the mutineers into subjection on the instant. Mr. 
Nason was a man of medium size, slightly round-shouldered, with 
dark hair and eyes, and dark complexion. 

The Academy opened on the 9th of Sept., 1806, with the Rev. 
Reuben Nason, A.M., as Preceptor; and thirty-three scholars were 
enrolled before the close of the first term. These first scholars 
were (from list made by Rev. Reuben Nason). 



NAMES. 


RESIDENCES. 


AGI 


Stephen Evans Cole, 


Saco, 


17 


Abiel Lawrence Parson, 


Biddeford, 


II 


Mark Langdon Hill, 


" 


12 


Robert Harding, 


Gorham 


15 


Thomas McLeHan, 


" 


15 


Frederick Codman, 


" 


13 


Randolph Codman, 


" 


10 


Simon Elder, 


" 


14 


Ebenezer Davis, 


" 


18 


Joseph Howe, 


Portland, 


15 


John Philbrick, 


Standish, 


15 


Thomas Cross Stevens, 


Portland, 


ID 


Charles Morris, 


Scarborough, 


14 


Samuel Bucknam Cutter, 


No. Yarmouth, 


15 


William Stark Rawson, 


Newton, 


I S 


Simeon Farnham, 


Gorham, 


iS 


Peter Smith Anderson, 


Windham, 


16 


John Anderson, 


" 


14 


George Thatcher, 


Biddeford, 


16 


Asa Metcalf Adams, 


Gorham, 


18 


Peter Williams, 


" 


21 


William Freeman, 


Biddeford 


16 


Samuel Longfellow, 


Gorham, 


17 


Samuel Hanson, 


Windham, 


18 


Josiah Little, 


" 


13 



236 





HISTORY OF 


GOKHAM. 




NAMES. 




RESIDENCES. 


ACE. 


George McMillan, 
Riifus King Porter, 




F rye burgh, 
Biddeford, 


14 
12 


Nathaniel Hill, 




liiixton, 


16 


John Siemens, 




Falmouth, 


19 


William Putnam CI 


eaves. 


Saco, 


17 


Daniel Cleaves, 




" 


10 


Joseph Hill, 
Nathaniel Hatch, 




Buxton, 
Gorham, 


24 
23 



As the tru-stees now considered that the Academy was fairly on its 
feet and things were running smoothly, at the beginning of the new 
year they authorized the Preceptor to procure an assistant, at a salary 
not to exceed four hundred dollars; and in order that he might earn 
his money, they voted that the number of scholars to be admitted 
into the Academy be enlarged, but not to exceed seventy, and " that 
that number may be completed by admitting female students, to the 
number of fifteen, until the eighth day of June next, provided, that 
at the end of the present vacation, there shall not be the whole num- 
ber of seventy male students entered." 

The admission of females into the Academy appears to have been 
a subject of much legislation before the Board, but on March 9, 1S07, 
it was voted to leave the expediency of their admission to the judg- 
ment of the Preceptor, provided that the total number of scholars 
was kept at seventy. The first girls admitted were 

NAMES. 

Eunice Whitmore, 

Temperance Harding, 

Martha Jewett, 

Betsey Jewett, 

Joanna Whitmore, 

Sarah Randall, 

Betsey McLellan, 

Caroline Folsom, 

Sally Rea, 

Sally Bowman, 

Betsey Farnham, 

Isabella Holland, Portland, 21 

About this time the bell in the cupola was put up, for Mr. Elder 
by vote of the trustees was directed to hang the same as soon as it 
should arrive at the Academy. A stove wms placed in the Academy 
in this year (1807). The treasurer of the trustees provided the wood, 
and saw that it was cut of the right length and stored in the cellar. 
A sum for the wood bill, as well as for ink, was always added to the 
term bill for tuition. On the eighth of March the price of tuition was 
raised to two dollars and a half per (piarter. 

By the records it appears that occasionally the exuberant spirits of 
the youthful lads would break out, even in the night time, for it is 



RESIDENCES. 


AGE. 


Gorham, 


17 


» 


1 7 
20 


" 


17 


" 


21 


Buxton, 


17 


Gorham, 


'7 


Windham, 


I I 

20 


Gorham, 


14 


" 


15 



EDUCATION. 237 

written " Whereas, the trustees of Gorham Academy, having heard 
complaints of irregularities committed by some of the students out of 
the Academy, and at late hours of the night ; and being willing 
to suppose that they arose chieily from youthful imprudence, rather 
than from positive bad intentions : Therefore ; Voted, That the Pre- 
ceptor give them an admonition before all the students. \'oted. 
Also, that on any repetition of such outrages, their perpetrators be 
removed from the Academy, or otherwise punished as the trustees 
may think proper, according to the aggravation of the offence ; and 
their parents be notified of the same." 

The salary paid to Mr. Nason previous to Sept. 8, 1S07, is not 
a matter of record, but on May 13, of that year there was a vote 
passed by the trustees to pay him six hundred dollars per annum 
after that term for his services as preceptor of the Academy, and at 
the end of two years to pay him eight hundred yearly, the payment 
to be made semi-annually. As the report of the committee chosen 
to procure a preceptor was not made until this meeting just men- 
tioned, it is probable that Mr. Nason was on trial previous to this 
time. At this same meeting the trustees voted that females should 
be admitted as heretofore, until otherwise ordered by the trustees. 
They also voted that from the first day of April to the first day of 
October, no school should be taught in the Academy on Wednesday 
afternoons, except at the pleasure of the Preceptor. 

The trustees deeded their land, granted them by the Legislature, 
to Chadbourn and others on Dec. 2, 1805, (Acknowledged, Dec. 20th, 
1S05, before Barrett Potter, Justice of the Peace,) but from some 
reason, which does not appear, they did not receive their deed from 
Massachusetts until Feb. 12, 1807, when they made a new deed, a quit- 
claim, to Chadbourn and the other parties to the old deed, which is 
dated May 23, 1807, and acknowledged before George Lewis, Justice 
of the Peace. 

The first public examination of the scholars was probably held on 
the first Wednesday of x\ugust, 1807. On this day the trustees met, 
and a quorum being present, " accordingly examined the scholars, and 
found they had made good progress in their studies." Also " voted 
to adjourn to Josiah Shaw's tavern, and meet again at this place at 
five of the clock this afternoon." This adjournment was to get their 
dinner, which annual dinner was a great affair in those days. After din- 
ner they voted to pay Mr. Nason six dollars for a map of the United 
States which he had purchased for the use of the Academy. Also 
that the treasurer procure two armchairs, such as the Preceptor shall 



238 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

direct. (We have sat in those old black armchairs many a time.) 
Arrangements were then made for a public exhibition, and c:apt. 
Harding was chosen as a committee to procure the meeting house, 
and erect a stage ; the expense of which was to be paid by the treas- 
urer out of the tuition money. This affair, which was the first of the 
kind ever held at the Academy, came ofif at the end of the term, 
which finished on the third Wednesday of August, 1807, and report 
says was attended by a large concourse of people from far and near. 

All things appear to have gone along well till the twenty-third day 
of February, 180S, when the staid heads of the Sages were somewhat 
turned by sundry doings of the youngsters, for it appears they had in 
some way become disciples, and commenced the worship of the God- 
dess Terpsichore, by tripping the light fantastic toe. Now this 
worship of a heathen deity in a Christian land, and by those too, 
under the care of the good and great, was not to be thought of or 
tolerated, and a committee was chosen to procure suitable boarding 
places for the females and to examine into their conduct out of the 
Academy and to report to the Preceptor of the Academy. Capt. 
Harding, Dr. Folsom and John P. Little, Esq. were the committee, 
and they reported that " Whereas it appears to the trustees of this 
Academy that the attendance of the scholars on dancing and music 
and other schools, while they are engaged in studies at the Academy, 
will be very prejudicial to their improvement in the several branches 
of literature : — Therefore 

u Voted, — That no student, while a member of the Academy, be 
allowed to attend on either of the foregoing schools, or any other, 
without the permission of the Preceptor, and at the express desire of 
their parents or guardians." 

It appears that the trustees had hard work to get a quorum at their 
meetings, and it was voted that whoever absented himself from the 
legal meetings of the Board for one year should forfeit his trustee- 
ship, and that at a legal meeting the trustees should fill the vacancy 
so made. This was rather a summary way to turn one out when he 
was appointed by Act of Legislature ; the Act did not provide for 
any such doings. They also voted that there should be an annual 
examination of the scholars, to be held on the first Wednesday of 
August at nine o'clock in the forenoon, at which time there should be 
an annual meeting of the trustees. 

The first vote passed to loan money from the old academy fund, to 
which at one time nearly every individual in town was indebted, was 
on Dec. 24, 1808: — "Voted that the treasurer and secretarj' be a 



EDUCATION. 239 

committee to loan the money in the treasury of the academy to the 
best advantage, and take good security by three men appearing to be 
good and substantial." 

Between the last meeting and that of August 2, i8og, it appears 
that John Park Little, Esq. and Capt. Samuel Whitmore, two of the 
trustees, died, and on a ballot, the Rev. Asa Rand and the Rev. Tim- 
othy Milliard were chosen to fill the vacancies. As Mr. Little was 
secretary, it became necessary to elect some one in his place, and 
Lothrop Lewis, Esq. was unanimously chosen to fill that office. 

At a meeting held Jan. 15, 1810, Mr. Nason was released from his 
engagement as preceptor, to take effect on the last Saturday of Jan- 
uary, inst. And a committee, consisting of Stephen Longfellow, 
Elijah Kellogg and Lothrop Lewis, was chosen to procure a preceptor 
to commence instruction on the first Wednesday of June. 

At a meeting of the trustees held on the twentieth day of March, 
181 1, the committee appointed to procure a teacher reported that 
they had engaged Charles Coffin, Esq. for that purpose, and agreed 
to give him six hundred dollars per year, commencing in September 
next. At this same meeting the Preceptor had liberty granted him 
to introduce the ''American Reader," and " Bowditch's Navigator," 
as text-books. 

The fund of the academy as reported by the treasurer on April 23, 
181 r, was $11,169.84. At the same time that this report was made, 
a petition was prepared and sent around to be signed by the presi- 
dent in behalf of the trustees, and then sent to the General Court, 
praying for a grant of a half township of land to endow a female 
academy in Gorham. 

By this time it had probably become a settled thing to admit as 
many females as wished to attend the school, and in March the Rev. 
Elijah Kellogg was instructed to procure a preceptress. Miss Rhoda 
Parker was engaged as preceptress for the summer term of this year, 
at a salary of seventy-five dollars per quarter ; and Mr. Coffin giving 
notice that he should leave at the end of his year, as he had an offer 
from Portsmouth of one thousand dollars per annum, Messrs. Long- 
fellow, Hilliard and Lewis were appointed a committee to procure 
another preceptor. 

Mr. Asa Redington was engaged as preceptor after Mr. Coffin, at 
six hundred dollars per year, and acted for two years. He, with the 
assistance of some of the older scholars, set out the poplar trees on 
the grounds about the building. 

At a meeting held August 18, 1812, Rev. Mr. Lancaster and Mr. 



240 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

William McLellan having resigned their places on the Board, Stephen 
Longfellow, Jr., Esq. and Joseph Adams, Esq. were chosen in their 
places. 

At this time the tuition was one dollar and a half per quarter, hav- 
ing been reduced from two dollars and a half. And it appears that 
previous to June 30, 1813, for some time a morning school had been 
kept, but it was then voted to dispense with it, and that the forenoon 
school commence at eight o'clock a. m. And in future, boys of less 
than ten years of age were to be admitted to the Academy as scholars. 
Between Eebruaiy and May, 1814, " Flint's Surveying," and " Cum- 
ming's Geographv " and maps, were added to the books to be studied 
in the school ; and a surveyor's compass and chain were ordered to 
be purchased. 

On May 11, 1814. Lothrop Lewis, Esq. was appointed a committee 
to procure a preceptor, and engaged Mr. William White for one year, 
at an annual salary of six hundred dollars. 

August 19, 18 16, the trustees voted that the Preceptor be requested 
to give to the students under his care Bible lessons every Saturday, to 
be recited every Sunday afternoon, or Monday morning. Mr. N. 
Cleveland, Jr. was engaged as assistant, and at the same time the 
tuition was raised to two dollars. 

Mr. Lewis resigned the office of secretary in 18 19, and Jacob S. 
Smith was chosen to fill the position. Mr. Smith had a short time 
before been empowered to procure a seal for the use of the Academy, 
which was now accepted. It was engraved by Daniel Newcomb, and 
cost ten dollars. 

In 1822, it was decided to finish the hall in the Academy, and also 
a small room adjoining. Harmony Lodge of Free Masons wished to 
hire the hall, and the trustees finally leased it to them for thirty dol- 
lars per year, reserving the right to use it when wanted. 

On the 17th of August, 1824, Rev. Mr. Pomeroy was chosen 
president in place of Mr. Longfellow, who had died a short time 
previous. The grounds around the Academy were graded in 1827, 
forest trees set out, and the wall in front built. The same year Capt. 
David Harding, who had been treasurer since the organization of the 
Board in 1803, resigned hisofiice, and Toppan Robie, Esq. was chosen 
in his room. Some dissatisfaction having arisen with Mr. Nason, who 
had returned to the care of the school in 181 5, succeeding Mr. White, 
John V. Beane, the preceptor of Limerick Academy, was in 1833 
engaged as assistant under Mr. Nason for one year, at the end of 
which time Mr. Nason left and Mr. Beane took charge of the school. 



EDUCATION. 241 

In October, 183 1, Toppan Robie, Josiah Pierce and Jacob S. 
Smith were chosen a committee to take into consideration the plan 
of connecting the system of manual labor with the Academy; and 
determine on the expediency of purchasing a suitable tract of land for 
the purpose, and devise the means thereof. A shop was hired and 
fitted up in March, 1834, and placed in the hands of Mr. Beane, the 
assistant ; but the experiment was a failure, and in May of the same 
year it was voted to let the workshop, and dispose of the tools and 
stock. 

The girls' school was separated from the boys' in 1834, and the 
" Female Seminary " was kept in the Academy Hall, under the care 
of the Preceptress, Miss Blanchard. In 1835, the trustees voted to 
attempt to raise the sum of thirty thousand dollars, by soliciting 
donations, for the purpose of erecting additional buildings, procuring 
more instructors, and elevating the character of the institution so as 
to meet the desires and wants of the community. Rev. Thaddeus 
Pomeroy was chosen as a General Agent to raise the money : the 
Board engaging to supply his pulpit at their own expense during his 
absence on their business. Through Mr. Pomeroy 's elTorts more 
than twenty thousand dollars was subscribed, of which amount, 
however, only about seven thousand dollars was ever paid. It was 
decided to erect a brick three story building, for a Female Seminary, 
dormitory and boarding-house. Mr. Pomeroy gave the land for the 
building, a lot six rods on the street and eighteen rods back, situated 
opposite the Academy. 

The ceremony of laying the corner stone took place June i, 

1836. The address was delivered by the Rev. Thaddeus Pomeroy, 

President of the Board of Trustees, in presence of the trustees and 

numerous spectators. There was deposited in the cavity, under the 

corner stone, some small coins, a copy of the laws and regulations of 

the Academy, and an almanac of that year, and newspapers of the 

day, with a list of the trustees then in office and of the building 

committee, &c., with the order of the exercises and ceremonies of the 

occasion. 

ORDER OF EXERCISES. 

Invocation & reading of the Scriptures, by Rev. J\Ir. Jameson of Scarboro. 

Singing. 

Prayer, by Rev. Mr, Chickering, of High Street Church, Portland. 

Singing. 

Address, by Rev. Mr. Pomeroy of Gorham. 

Subscription, among the Spectators. 

Prayer, by Rev. Mr. Vaill of the Second Parish, Portland. 

Singing. 

Benediction. 



242 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

The Seminary building was dedicated on the 13th day of September, 
1837. Following is the 

ORDER OF EXERCISES. 

Prayer, by the Rev. T. Pomeroy, and an ode, by C. P. Ilsley, at the Seminary : 
then wa.s formed a procession to the meeting house, where the exercises were 
resumed in the following order — 

Anthem. 

Prayer, by Rev. Mr. Jameson. 

Ode, composed by C. P. Ilsley of Portland. 

Address, by Prof. Packard of Brunswick. 

Anthem. 

Poem, by Mr. William Cutter of Portland. 

Anthem. 

Benediction, by Rev. Mr. Pomeroy. 

At this time the Principal was Rev. Amos Brown, a graduate of 
Dartmouth College, class of 1832. His relations with the Academy 
commenced in 1835, and extended over a period of twelve years. 
The Preceptress was Miss Jane Ingersol, and the other teachers 
were Rev. Thomas Tenney, Mr. Benjamin Wyman, and Mr. George 
Woods. In 1836 Mr. Brown's assistant teachers were Miss Margaret 
Woods, Miss Hannah Lyman, Rev. lipomas Tenney and Mr. George 
L. Prentiss. 

In 1847 the institution was called Gorham Academy and Teachers' 
In.stitute. The male and female schools were separated, the male 
department made into an independent school and placed under the 
general supervision of the Principal. Mr. Brown having resigned 
his office, Edward P. Weston was chosen to succeed him in the 
Principalship. 

By an Act of Legislature, passed in August, 1850, the Maine 
Female Seminary was established on the basis of Gorham Academy. 
The trustees surrendered their charter and received a new one, 
together with a grant of land, on condition that the proceeds should 
be used for females only. With the acceptance of the new charter 
Gorham Academy as such ceased to be, and by a condition of that 
charter the male school was discontinued. Gorham Male Academy 
was afterwards ree.stabli.shed, and in 1854, Daniel J. Poor was made 
Principal. He was succeeded by Josiah B. Webb. 

Mr. Weston left the Seminary in i860, and was succeeded as 
Principal of that school by Mrs. Laura E. Lord. The following year, 
by Act of Legislature the Maine Female Seminary and Gorham 
Academy became one again, and was known as Gorham Seminary. 
This union affected the recitations and general exerci.ses. The 




'.D/lAJyry<AAa^ 



/rwyi^ , 



EDUCATION. 243 

Seminary building was used as a boarding hall. Josiah B. Webb 
was placed at the head of the united schools. He was succeeded by 
William G. Lord, and he in turn, followed by George M. Bodge, Joel 
Wilson and A. E. Woodsum. 

The introduction of high schools some years ago, and the popularity 
which they attained, together with various other reasons, was the 
cause of the suspension of many academies in this State. Among 
others, Gorham Academy closed its doors. No school was held in 
the building until a few years since, when the house was leased for 
the use of the village grammar schools. 

The Board of Trustees still maintains its organization, and has 
recently held a meeting, at which vacancies in its number were 
filled — the Board now being made up as follows : Frederick Robie, 
president, John x\. Waterman, secretary and treasurer, Roscoe G. 
Harding, John A. Hinkley, Joseph Ridlon and Lucian Hunt of 
Gorham, Fabius M. Ray of Westbrook, George Hammond of Yar- 
mouth, and Isaac Dyer of Portland. Measures were also taken at 
this meeting looking toward the reopening at no very distant date 
of the school which was once so renowned and which has sent forth 
so many men who have written their names high up on the scroll of 
fame. 

The Legislature of 1878 provided for a State Normal School, to 
be called the Western Normal School, and to be located at Gorham 
upon certain conditions. Whereupon the town voted to raise fifteen 
thousand dollars. From village subscriptions seven thousand dollars 
were realized, and the necessary balance, something over five thous- 
and dollars, was paid by the treasurer of Gorham Seminary. 

A lot of land,adjoining the easterly side of the town house property, 
was purchased of Josiah T. McLellan, and a fine building erected at 
a cost, when completed and ready for dedication, of about twenty-five 
thousand dollars. At the same time the old Seminaiy building was 
presented by the trustees to the State, and converted into a dormi- 
tory for the use of the normal scholars. The new building was 
dedicated in December, 1878. The following is a hymn, written for 
the occasion by the Hon. Edward P. Weston, a former Principal 
of the old Maine Female Seminary : 

Shout the glad tidings from seaside to mountain, 
Wave the bright banner from steeple and tower ; 

Open we here on the rock a new fountain, 

Fountain of wisdom, and knowledge, and power. 

Not from the brain of some mystic Minerva, 
Not in the fables of heathendom sung, 



244 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Wisdom's fair genius, and all they who serve her. 
Straight from the line of dear Bethlehem sprung. 

Hail to the Science that bows in devotion, 

Worshipping still with the wise men of old ; 
Bringing from earth, and from air, and from ocean. 

Treasures more costly than rubies and gold. 

Ever in beauty, O Temple of Learning, 

Shine from this height on the valleys below. 
Bright on thine altars for evermore burning. 

Incense of knowledge with love in its glow! 

Then shall the guides who shall pass from these portals, 

Laden with lessons of wisdom divine. 
Rise to the glorious rank of immortals, 

Crowned with their jewels, forever to shine. 

The school since its foundation has been under the efficient charge 
of Principal W. J. Corthell. 

In October, 1894, by the destruction by fire of the old Seminary 
building, the scholars were compelled to take board in private families 
in the village until the completion of the new domitory provided 
by the State. This beautiful building, which is known as " Frederick 
Robie Hall '' and was opened for use in September, i8g8, is located 
near to the Normal School ; together with which it forms an addition 
and ornament to our village of which any town may justly feel proud. 



CHAPTER XII. 

AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS FIRST MILLS BURYING GROUNDS. 

It is impossible for us of the present generation to realize fully the 
hardships and privations our ancestors had to contend with in 
the early settlement of Gorham. In the year 1736, when John 
Phinney made his settlement here, the town of Gorham was an 
unbroken wilderness, and contained not a rod of cleared land where 
a white man had ever lived, nor a single inhabitant, except it were a 
few Indians camped here for iishing and hunting purposes. 

It is not our purpose to devote this chapter to an account of the 
personal hardships or sufferings of our ancestors, but to view progress 
in certain things, showing the energy and perseverance of the old 
settlers. 

Stock-raising at the present time, when feed of all kinds, long feed 
and short, cracked corn and whole, oats and shorts, are plenty, is 
thought to be one of the great interests of the country, and to it 
much time and attention are paid. How was it with these old settlers, 
when they had nothing of the kind ? We shall see that they went 
ahead, notwithstanding. Grass, hay and browse were all they had 
to boast of, and but little of that. If they raised a little corn, they 
could not afford to feed it to their stock ; many of the settlers were 
compelled to travel on foot to Falmouth, now Portland, purchase a 
little meal, and bring it home on their backs, to keep their wives and 
children from starving. 

The settlers knew that the town must be an agricultural town, and 
that farming without stock was of no account. John Phinney's first 
crop was Indian corn, peas and watermelons, and this crop of melons 
is what throws the first light on our subject. He attempted to carry 
some of his melons to Falmouth for sale, and as presents to his 
friends at Presumpscot Falls, and with his daughter Elizabeth, started 
with a load in his boat. They got along very well till the transporta- 
tion around the falls came up at Saccarappa and Ammoncongin. 
There they found that the thing would not pay ; and as Mr. Phinney 
said, when they came home they commenced to feed the rest of the 
melons to their cow and pig, and with a few peas they made a splen- 
did piece of pork of that pig. These were probably the first cow and 



246 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

pig in (ioiham. It is not probable that Mr. Phinney owned a horse 
at this time. In the winter of 1738-9, the McLellans came into 
town with their horse and little cow ; it does not appear that they had 
any other stock. 

Oxen must have been introduced as early as 1743, for the business 
of logging was carried on at that time, and the Proprietors of the 
town were often troubled by trespassers cutting timber on the com- 
mon lands. A sale at auction was had, Aug. 16, 1743, of logs thus 
cut. Some of the sales were as follows : " Sold to Ken Stevens, 
Ben Skillings and Hugh McLellan, one hundred logs at eleven 
pounds, old tenor." " Sold to Moses Pearson and John Gorham the 
logs cut by William Knight and James Knap for forty shillings, old 
tenor." "The logs that were cut by Abram Anderson and Stephen 
Manchester, and carried ofi, were sold to William Cotton for six 
shillings." 

These transactions show clearly that there must have been some 
work for oxen at this date. A number of oxen were in town at the 
commencement of the Indian war, for on the morning of the mas- 
sacre of the Bryant family, (April 19, 1746,) Reed came to the 
McLellans to borrow an ox-chain with which to plough, and when 
Mrs. McLellan gave the alarm that Bryant's family were murdered, 
Hugh McLellan and his son William were ploughing in the field; 
they immediately unhooked their oxen and let them run, and them- 
selves made for the house. 

It is not probable that the increase of stock was large in town 
during the war, but John Phinney's had increased o^/e certainly, for 
at first he had but a cow. In one of the Indian raids, in 1747, they 
reported they had killed and eaten John Phinney's heifer. The fol- 
lowing extract from a letter written by Capt. Charles Frost to the 
Hon. William Pepperell, dated Falmouth, April 16, 1747, throws 
some light on this affair : "A scout of what few soldiers were here 
with some of our inhabitants immediately followed, came athwart of 
Three Camps, and about half a mile above Gorham Town Garrison, 
where they found some beef and the skins of two cows. (These 
camps w-ere near Files's Bridge, so called, on the road leading from 
Fort Hill to West Gorham.) The woods seem full of tracks, * * * 
* * * and unless immediate succor or assistance [arrive,] I cannot 
perceive how (jorham Town, Marblehead and Saccarappa can sub- 
sist, for they do not care to visit them or carry them necessaries of 
life unless they have more men. They found in y*^ above camps 
eighteen spits or sticks to roast their beef on, which shows there 
were in that scout at least 18 Indians." 



AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. 247 

Although there were but about seven families who made the fort 
their permanent home, it is evident they had quite a stock of cattle ; 
for tradition says that all the stock that could be found were brought 
home to the fort every night and shut up within the stockade under 
the eye of the sentinel. At times the milk of the cows contributed 
greatly toward the support of the garrison. The Indians knew well 
the value the settlers placed on their cattle, and their custom of 
hunting them up before night. Many of the skirmishes between 
them and the whites were brought on by these hunting parties meet- 
ing the Indians in ambush. Edmund Phinney came near being 
killed in this manner, while after the cows ; he was severely wounded, 
and also had his arm broken, by being fired on by the Indians, but 
succeeded in getting to the fort, as is related elsewhere. 

Soon after the close of the Indian war, masting became quite a 
business in Gorham. Gorham was not called a pine timber township, 
being covered principally with hard wood, interspersed with a great 
many pines of a large size. As one of his royal reservations, or king's 
rights, the king claimed all standing trees of a certain size. These 
pines were sharply looked after by the king's surveyors. When one was 
found large and long enough to answer for a king's mast, it was marked 
with the broad R, which, however, cannot be properly represented 
without being engraved. Trees with this mark none were allowed to 
cut, unless they had a government contract to cut and haul them. 
The preparing and hauling of these masts was a large business, and 
as it gave employment to a large number of men and oxen, and was 
paid for by the Government in cash, was exceedingly profitable to 
those engaged in it. The trees required for these masts were truly 
fathers of the forest ; their dimensions must be " over one hundred 
feet in the clear," and when hewn and shaven fit for use, were to be 
" not less than thirty-six inches in diameter measuring one-third of 
the way from the butt toward the top, without knot, spawl, or blem- 
ish," and when delivered at the king's navy yard, they were worth 
about seven hundred and fifty dollars, lawful money. The moving of 
these trees from the woods to suitable places for finishing often 
required as many as one hundred oxen for each tree, with men in 
proportion. Sometimes it was necessary to cross deep gullies, and 
often several yoke of the oxen would be strung up by the head at a 
time, unable to touch ground except occasionally with their hind feet 
till they were drawn to the opposite bank. About every ox in the 
team had to undergo this operation, while men were stationed in 
the bottom of the gully, to seize them by the tail and keep them 



248 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

steady, and enable them to land all right. Cattle were often injured 
in these haulings, and they were attended with much danger. 

Hugh McLellan and his son William were largely engaged in the 
mast business. They cut a tree on their own land, in 1763, northerly 
of where the corn shop was burned in 1871, on land now owned by 
the heirs of the late Samuel Bailey, on the stump of which, after the 
tree was cut, they stood a yoke of seven-foot oxen. 

A story is told of one of these trees that was paraded in the road, 
now Main St., in the village, and there prepared for hauling to 
Stroudwater, the place of shipment. All who saw it pronounced it a 
splendid stick. When the surveyor was examining it, he saw a dis- 
colored spot, and struck it with the pole of his axe ; that blow reduced 
the price_ of that mast three hundred dollars. There was a rotten 
spot, which condemned it. 

About the year 1727 the King's Mast Depot was moved from 
Portsmouth, N. H., to Falmouth, Casco Bay. Col. Thos. Westbrook 
was appointed King's Agent. Col. Westbrook, though never a citizen 
of Gorham, owned a large amount of lands in town, and being King's 
Agent for marking, collecting and surveying the king's masts, had a 
large amount of business with the early settlers, and spent much time 
in perambulating the town in following his business, and was much 
respected by the citizens. He was the son of Col. Westbrook of 
Portsmouth, N. H. How early he came to Maine we cannot say, 
but in 1719 he commenced purchasing lands in Maine. He and 
Samuel Waldo were the principal members of the company which 
built the first dam across the Presumpscot River, at what is known 
as the Presumpscot Falls. This was about the year 1734 or 1735, 
according to Mr. Willis. Parson Smith in his Journal says, Nov. 8, 
1734, "I rode with my father to see the Colonel's great dam." This 
dam was carried away by a freshet on the 31st of July, 1751. It 
was here, and about this time, that the parson saw the large shoals 
of salmon ("an acre of fish, mostly salmon") and other fish, con- 
gregated below and stopped from going up the river by the dam then 
recently completed, and remarks that damming the river, and thus 
stopping the fish from ascending to the Pond, would be more damage 
to the population above the dam, than they could receive profit from 
all the lumber they could manufacture. So that to Col. Westbrook 
and his copartners may be laid the sin of stopping the fish from 
going up the river to Sebago Pond. 

From old records it appears that our ancestors viewed the increase 
and preservation of the fish in our rivers and ponds as an important 



AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. 249 

item in the economy of the country, for we find, at a town meeting 
held in Gorham June 17, 1776, it was "Voted, Prince Davis, William 
Gorham, Esq. and James Phinney be a committee to petition the 
General Court for an order for the removal of several Dams that 
obstruct the Fish, coming up Presumpscot River." And on the 9th 
day of May, 1786, it was "Voted, To concur with y*^ neighboring 
towns in a petition to y^ General Court to let the Fish up Presump- 
scot River." And as early as March 12, 1765, Edmund Phinney 
and Hart \\'illiams were chosen Fish-Wardens. 

It is probable that at Saccarappa was the only dam on the river. 
Whether this dam crossed the whole of the river, or ran only from 
the island to the shore, we cannot say; but Parson Smith says, that 
in Febi»uary, 1748, Mr. Conant at Saccarappa told him that he had 
ground one thousand bushels of corn that winter, there being, no 
other mill than his between North Yarmouth and Saco. There had 
been a grist mill at Gorham, which was burned by the Indians, and it 
is known that at this time, all the meal used in Gorham was ground 
at Saccarappa, and at Capisic, at which latter place we think there 
must have been a mill, notwithstanding what Mr. Conant says. 

From the foregoing facts it appears there was quite a large amount 
of stock in Gorham at a very early date. The amount of hay raised 
in the town, taking into account the number of hay-eating animals, 
with the addition thereto of the number of oxen brought in, in the 
winter, for the purpose of logging and masting, must have made a 
very short supply, which in some way had to be made up. Browse 
would answer partially for the young cattle, but this was hard to get 
when the snows were deep. Hay was necessary, and must be had ; 
they got it by perseverance and hard work, but often had to look a 
long way off to find their crop, and in harvesting, it does not appear 
that they were governed by the same rule laid down for them at 
home, where no one was allowed to cut hay on the common land 
before his share was surveyed and allotted off to him. 

A large part of the salt marshes in Scarborough at this time was 
proprietors' property. In 1750 we find the Proprietors of Gorham- 
town voted to have the road cleared out to the salt marshes in 
Scarborough. In addition to this, many notices appear to have been 
issued from the Court at York, requiring some of the citizens of 
Gorham to appear and answer to the charge of trespassing on the 
Proprietors' salt marsh in the town of Scarborough. Some of them 
had to pay quite smartly, but they got the hay. This was salt-hayings 
now for the fresh. 



250 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Mr. Austin Alden, one of the early settlers of Gorham, in the diary 
of his daily doings has many entries between the years 1760 and 
1766 like this: "Worked to-day for William McLellan on the Great 
Meadows, cutting and stacking hay." One like this: "Worked for 
William McLellan on Great Meadows. William got scared, the first 
time he was ever scared in his life; he trod on a big rattle-snake. He 
killed the snake, and then fainted." 

The location of these meadows seemed to be rather a mysteiy to 
the younger generation; nearly a hundred years had passed away, so 
had all the laborers. There was no place in town answering to the 
description, but since the publication of the Rev. Paul Coffin's Journal 
of a Missionary Tour to Pequawkett, made in the autumn of the year 
1768, the location is made certain. He says he climbed a pitch-pine 
tree to leave his name. "From this tree we had a fair prospect of 
that land of delight which makes Fryeburg and Capt. Brown's town 
(Brownfield). We saw the long meadows at the east end of Fryeburg. 
There the people of Falmouth and Gorham cut hay in 1762, and the 
winter following they kept at one of the meadows, viz., the most 
easterly, 105 head of cattle and 11 horses, and the people of Frye- 
burg kept there also, the same winter, 70 head of black cattle. And 
the Gorham and Falmouth people kept the same winter at the other 
meadow two miles northerly about 100 black cattle. There were 
then no settlements in Fryeburg, but some clearings near where the 
village is. The stock driven in was in charge of Nathaniel Merrill, 
John Stevens, and Limbo, an African." 

By reference to the list of the first seven settlers of Fryeburg, 
Merrill is found to be one of the number ; he went in the fall previous 
to the coming of the others, and remained in charge of the cattle. 
Benjamin Stevens, who is spoken of above as "John" Stevens, 
belonged to Gorham, and Limbo was the slave of Hugh McLellan of 
Gorham. 

When a clew is gotten hold of, it is sometimes easy to unravel. 
Mr. James Phinney, the youngest son of John the first settler, a short 
time before his death, told a person while in conversation about these 
meadows, that he knew all about them ; he had several times when 
young, helped the men drive the cattle up. He said their track was 
to Standish, over Pudding Hill to Baldwin, to Saco River, up the 
river to near where Hiram bridge now stands, thence to the right, 
skirting Moose Pond through the westerly part of Bridgton, on to 
the meadows. He said the keepers had a nice time, carrying only 
their breadstuff, guns and ammunition, plenty of game and fish being 



AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. 251 

always at hand. They often made something handsome with the 
furs they caught, and the cattle always came home in the spring in 
good order, though occasionally a calf or young creature would be 
lost, or be killed by wild animals. 

This hay was cut, made, and put up in stacks, with a rick fence 
around it to keep off the animals. A shelter of bushes constructed 
so as to keep off the snows and wind from the cattle, with a comfort- 
able camp built of logs for the keepers, was all that was required. 
The animals would not go astray, but would keep in the neighbor- 
hood of the camp. 

After the settlement of Fryeburg these meadows and hay went into 
the hands of the proprietors; but some of the citizens of Gorham 
continued to winter stock there for several years, by purchasino- the 
grass standing, and cutting it as of old. 

Lately some old records, left by Samuel Wile}^, grandson of 
Benjamin Wiley who came to Fryeburg with his father William Wiley 
in 1766, have come to hand, still farther enlightening the matter. 
Old Kezar, for whom the ponds and rivers in that region are named, 
used to come to Fryeburg trapping after he was quite an old man 
and stop with Benjamin Wiley, who lived at the north part of the 
town. Kezar was the old trapper who told the Gorham people about 
the Great (Kezar) Meadows, and afterwards told Benjamin Wiley 
that Gorham people went there in 1760. They drove there some 
cattle and horses through the woods, on the old Indian trail, and 
wintered them at what is now lower Kezar ; building there a loo- 
house for themselves, and long shelters for the cattle. Some of 
the Proprietors of Fryeburg came with catttle in 1762 and claimed the 
lower Kezar meadows, but concluded to let the Gorham people winter 
their cattle there that year. The next year, 1763, the Gorham people 
gave up their camps on lower Kezar to the Fryeburg Proprietors, 
and built new camps, two and a half miles to the north, beyond the 
limits of Fryeburg upon upper Kezar Meadows, now Lovell. There 
they wintered two hundred head of cattle and twelve horses. The 
Proprietors of Fryeburg took possession of their old camps in that 
year. 

Our record is rather scant for many years, but there is enough to 
show that after the year 1760 settlers began to come in more freely, 
and improvements increased fast. In the year 1772, thirty- six years 
after the first settlement of the town, we find in an old document the 
amount of stock owned in Gorham to be five hundred and six sheep, 
one hundred and twenty-five swine, seventy-seven horses, two hun- 



252 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

dred and eighty-one cows and two hundred and four oxen ; and there 
were cut in that year eight hundred and fifty-three tons of hay. As 
this enumeration was tal^en for tax purposes, it is probable that it 
was by no means overestimated. 

Since the days we have spoken of, a great change has come over 
the land. Our citizens no longer have to labor and toil with the 
trees of the forest, to reduce them to masts and lumber, for small 
pay. These things have all passed aw^ay. Our hills are now covered 
with fields and rich crops. Our farmers do not have to go seventy- 
five miles for hay for their animals ; they now raise enough and to 
spare on their own land, and send to market annually over five 
thousand tons of hay alone. Improvements have made rapid strides. 
Our farmers, for all are more or less of that class, by industry and 
perseverance have become prosperous, and some of them rich. 

Col. John Gorham was a man of good judgment and great energy. 
After the death of his father, he was the largest Proprietor. He 
knew his father had lost money by the proprietary, and that he should 
make none unless the town could be brought forward to such a 
point as to make the lands salable, and to accomplish this end he 
spared no means in his power. 

The settlers were greatly in want of mills, both to grind their corn 
and saw their lumber. Whether Col. John Gorham built the first mill 
in town does not clearly appear. In August, 1739, Col. Gorham and 
his cousin, Daniel Gorham, were in town. Some preparation for, or 
commencement of the work of building a mill below the bridge above 
Fort Hill had then already been begun. A Proprietors' meeting was 
held at the fort on the 9th of August, 1739, when the following pro- 
ceedings were had : 

At a proprietors' meeting held for Gorhamtown, alias Y*^ seventh 
township granted to y'^ Naraganset soldiers, August y'^ 9*, 1739, by 
adjournment, it was — Voted Y' any proprietor or Inhabitant may 
have y^ privilege of building a Grist Mill on Y" Little River in s'' 
township, provided they do not incommode the building of a Saw 
Mill intended to be built below y^ Bridge on s"^' River, and provided 
they build and completely finish y^ same by y^ first of March next, 
then they to have y'^ fee of y'^ same to them, their heirs and assigns 
forever. 

A true copy attest, 

Daniel Gorham, 

Props Clerk. 

It does not appear who procured the passage of this vote, or who 
took up the contract to build the grist mill, or who it was who con- 



FIRST MILLS. 253 

templated building the saw mill below the bridge. But some years 
after, the Book of Records appears to have been taken to York, and 
the foregoing vote to have been recorded in the Registry of Deeds, 
for under the vote the following entry is made : 

York, ss. Received December the 4, 1742, and recorded with the 
Records of Deeds in said County, Lib° 23, fol" 106. 

Attest Daniel Moulton, Regr. 

At a Proprietors' meeting held in Falmouth, Aug. 29, 1750, it 
appears that the minutes of this meeting were brought forward and 
referred to a committee for examination, and the following is the 
report. (The records examined contained also the vote whereby the 
two hundred acres of land were granted to Edmund and Stephen 
Phinney. ) 

Falmouth, Aug. 29, 1750. We the subscribers have examined 
the votes within and compared y'= same with an attestation of the 
within named Daniel Gorham, and are of opinion that he compared 
and attested the same, and are of opmion they be recorded. 

Moses Pearson, } Props 
Joshua Bangs, |' Committee. 
Voted, Accepted the committee's report above, and that it be 
recorded in Y^ Proprietors Book of Records, with Y^ within named 
Lots and Grants, as may be. 

John Phinney, Moderator. 
Examined and compared. 

Per Moses Pearson, Pro Clerk. 

It is evident that there was no grist mill in town in 1739, and none 
was completed by the Gorhams before March, 1743; and it is also 
evident that at that time, March, 1743, there was a mill owned by 
another person than Gorham on Little River. This mill was the 
Blenham mill, situated on the small falls some fifty rods below the 
other falls and the bridge. It appears strange at this day, that a grist 
mill should have been built on the small falls and in this to us out-of- 
the-way place, when falls far superior in power and convenience were 
so near, but perhaps these early settlers took a different view of the 
case. These falls were at the head of navigation. Here John Phin- 
ney landed in his boat when he came into town, — so said his 
grandson, Mr. James Phinney ; here he took his boat when he went 
out ; here he landed his corn and all his supplies. Most of the set- 
tlers who had no horse to truck through the wilderness brought 
everything by boat up the river, and landed at the same place. The 
fort and Fort Hill were the centre of business. The present was 



25-4 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

probably as important to them as the future. They liked to have 
the mill handy ; this location was handy, being in the highway to and 
from market, and here the first grist mill was built, in all probability, 
by a Mr. Blenham. 

Who Blenham was, whence he came, or where he went, is not now 
known. He occupied the thirty acre lot 122, on which these little 
falls are situated. The hill on which Messrs. Matthew and William 
H. Johnson live (1889) was called by the old people Blenham's Hill. 
Blenham commenced his mill before the Indian war. What state of 
forwardness it was in, is not known ; but here, tradition says, the 
early settlers had their corn ground before the war. During the war 
the Indians set fire to the mill ; they unwittingly, however, when 
applying the torch, hoisted the gate, which prevented the full comple- 
tion of their intended destruction. The mill was not repaired. At 
a Proprietors' meeting. March 28, 1743, the right to settle the lot 
was confirmed to Blenham in consequence of his having completed 
the mill : 

Voted Y' y« Blenham house lot, and y*^ mill lot, have y'= privilege 
of settling y^ lot on condition of there being so much clone at y® cost 
of y^ owner, per y^ advancement of y<= settlement of y*^ township. 

An old lady now (1875) living in Gorham, about eighty years of 
age, says she remembers distinctly, when a young girl, hearing the 
old people tell of old Mr. Blenham and his mill, situated on these 
lower falls, and that it was burned by the Indians in the war ; that 
Mr. Blenham lived near where the Buttrick house afterwards stood ; 
also of the Blenham hill. 

Gorham's mills were built on the falls at the bridge, on the south 
shore. He probably did not build them under the vote passed 
August, 1739. He did not need to have the Proprietors vote him 
the fee of the lot, for No. 64, on which the mills were built, was one 
of the lots belonging to the Gorhams. About the year 1780, Timothy 
Hamblen, whose house stood on the hill above the bridge on the west 
side of the road, built a saw mill on the northerly shore of the large 
falls, and it was for many years carried on by him, and after his 
death by his sons Enoch and John. The sons added a grist mill at 
the lower end of the saw mill at the time the other mills were used 
by Mr. Buttrick as a clothier's establishment. One of the rooms in 
the old Hamblen house was said to have been the second room 
plastered in town. The old house, the old saw mill and grist mill 
built by the Hamblens have disappeared. Mr. Daniel Davis's mills 
(now owned by John Parkhurst), occupy the site where the Gorhams 



FIRST MILLS. 255 

built their mills, and the little falls where the Blenham mill was 
destroyed by the Indians are unoccupied. 

At the Proprietors' meeting aforesaid, held March 28, 1743 : 

Voted and granted unto Capt. John Gorham, Four hundred acres 
of the common land in that corner of the township adjoining to 
Falmouth on Presumpscot River, alias, the eastern corner of said 
Township, he y*^ said Gorham to finish or cause to finish the Saw 
Mill and Grist Mill that he has already begun in said township on 
Little River, and also give security to y^ committee chosen to sign y"^ 
grants, that he will give in exchange to y*^ proprietors so many acres 
of his undivided lands for y*^ use of y*^ proprietary, that is of y'= third 
division. 

Col. Gorham died soon after this vote was passed by the Proprie- 
tors. He did not finish the mills, but they were completed by his 
brother, David Gorham; to him were confirmed the four hundred 
acres of land, as appears by a vote passed Jan. 11, 1759. 

The two votes above cited show clearly that at the time, 1743, 
there were two sets of mills, one known as Blenham's mill, which 
appears to have been finished, and the other, the Gorham mills, in a 
state of building. That the Gorham mills were at the bridge is clear, 
for they owned the lot on which they were built, and these were the 
mills finally finished by David Gorham. 

That there were no mills in town for grinding corn during the war, 
after the burning of the Blenham mill, is a fact as well authenticated 
as any tradition. The settlers were compelled to carry their corn to 
Capisic to have it ground, and when they had none, to go to Portland, 
purchase it, and have it ground on the way home. There was then 
no road, only a track through the woods marked by spotted trees. 
Some carried their grist on their backs; those so fortunate as to own 
a horse went on horseback. 

As before said, no one now knows who this Mr. Blenham was, or 
what became of him. It is believed that before the war, there were 
some twenty families in town, in addition to some men unmarried. No 
perfect list of these persons has been preserved to let us know who 
they were, but we know the names of most of them. The probability 
is, that after the burning of his mill and the destruction of his 
property, Blenham left town for parts more safe, abandoning his rights 
and improvements, and on account of his age, (he was known as old 
Blenham,) or for some other reason, never returned. 

I" 1753 Solomon Lombard, Esq., Enoch Freeman, Esq. and 
Wentworth Stuart erected a mill on the site of the Blenham mill, at a 
cost of ^i738-9S-8d. On Feb. 11, 1762, David Gorham sold to 



256 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Lemuel Rich of Truro, Mass., thirty acres in the whole (thirty acre 
lot No. 64), with one-half of the mill, mill-dam, stream, and all 
material for building mills on said thirty acre lot, also the whole of 
the thirty acre lot lying opposite the first. No. 63. This half of the 
saw mill, and one-half of a grist mill, dam and the privileges of the 
stream, together with a quarter of the thirty acre lot No. 64, Mr. Rich 
sold in 1765 to Enoch Freeman. 

The first fulling mill in Gorham was built by two men, Conant and 
Chase, about the year 1788 or '89. It was located on the Hamblen 
falls, on the site of Gorham's mills. In 1790 Chase, then of Haver- 
hill, Mass., sold to Josiah Morse of Pembroke, N. H., clothier, the 
north half of the thirty acre lot 122, together with the fulling mill 
situated on the said half. Morse carried on the business a few years, 
but removed to Limington about 1797. He was succeeded by James 
Tyler, a clothier and fuller, who carried on the principal part of his 
business at the mill by the bridge, but had a fulling mill and dye 
house on the little, or Klenham fall, just below. In iSoi Tyler sold 
out the mills and business to Willard Buttrick, who continued to 
carry on the business at the same places. In August, 1813, the 
fulling mill and dye house were destroyed by fire, together with some 
six thousand yards of cloth belonging to other persons, and sent to 
him to be dressed. After the fire he moved all his machinery into 
the mill near the bridge, and abandoned the Blenham falls. Here 
he remained till he sold out to Peter Whitney. Mr. Whitney was the 
last that carried on the business at these Gorham falls, and probably 
the last that carried it on in Gorham. A few years before his death 
in 1842, his mill was changed to a grist mill and saw mill. 

Samuel Warren raised a saw mill, Aug. 2, 1763, on Little River, 
on the mill privilege belonging to the hundred acre lot 66, which lot 
he purchased in 1761 of William Lakeman and Anthony Rrackett. 
Mr. Warren's two sons, .Samuel and James, afterwards owned a grist 
mill on the northerly side of the old Buxton (Flaggy Meadow) road, 
and near to the town line. A man by the name of Partridge raised 
the frame of a saw mill in Gorham on the 8th of November, 1763, 
but where this mill was located we do not know. 

In 1753 Joseph Quimby of Falmouth jnirchased of Samuel Cobb, 
one-half of the hundred acre lot 75, which lot contains the mill 
privilege on Little River near what is called Stephenson's bridge, 
near the foot of Brandy Brook hill. Gn these falls he built a saw 
mill, which was raised Oct. 2, 1764. This mill was owiied in common, 
and run on shares by several of the neighboring settlers ; amongst 



FIRST MILLS. 257 

whom, John Watson and Isaac SkiUings owned a right, as possibly 
did Nathan Whitney also, for we find that he purchased on Sept. 
8, 1764, of Abijah P. Lewis a half of the mill privilege. Quimby 
sold his share of the mill and privilege in 1766 to Ebenezer Mayo of 
Falmouth. There was a grist mill, known as Harding's mill, on these 
falls as early as the year 1785. This mill was probably built by the 
two Hardings, Capt. Samuel and his brother Simon. On the 24th 
of August, 1789, we find the owners to be Simon Harding, Martha 
the widow of Capt. Samuel Harding, Capt. John Stephenson, and 
James and Lucy (Holbrook) Rolfe. 

Soon after the close of the Revolutionary war, Cary McLellan 
and his brother William built a saw mill on the hundred acre lot No. 
25. This mill was situated on the westerly side of the road, on the 
small stream which crosses the road at the foot of the hill, just south 
of where Mrs. Levi Hamblen lately lived. When they built this mill 
there was not water enough in the brook, as they said, to mix their 
grog ; but in the following spring the little stream, swollen by a 
sudden freshet, rose and completely destroyed the mill. Solomon 
Lombard, Esq., the McLellans, and some others, who were largely 
interested in lands and timber in Gorham, owned and ran a number of 
small saw mills on the brooks and small streams in the various parts 
of the town. They would cut the timber on the banks and near by 
at odd times, and then saw it up in the spring and fall, when the 
melting snows and heavy rains would furnish power enough to run 
the machinery. 

In the early years of the century there were several small carding 
mills in town, where the farmers' wives could bring their wool and 
have it carded into rolls ready to be spun on their spinning wheels. 
Solomon Newcomb had one of these mills. It was situated in the 
north part of the town, on what is known as the " West Branch," on 
land lately owned by Mr. Benjamin Irish. About 1816 Livy Buker 
built a carding mill at Gambo, where he carried on the business for a 
few years. 

It appears that the old Proprietors intended to reserve a burying- 
place in the northeast corner of the settled minister's lot, 57, and the 
spot was used for that purpose from early times, though the town's 
title was never made perfect. In this yard William Bryant and his 
family were buried in April, 1746, as were also those who died in the 
fort in 1750 at the time of the dreadful disease that then prevailed. 
This thirty acre lot which belonged to Mr. Lombard, the first settled 
minister, finally came into the hands of Mr, James Phinney. It 



258 HISTORY OF gokham. 

appears that Mr. Phinney proposed to give the land occupied to the 
town, and at a town meeting held on the 3d day of May, 1802, it was 
"Voted, that the selectmen see that the forty dollars voted to fence 
ye burying place at Fort Hill be laid out to y^' best advantage, and 
take a deed of Mr. James Phinney for the burying grounds. And 
that the Selectmen be, and they are hereby directed to purchase of 
Mr. Phinney land enough' to complete one acre, with what he is to 
give the Town." 

The present Methodist church edifice at the village covers what 
was one of the earliest burying places in town. At the time it was 
used it was an orchard, and belonged to Capt. Bryant Morton, whose 
first wife was probably buried there. Besides Mrs. Morton, there 
were buried here Rev. Ebenezer Townsend, Mrs. Samuel Hamblen, 
Mrs. Cole, Joseph Morton and many others long since forgotten. 

In the year 1770 Mr. Jacob Hamblen presented the town with a 
half acre of land to be used for a burying ground. Mr. Hamblen's 
dwelling house was on the thirty acre lot 16, where Mr. Harding's 
store lately stood, and the land which he gave was a part of his 
homestead farm. 

The following vote was passed at a town meeting held on the 25th 
day of March, 177 1 : — ''Voted, That Solomon Lombard, Esq., Capt. 
Edmund Phinney, Nathan Whitney, Nathaniel Whitney, Joseph 
Cates, Benjamin Stevens, Benjamin Skillings, Eliphalet Watson and 
Joseph Pilkinton be a Committee to Return the Thanks of the Town 
to Mr. Joseph Hamblen for his Generosity in giving to the Town 
Half an Acre of Land for the Purpose of a Burying Vard." 

The meeting was then adjourned to the 3d of April, when the- 
committee through its chairman reported publicly as follows : 

" An Address of thanks, of the Town of Gorham, to Mr. Jacob 
Hamblen, for his Generous present and gift to the Town of a tract 
of Land for a Common Burying Place, Pronounced by Solomon 
Lombard, Esq., Chairman of the Committee that was Chosen by the 
Town for that purpose the 25th of March, 177 i. 

" Mr. Hamblen, this Large Committee are Commanded by the 
Town of Gorham to wait upon you, Sir, with an Address of thanks 
of the Town for your free and Generous present made to the Town of 
a parcel of land for a Common FJurying place, where the people 
may Bury their Dead out of their Sight. True it is Sir, that the 
intrinsic value of the present made to the Town is not Equal to the 
Donations of Some of (ireater Fortunes who have Built Hospitals 
and Endowed them, and have Built Churches and Endowed them, 
and thereby have transmitted their names and Honor to Unborn 
Ages, Yet, Notwithstanding this, Sir, the free and Generous Air and 
the Religious end for which you made this gift to the Town, renders 



BURYING GROUNDS. 259 

it a Great, Noble and Generous Donation where Survivors may 
Deposit their greatest Treasure, their Dear friend and Relative ; that 
provision be made for Depositing the Dead is as necessary as to 
make provision of houses for the Living to Dwell in. By the Apos- 
tacy and fall from God,. Adam and all his posterity became Mortal : 
in the day thou Eatest thereof thou Shalt Surely Die. Death is 
entailed upon all Adam's Posterity, and every one knows, that as he 
is Born, he shall Surely Die; so that Burying places not only are 
Convenient, but Absolutely Necessary, for the Dearest friend and 
relative while living, that gives the most Sensation of pleasure and 
delight in Converse and Communion with them, but when once Cold 
Death Embraces this Object in her Arms, He or She, becomes Disa- 
greeable Company. That object that once Delighted every eye and 
Charmed every Heart, and engro.ssed the Strongest Affections; 
when once the lovely Corpse becomes Shaded with the Image and 
Picture of Death and Corruption, all pleasing Sensation and Delight 
is lost and gone, and the Breast that once swelled with Joy, now -is 
Charged with an insupportable load of Grief, and his thoughts 
employed, where to Deposit his Dead out of his sight. When God 
visited Abraham and by his Afflictive hand had Snatched from him 
a Portion of his very heart, in the Death of his Dearly beloved Sarah, 
she who once by her Beauty charmed him, and her becoming mien 
greatly Delighted him. And her ready and Cheerful Obedience and 
Affection for him gave her the highest place in his heart of all 
Earthly Objects, but upon this Event, viz, the Death of Sarah, he 
was so far from Receiving pleasure or Satisfaction from the presence 
of the Corpse, that it Excited the greatest pain and Uneasiness of 
mind, and he Seeks a place to repose his Dead out of his Sight, for 
we find Recorded in Sacred Writ, that Abraham stood up before his 
Dead and Spoke to the Sons of Heth, Saying I am a Stranger and 
a Sojourner with you, give me a Possession of a Burying place with 
you that I may Bury my Dead out of my sight. Upon which they 
Generously offered him the Choice of their Sepulchres to Bury his 
Dead. Upon which Abraham bowed himself to the people in Grati- 
tude to them ; but this was not what he was desirous of ; but a piece 
of Ground that he might Call his own, that he might there without 
Trespass, view the monument of his Dying or Dead friend, and there 
Empty his Breast over Charged with Grief in Showers of Tears over 
her Grave. Eor this purpose he entreats the Sons of Heth to plead 
for him with Zohar for the Cave Machpelah at y'^ end of his field for 
as much Money as it was worth, where he might Deposit this once 
Lovely Corpse, and without Trespass or oifence to any visit and 
mourn over. S'', the Same desire prevails in every man, he desires 
the Liberty of visiting the Grave Yard, and see the little Hillock, the 
Rising Ground, the memorial of the Dead, without Ground of Com- 
plaint from any one, there to Contemplate the State of Mortality, 
the irreparable loss Sustained, and to weep over the Dead. There 
is, S"", a Secret pleasure in this, as weeping for Sin yields Comfort to 
the penitent, so mourning for the Dead does yield Satisfaction. This 



260 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

mourning is not Altogether a painful Sensation. You, S^ have put 
it in the power of the people in this place to visit their Dead, as often 
as their inclination Excites them thereto. The Dead Bodys are 
Deposed as Seed, as Seed Sown for the Resurrection. And Probable 
it is that most of us may soon, in a few months or years, mingle our 
Dust with those there Buried, until the Sound of the last Trumpet, 
Arise y« dead, and Come to Judgment. God in mercy prepare each 
of us for such an Event. 

" And now, S"", to Conclude, we, the Committee do, in the name of 
the Town, wish and pray that God in his providence may Shower 
down into your Bosom, Seven fold of the Good things of this Life in 
Recompense for your Charity and Goodness, and in the world 
to Come may you be Rewarded with Life Eternal, and that both you 
and we may be so happy as to joyn the Great Assembly above. 
Angels, Arch-Angels, and the whole Church Tryumphant in Singing 
the Song of Moses and the Lamb, where there shall be no more pain 
or dying, no weeping for Departed friends, but fullness of Joy at 
God's Right Hand." 

This lot of land, which Mr. Hamblen so kindly gave to the town, 
is the burying ground at the village, on South St., which is now 
known as "The Old Yard." 

The " New Yard " at the village, on Main St., was purchased by 
the town about 1830. It consisted originally of the southeast 
quarter of the present yard, and has been twice enlarged. In 1846 
the town bought of Daniel C. Libby, a sufficient quantity of land to 
extend the yard through to Main St., and in 1878 the cemetery was 
doubled by the purchase of the Capt. Nathaniel Frost place, on its 
western side. 

In the north part of the town there are large burying grounds. 
One is situated at Sapling Hill, and another is near the North 
Meeting House. The beginning of this latter yard was when, in 
November, 1790, the town voted that the selectmen should buy an 
acre of land in the north part of the town for a graveyard. The 
land was purchased of Zebulon Whitney, and in 1793 John Phinney, 
Uriel Whitney and Decker Phinney were chosen a committee to 
build a good post and board fence around it. Since then more land 
has been added to this yard from time to time, until it has reached 
its present size. There is also a smaller yard near Merrill T. Files's 
store at White Rock, the land for which was purchased by the town 
of Josedeck Sanborn in 1791. East of the present schoolhouse at 
White Rock, and near the spot where the old church once stood, is 
an old burying ground, with but three stones standing in it bearing 
inscriptions. This yard, four rods wide on the road and six rods 



BURYING GROUNDS. 261 

deep, was given for a neighborhood burying ground by Mr. Clay, a 
part of whose farm it was. Here some seventy-five of the older 
dwellers in this region are buried, including Joseph McDonald, Sr., 
Mrs. Lydia Young, William Clay and his wife Anna. When the 
road was widened a few years ago about a rod of the yard was thrown 
out into the highway. 

Great Falls (North Gorhani) has a nice cemetery, which was pur- 
chased and laid out about 1850. At Little Falls, besides the large 
yard on the hill near William H. McLellan's, there is the smaller 
" Swett yard " near the Free Baptist church, where two of our earliest 
settlers, Timothy Cloutman and his wife Katy, are buried. The 
south part of the town for many years used a burying ground, 
situated just north of the residence of Melville C. Burnell. In 1880, 
however, the town purchasing land for the present yard near Parker's 
Corner, this yard was taken up, and the bodies from it, and various 
private yards, were moved to their new resting place. There is also 
a cemetery at West Gorham, and one near S. S. Waterhouse's. 
Besides the " Swett yard," mentioned above, there are many other 
private or family burying grounds scattered over the town. 

Gorham certainly has no need to feel ashamed of its numerous 
cemeteries, shaded with beautiful trees ; many of them containing 
fine monuments, and with their lots for the most part neatly and 
tastily laid out. 



CHAPTER XI 1 1. 

DIFFERENT VILLAGES IN 11 IE TOWN. 

BUSINESS CENTRES — NORTHEAST PART OF THE TOWN — WHITE ROCK — WEST 
C.OKHAM — GAMBO — MALLISON'S FALLS, AND LITTLE FALLS. 

About the year 1800 Black Brook road, so called, (now closed) 
leading from the late Rufus Mosher's to the late William Burton's, 
and passing the house of Mr. Hamblen, was the principal thorough- 
fare to Horse Beef, Great Falls, Sebago Pond, North Windham 
and Raymond. Over this road all the lumber and other material 
hauled to and from the above places had to pass. Many thought 
that the centre of business would be near the mouth of Black Brook 
Road,-^ consequently quite a collection of buildings sprang up near 
there. Within sixty rods there were ten houses, most of them of two 
stories, two stores, two cooper's shops, two shoemaker's shops, and 
a blacksmith's shop ; and quite a business was done here. Joseph 
Gilkey built one of these houses, a large two story one, which stood 
a little east of where Mrs. Rufus Mosher now lives. This house was 
torn down about 1815. Mr. Gilkey was a joiner and house carpenter 
by trade. The coopers were James King, Joseph Whitney and 
Clement Phinney. Mr. Southernham was the blacksmith, while Joseph 
Whitney, Edmund Gammon and Nathaniel Hatch were in trade here. 
Mr. Gammon kept a grocery store, which stood nearly opposite the 
dwelling of Mrs. Rufus Mosher. This building was afterwards 
moved on to the cross road, and now forms the dwelling house where 
the late Daniel C. Libby lived. 

As time passed, however, business gradually centered more and 
more at the Corner. Here, stores had been kept soon after the 
Revolution by Gary McLellan, and Samuel Prentiss, the latter of 
whom built the "Old Yellow Shop " about 1784. Daniel Cressey 
about 1795 built the first store which stood on the corner of Main 
and South streets, where the store of F. H. Emery now stands. 
* Here he did a thriving business. John Horton had a store on Main 
St. just west of the house where Llewellyn Brown now lives. 
This store was afterwards owned and occupied by Capt. David 
Harding, Jr. Across the street, and nearly opposite, was the shop of 
Nathaniel Gould, saddler and harness-maker. Joseph Hunt had a 



BUSINESS CENTRES. 263 

shop on the east side of School St. where he made and sold hats. 
The site of this shop is now covered by the building at present used 
by the Public Library. In 1810 Capt. Ebenezer Hatch traded in a 
store which he built on School St. on the lot where the buildings of 
Simon E. McLellan now stand. For this lot Capt. Hatch paid a row of 
silver dollars equal in length to the width of the lot on the street, which 
was two rods. The Joseph Hunt lot, just spoken of, was purchased in 
like manner, except that its street line (twenty-eight and one-half 
feet) was covered with half dollars. In 1820 Dea. Nahum Chadbourn 
and Capt. David Harding, Jr. hired the parish lot, and built two stores 
on it. In one of these Dea. Chadbourn carried on his business of 
saddler and harness-maker, while in the other Capt. Harding, and 
after him his son David, traded. About 1802 Toppan Robie and 
Sewall Lancaster built a store on the southwest corner of High and 
School streets. Mr. Lancaster died in 181 2, and soon after Mr. Robie 
formed a partnership with his brother Thomas S. Robie. About 181 2 
Alexander McLellan built a store on the northwest corner of High 
and School streets. In the stores of both T. and T. S. Robie, and Mr. 
McLellan there was carried on for many years an extensive and 
flourishing business in the grocery and variety line common to the 
country store of that day. It would be hard to name any article of 
ordinary use which could not be found in those stores. Mr. 
McLellan, who was postmaster for many years, kept the office in his 
store. Much of the trade of the time was carried on by barter. Most 
of the above-mentioned merchants packed beef for the West India 
market. They employed many coopers in making their barrels, and 
also in making heading and shooks which they sent to the West 
Indies to be exchanged for molasses, sugar, rum and various other 
commodities. 

In winter a long procession of ox-sleds, teams and pungs loaded 
with country produce, coming through the Notch from Vermont and 
Coos County, passed daily down over Fort Hill and through the vil- 
lage on their way to the Portland market. Much business was 
brought by them, however, to Gorham, and not infrequently whole 
loads of their produce were disposed of at the village stores. Gorham 
village was a lively place in those days. After the new road to 
Standish was opened about 1820, cutting off the hard hills of the Fort 
Hill road, the teaming came down High St., but with the opening of 
State St.' most of the country travel came into town that way. In 

I The first house built on State St. was the house now occupied hy Hon. Edward 
Harding, which was built by Phineas Harmon, at one time a blacksmith in Gorham. 



264 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

course of time, however, the building of railroads and the ease with 
which goods could be transported over them affected the business of 
teaming, and soon destroyed it altogether. 

Gorham village was incorporated, under the name of Gorham Vil- 
lage Corporation, by an Act of the Legislature passed Mar. 22, 1895. 

It is probable that Uriah Nason was the first settler in the north- 
east part of the town, near Great Falls. Mr. Nason took up a lot in 
its natural state somewhere about the year 1765, and built a log 
house near where the house now (1874) occupied by his grand- 
daughter Kebecca (daughter of Uriah the second) stands, on the 
seventy acre lot 81. For several years the nearest neighbor the family 
had was about four miles off. At that time the only communication 
they had with the outside world was by a logging road cut and 
bushed out through the woods, hardly passable in the summer, other- 
wise than on foot. This road was only used by the lumbermen in 
going to and from Great Falls. Mrs. Nason said that she often 
remained for months without seeing the face of a white woman. At 
one time she did not see a white woman for six months, when she was 
taken sick, and her husband went out with his team and ox-sled and 
brought in an old lady, who remained with her a few hours minis- 
tering to her necessities, and then departed for home, six miles off, 
by the same conveyance. Indians at this time were quite common 
about town, hunting and fishing. Mrs, Nason found them rather 
annoying, and great beggars, which was inconvenient for her and her 
family, as they were themselves often lacking even the necessaries of 
life. 

July 31, 1767, was a very memorable day for this section of the 
town, which fortunately for itself at that date was practically unin- 
habited. Of this day tradition has preserved the following account : 
The weather throughout the forenoon was unusually hot and sultry 
with not a breath of air stirring, when suddenly, about noon, a noise 
like the roaring of a mighty cataract of waters was heard, and a 
cloud of a dull copper color was seen rushing swiftly from the direc- 
tion of Sebago Pond, and making an almost due eastern course. 
This hurricane, which is said to have begun near the southern end of 
Sebago Lake, passed across this part of the town, through what is 
still known as the Hurricane District, and struck the Presumpscot 
River near Loveitt's Falls. It tore through the dense forest at tre- 
mendous speed, carrying all before it, and leaving a track, varying 
from three-fourths of a mile to a mile in width, swept as bare of 



NORTHEAST PART OF THE TOWN. 265 

every growing thing as if an arni}^ of sturdy pioneers had been at 
work clearing the land for settlement : scarcely a tree remained 
standing in its path. After crossing the Presumpscot it continued its 
devastating career through the town of Windham, passing directly over 
Windham Duck Pond, and from thence through Falmouth to Cum- 
berland where it finally spent its fury upon the waters of the Atlantic' 

As if the destruction caused by the wrath of Nature did not work 
harm enough to this corner of the town, it was to be augmented a few 
years later, in 1777, by a great forest conflagration caused by human 
agency. There are various stories as to where and how this fire 
started, but the following account, given us by a descendant of one 
of the earliest settlers in this neighborhood, as it had been handed 
clown to him, is probably very close to the truth of the matter. 

The early settlers were greatly annoyed at the depredations com- 
mitted upon their property by the wild beasts of the forest. Bears, 
especially, were great aggressors : they would snatch up in their 
fore paws pigs and sheep and carry them off, walking on their hind 
legs till they could get a chance to kill them ; or breaking into a 
field of corn at night when the ears were in the milk, would gather in 
all the stocks their arms could hold, when they would deposit them- 
selves on the top of the pile and devour whatever ears might be in 
sight on the surface of the mass, then up and repeat the perform- 
ance in another part of the field, and so on ; one animal in this 
manner destroying much more than several could eat. 

One old strip-faced bear in particular proved an unmitigated source 
of annoyance to Uriah Nason, continuing his predatory attacks on 
Mr. Nason's property in spite of all efforts made for his capture by 
this famous hunter, who seldom needed to fire twice at the same ani- 
mal. All to no purpose ; spring-guns, traps, pitfalls and even the 
unerring rifle in the hands of the long-suffering pioneer, who spent 
nights and days lying in wait for a shot, were useless. The old fellow 
seemed to know when Mr. Nason was on the war path, and laid low, 
accordingly. Mr. Nason finally discovered the dwelling place of his 
bear-ship amongst a heap of fallen trees, overthrown and piled up by 
the hurricane of 1767. Amongst these trees the bear had securely 

I Gorham was also visited by another small tornado or liiiiTicane which, on the after- 
noon of Sunday, the 4th of June, 1865, passed over a part of the town, travelling in an 
easterly direction. Amongst other damage done by this gale, it destroyed barns belong- 
ing to Alexander Allen, Stephen Stephenson, David Moore (who lived on the jilace now 
occupied by Marshall Sturgis), Daniel Baker and William Trickey. It also started Mr. 
Wescott's barn from its foundations, and unroofed a house near Saccarappa. Many trees 
which came iu its path were uprooted : as it tore its way through the Woodbury place it 
destroyed many of the fine trees bordering the driveways. 



266 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

entrenched himself, and all Mr. Nason's efforts failed to bring him 
out. At length he set fire to the mass, intending to shoot the bear 
when he should be driven forth by the heat and smoke, but the wind, 
which was blowing strongly at the time, fanned the blaze and in a 
moment the dried underbrush and timber was a roaring, seething 
mass of flame. It is said that Mr. Nason did not remain long to see 
what had become of the bear, but made good his retreat from the 
scene with all speed. The confiagration, having a supply of dry fuel 
already provided for it, followed the track of the hurricane eastward, 
crossed the Presumpscot by means of the bridge at Loveitt's Falls, 
and continued across \^'indham, until stopped by the Duck Pond, 
destroying a number of buildings and dwelling houses standing in its 
path. 

Great Falls, or North Gorham as it is now called, is situated on 
the Presumpscot River, near the most northeasterly corner of the 
town. The river is tweny-two miles in length from the outlet at 
Sebago Pond to tide water, and bounds the entire eastern side of 
Gorham, being the dividing line between Gorham and \\'indham. 
The falls are about two hundred and twenty-one feet above tide 
water : they are three miles below the outlet of the Pond. At 
the foot of the Basin, so called, two miles above Great Falls, are the 
Head Works, where has been built a dam for throwing back and 
reserving the water, creating an artificial head of four feet over the 
whole area of the Lake, thus making the supply always equal and 
reliable at all seasons. The peculiar make of the banks of the river 
at the falls, being of solid ledge-rock high out of water, throwing the 
river into a narrow channel, renders it extremely easy to dam, and 
remarkably safe and secure, with an always abundant supply of water. 
Though all the water powers on the river may be called good, there 
is none better for all manufacturing purposes than the Great Falls. 
There is but one objection in the way of these falls being among the 
best in the State for business, and that is their location, having so 
near to them on the north Sebago Lake which extends easterly and 
westerly so far that to make a railroad to pass the falls, from the 
seaboard into the country, would cause a large and expensive detour 
from the line. This will probably be accomplished, however, before 
many years, if not by a steam road, perhaps by means of a trolley 
line. The Oxford and Cumberland Canal, leading from Lake Sebago 
to Portland, and running through Gorham from Standish to Westbrook, 
was opened in 1829. The first boat to make the passage from Port- 
land to the Lake was a pleasure boat called the " George Washington," 



NORTHEAST PART OF THE TOWN. 267 

owned and fitted up by William A. Rice. After a while this boat was 
used for the transportation of freight, and was finally sunk in the 
canal some twenty rods or so below the lowest Kemp lock where a 
few of its timbers still remain. This canal, starting from the head- 
works, ran past the falls, and was a great help to the transportation 
of the place, but railroads, and the use of steamers on the Lake 
caused so large a falling off of the business of the canal that it was 
abandoned. In 1873 there was not a boat ran or any repairs made 
on it, and at the present time everything is in a state of complete 
ruin. 

The first improvement made on these falls was the building of a 
saw mill by Zephaniah Harding, Zebulon Trickey and Solomon 
Mains somewhere between the years 1767 and 1770, and it is prob- 
able that the bridge was built about the same time, as there ,was 
a road in Windham to the falls. This first mill is said to have stood 
in what is now known as John Lindsay's privilege, on the Gorham 
side. The mill house at this time was a log house, and stood where 
the old Harding house stood some years since. 

The road from Gorham village was a logging, or as they were then 
called, a mast-road, cut and bushed" out through the woods, hardly 
passable other than in the winter. According to the best tradition 
that can now be had of the main road north, it had little or no refer- 
ence to, or connection with, the present located or travelled road, 
but started from near Mrs. Rufus Mosher's, ran over or near the 
Black Brook road, passing near Horse Beef Falls, thence northerly 
near Gambo, and keeping to the east of Sapling Hill, over the Hurri- 
cane road, passed near where Uriah Nason built his first house, and 
thus on to the Falls. The survey and plan of the seventy acre lots 
was completed in January, 1765, and the drawing of assignments to 
Proprietors made soon after. The drawing does not appear to have 
been completed until sometime after this date, which makes it evident 
that the planned roads could not have been opened for some years 
after this time. 

Zephaniah Harding was a large property holder at and near the 
Falls. He was an owner at the falls, of what exact proportion we do 
not know, but probably one-third, as he built the saw mill with 
Trickey and Mains. The falls are on the seventy acre lots 91 and 
93. At the drawing for the seventy acre lots in 1765, John Harding 
drew 91, William Lakeman drew 92, and James Irish drew 93. In 
November, 1765, Zephaniah Harding purchased of his father, John 
Harding, the seventy acre lot 91, which includes a part of the falls. 



268 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

In 1 78 1 he bought of William Lakeman the seventy acre lot 92, this 
being the second lot west from the river, adjoining the Standish line. 
No. 93. which is on the river, and the corner lot in the town, was 
sold by James Irish in 1770 to Zephaniah Harding. Nov. 6, 1780, 
Harding sold to Zebulon Trickey two-thirds of ten acres from the 
seventy acre lots 91 and 93 for a mill privilege. The remainder of 
lot 91 he sold in 1785 to Nicholas Mains. Lot 93 he conveyed, June 
27, 1 79 1, to John Harding, reserving to himself his half of the mill 
and mill privilege. His share in the saw mill and grist mill he owned 
up to Nov. 20, 1792, when he sold all his part of said saw and grist 
mill to William Elwell ; Elwell giving him an obligation to keep said 
mill in good repair for the use of Samuel Nason, the son of Uriah 
Nason, who then had a lease of them, the lease being dated the 22d 
day of the October previous. 

Mr. Trickey' lived on the Windham side, and Mr. Mains lived at 
the Falls. The three ow ners of the mills took turns in running them, 
each having his share. Harding, living at Gorham Corner, had to 
camp out in the mill house when at work in his time. He usually 
went up on horseback, or on foot, leading his horse loaded with such 
provisions as he needed, with a boy to take the horse back, as he 
often spent several weeks at a time at the mill. 

Trout at this time were abundant in the river. Nicholas Harding, 
son of Zephaniah, when a young man lived from his fourteenth to his 
twenty-first year at the Falls, cutting timber, and sawing in the mill, 
and taking care af the mill much of the time. He said that they 
considered a hook and line as much a part of their fit-out as they did 
an axe, and that often he would stand in the mill and catch a dozen 
trout of such a size that they would be quite a load for him to take 
to the house. Sometimes for days he would see no person except 
occasionally an Indian would come along fishing or hunting. 

For many years boards, selling at two dollars and fifty cents per 
thousand, were hauled from the Falls by way of Windham Hill 
to Stroudwater on ox-teams, which consisted of one pair of Avheels. 

The first settler in the northern part of the town, as has been said, 
was Uriah Nason ; following him came Thomas Snow, Lemuel Hicks, 
John Ward, Joseph McDonald, John Harding and Nicholas Mains. 

About the year 1804 Uriah Nason and Nicholas Mains built a mill 
at the Falls. The first frame house built at Great Falls was raised in 
1 791 by Nicholas Mains. It was afterwards owned by his son David, 
then by John Colly and lately by the widow of Joshua E. Hall, Esq. 

I Zebulon Trickey was born at Cape Elizabeth, July 20, 1736. 



NORTHEAST PART OF THE TOWN. 269 

John Harding, the father of Zephaniah Harding, was the first 
person to keep a store and trade in this vicinity. Following him 
came Ebenezer Proctor, William Metcalf, Samuel Nason, Samuel 
Whitmore, William A. Rice, Wyer Cannell, Parker & Bodge, J. & J. 
Parker, John Lindsay, Whipple & Carter, Charles Paine, Edward 
Libby, Samuel L. Nason, Parker & Hawkes, James R. Hunnewill, A. 
R. Hawkes & Co., M. H. Moses, Parker Ingraham, Daniel Wescott, 
Chamberlain & Seeley. After Seeley left off trading here, Daniel P. 
Parker opened a clothing store, and afterwards a grocery store; he 
then took a partner. Nelson Shaw. After this the firm was Shaw & 
Dyer. They sold out to Oliver Dole. Then came Carl W. Shaw and 
H. G. Parker; Parker bought out Shaw, and still continues the 
business. Smith Bros, have a grocery store on the Whipple road. 
This Whipple road was petitioned for in 1856 by Carlisle Whipple, 
to run from the Falls to his mills at Middle Jam. Whipple built the 
first mills on these falls, and used to manufacture long and short 
lumber, also shingles, kegs, etc. He sold these mills to Jefferson 
Mabry, and he to Goff and Plummer. Prince and Wescott are the 
present owners. There is a mill now at the Falls for the manufacture 
of pails from pulp, and a large electric power plant, but the railroads 
and fire have destroyed nearly all the business of the place. 

Great Falls for a long time received its mail by way of Windham, 
but on Jan. 25, 1873, a post office was established here under the 
name of North Gorham, and Chas. D. Seeley appointed Postmaster, 
who kept the office in his store by the canal. Daniel P. Parker 
succeeded Mr. Seeley. He removed the office to his store, where it 
remained until the building was destroyed by fire in December, 1897. 
Mr. Parker in turn has been succeeded by Oliver Dole, C. W. Shaw 
and H. G. Parker. 

This part of the town was known as the " Nason district," and the 
first schoolhouse built here stood opposite the house now occupied 
by Mr. Eben Manchester. The present district of Great Falls was 
set off from the old district in 1828, and the first school was kept in 
a building owned by Mr. Levi Hall, which had been used as a 
wood shed". Until the " little red schoolhouse " was built on Rowe's 
Hill in 1843, this building was used as a chapel and lecture room, as 
well as for the school. The schoolhouse on Rowe's Hill was 
destroyed by fire in 1877. The present structure was built in 1895. 
After the completion of this new schoolhouse the old building was 
converted into a chapel. A nice building, " Forest Hall," was built 
a few years since on the Whipple road. It is owned by a stock com- 



270 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

pany, and is occupied by the " Red Men." There is a good public 
library here in the village. This library a few years since received a 
donation of six hundred dollars from the "Walker Fund." 

The locality known as White Rock, owes its name to a large 
boulder, which used to stand on the hill, in the field nearly in front 
of the present White Rock church. It was a large white rock, some 
ten or twelve feet in height, with a sloping top, and formed a con- 
spicuous object for miles around. Against this rock the Indians, 
stopping here to rest on their way from Sebago Pond to the salt 
water, used to build their fires to cook their meat. Later, when the 
white men had penetrated the forest, and begun to cull out the larger 
trees for masts, which they hauled to Stroudwater, there was a 
"mast camp" built here around the rock. Still later, when lumber- 
ing had become more of a business, and the teaming began to 
penetrate still further back into the country, it was the custom to rest 
and bait the cattle on the flat top of the hill near the white rock, 
while their owners prepared their own food over a fire kindled in the 
same old place against the rock. Capt. John Sturgis, on whose farm 
the rock lay, finally decided to destroy it; but he said afterwards, 
that he never in his life was so sorry for any act of his, and that the 
moment after the powder exploded and the stone flew to pieces he 
would have given anything to have been able to put it back as it was 
before. But the deed was done, and the old landmark gone forever. 

The inhabitants of this neighborhood for some years were obliged 
to attend church, and to send their children to school, at Fort Hill; 
but somewhere about 1805 a schoolhouse was built, which stood 
nearly opposite the old Edward Libby house. About 181 2 a Metho- 
dist meeting house was built here, which was located on the Hurricane 
road, a little to the east of where the present White Rock school 
house now stands. It was never finished, and after being used in an 
incomplete state for some years was taken down in 1825 and moved 
to the "Johnson neighborhood." The Baptist meeting house here 
was built in 1839. 

James McCorrison was married to Deliverance Rich in 1765, and 
soon after made a clearing and built a house on what he supposed 
was the northerly half of the hundred acre lot 81. His house was 
then the most northwesterly house in town, and was the first to be 
built in this section. This was before the roads in this part of the 
town were laid out, and when tlie road, now known as "the old road " 
to West Gorham, running northerly from Watson's Corner to Clement's 



WEST GORHAM. 271 

Corner, was opened, he found his house to be on the east side of the 
road and his farm on the west. His house stood where the old 
cellar is still to be seen, opposite the house where Joseph Gilkey 
lately lived. 

McCorrison was followed very closely by John Watson, who first 
settled on the northerly half of the hundred acre lot 72. In 1769, 
however, after the road running northerly, between the hundred acre 
lots, 80 and 81, was laid out, he purchased twenty-five acres off the 
southerly end of 81, and built his house on the spot where his son, 
Capt. Greenleaf C. Watson, afterwards lived. Isaac Skillings built 
his house in 1767. This same house is now occupied by his grand- 
son, George Skillings. About two years later, Jonathan Sturgis came 
here and cleared the farm and built the house where his great-grand- 
son, Frederic O. Sturgis, lately lived. It is said that a clearing was 
made and a house put up on the farm now owned by Lewis Files. 
Ithiel Blake made a settlement in this part of the town, on the farm 
lately owned by his grandson, Timothy Blake. This farm he bought 
of Nathaniel Bacon. Mr. Bacon first settled on the seventy acre lot 
114, of which this farm formed a part. The locality in which these 
two men settled has always been known as the "Blake neighborhood." 

The road running westerly from the Fort Hill road known as 
Pendleton's lane and formerly extending through to the saw mill- 
which stood on the falls below what is now known as Stephenson's 
bridge, (see Mills) is a very old road and is said to have been used 
before the road (now discontinued) running northerly from where 
Samuel Cressey lately lived to the saw mill was laid out. The swale 
from the river to Sturgis's hill was covered with such a dense growth 
of heavy hemlock timber that the road through it was dark, even in 
the day time, and it was known as "the dark hole." 

Besides the families already mentioned, others soon began to settle 
in this neighborhood, among whom were the Lewises, Clements, Lin- 
colns, Fileses, Stephensons, etc., and in the course of time a small 
hamlet, called " Clement's Corner," made its appearance. This vil- 
lage is now known by the name of West Gorham. A post office was 
established here Jan. 13, 1829, on which date Simeon C. Clement 
was appointed postmaster. He was succeeded on the 6th of Feb., 
1 84 1, by Greenleaf C. Watson. Following him came Naaman C. 
Watson, appointed Aug. 6, 1841, and FJaniel B. Clement, May 17, 
1844. Mr. Clement was postmaster till his death in 1859, when 
Jonathan Eastman received the appointment. He has been followed 
by Edward Hasty, Thomas J. Hasty, Kimball Eastman, H. R. Coles- 



272 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

worthy, Geo. C. Jordan, C. E. Crockett (who received the appointment, 
but did not serve) and George C. Jordan. 

West Gorhani was most prosperous in the thirties. At that time, 
before the building of the railroads in this vicinity, it was a busy, 
thriving little village. It was a stopping place for the stages which 
ran on the Portland and White Mountain mail route, and for the 
teams which at that time carried on a large transportation of lumber 
and country produce from Coos County, N. H., down through 
the White Mountain Notch to Portland. There were two large tav- 
erns here which, with their great stables, were designed especially to 
meet the wants of this travel. Quite a coopering business was car- 
ried on here by the Watsons. There was also a hat shop, shoe 
shops, blacksmith shops, stores, and a post office. 

The first man to engage in trade at Clement's Corner was Jacob 
H. Clement, who opened a store in a little building which he built 
for that purpose, and which stood on the eastern side of the Standish 
road, just on the brow of the hill, and has only lately been removed. 
Samuel Lincoln traded in the building in which the post office is now 
located, and which he built. The store next to the post ofiice, on the 
other corner, was built by Theophilus Dame and Samuel Baker, and 
was afterwards traded in by Daniel B. Clement. Edward Hasty put 
up the building, next south of the post office, in which his father 
Thomas J. Hasty traded, and he himself ran a coat shop. Samuel R. 
Clement built the store located next to the hotel, where Sawyer & 
Ridlon at one time, and Mr. Clement himself afterwards, were in 
business. Mr. Clement sold out to Frank Hamblen and Fred 
Hanson of Buxton, who traded there. Naaman Watson and James 
Lewis, Jr. kept store where Stackpole's blacksmith shop now stands. 
This store was burned in 1844, but was afterwards rebuilt and 
Samuel Sturgis traded there, dying while in business here. Arthur 
M. Drown then used the building for a wheelwright's shop, and was 
himself burned out in 185 1. James L. Drown, brother of Arthur, 
was also a wagon maker here for a time, moving later to Gorham 
village. 

Of the taverns, already spoken of, the larger one was built by 
Jacob H. Clement and kept by him for years. He afterwards let 
the stand to Peleg Barker, who was followed by Reuben Lowell. 
George T. Clement then kept it for some ten years, when the building 
was remodeled and Samuel R. Clement took it. After him came a 
Mr. Sands of Massachusetts, a Mr. Brackett from Limerick, J. 
Hanson Clement and Jedediah Graffam. The other tavern was 



GAMBO. 273 

built, and kept for some years, by Reuben Lowell. He then moved 
to Standish, but afterwards returned to \\'est Gorham, where he built 
the house south of his former residence. Lowell's tavern, after he 
left it, had various landlords, among them, Frost, Shaw, Seth Douglass, 
and Sadler. 

Seth Higgins was a blacksmith here, and built the brick house 
which stands on the road which leads to Fort Hill. 

A handsome and commodious chapel for religious worship has just 
(1898) been erected here, built by the United Christian Endeavor 
Society. 

Toward the close of the last century a small settlement began to 
form around the falls on the Presumpscot, near what is now known 
as Winship's Corner. The name of Gambo was given to these falls, 
and to this neighborhood. Opinions differ as to the origin of this 
name. It has been believed by many to be an Indian name ; but 
an authority on Indian language (Rev. M. C. O'Brien) finds no 
place-name corresponding to this. There is a word " Kamsku," 
meaning falls, which might possibly be corrupted into Gambo. 
There was an old negro, named Gambo, who lived in this region, and 
who gave great entertainment to parties of young people, who 
enjoyed the music of his fiddle, and his songs and jokes ; and it was 
common to "go to Gambo's." It may be that the region took its 
name from this fact. 

Among the early settlers in this locality were Eli Webb, John 
Morton and William Bolton. Mr. Webb owned a large tract of land 
adjoining the river on the Gorham side. The water power on this 
side also belonged to him. Jonathan Loveitt at one time kept a 
store on the Windham side, and leased a saw mill on these falls. He 
also had a grist mill here, and employed Peter Bolton to tend it. Peter 
Bolton lived on the Windham side, and it is said afterwards owned this 
mill. Loveitt, who was a Windham man, after some years purchased, 
farther up the river, the falls still known by his name, where he built 
mills and did an extensive lumbering business. A man by the name 
of Livy Buker came into this neighborhood, and in 18 14 married 
Ann Webb, who was the daughter of Edward, and the granddaughter 
of Eli Webb. A few years later, probably in 1816, Buker built on 
the Webb property a mill for carding wool into rolls for spinning. 
His home was the old house which stands on the sand hill near the 
river. 

In the year 18 17 Edmund Fowler and Lester Laflin came here 
from Southwick, Mass., and bought twenty-five acres of land, which 



274 IIISTORY OF GORHAM. 

had formerly belonged to Edward aad Seth Webb. This purchase 
was a part of the hundred acre lot No. loi, and included within its 
bounds all the mill-sites and privileges which belonged to loi. 
Fowler and Laflin immediately commenced the erection of mills for 
the manufacture of gunpowder, and put them in operation the 
following year. There is a law on the Statute Books of this State 
making the erection of any mill to grind or mix powder within eighty 
rods of any valuable buUding then standing, a nuisance, and making 
the owners liable to a prosecution. It seems that Fowler and Laflin 
built their mills within the proscribed distance from Buker's house. 
Seeing his chance, Buker made them pay him double for his land, 
and selling them the remainder of his property, moved away. Fowler 
and Laflin continued in business here until 1827, when on the 2 2d 
of June both men, together with their foreman, Walter McCuUy, 
were drowned in Sebago Pond, by the upsetting of their boat. 

Oliver M. Whipple of Lowell, Mass., in 1833 purchased the plant, 
and also bought the privilege on the Windham side of the Presumpscot. 
He put Lucius Whipple, his brother, in charge of the works as 
foreman. Powder mills have a bad habit of exploding periodically, 
and the Gambo mills have proved no exception to the rule, some one 
or more of the buildings blowing up in 1828, 1835, 1847, 1849, 1850, 
1851, 1855, 1859, 1863, 1865, 1870, 1871 and numerous other times 
down to the present. In the explosion which occurred on Oct. 12, 
1 8 1^5, one wheel-mill, press mill and a canal boat were destroyed. 
James Whipple and Oliver G. Whipple, who were respectively Oliver 
M. Whipple's brother and son, were killed, as well as Luther Robinson, 
Edwin Hardy, John Swett, Franklin Hawkes and Samuel Phinney ; 
five others were wounded. Previous to this the entire property had 
been sold by Mr. Whipple to G. G. Newhall & Co., of Boston. 

In 1859 a new partnership was formed, by which the Oriental 
Powder Company came into being. In 1873 the superintendent, Mr. 
Jackson, resigned ; since which time Mr. Ezra F. Newhall, and Mr. 
Kaiser and also Mr. Smith, have filled that position. The mills are 
still controlled and operated by the Oriental Powder Mills. 

On the 30th of May, 1733, the Great and General Court of the 
Province of the Massachusetts Bay made a grant to Joseph Mallison 
of Boston of two hundred acres of land, commencing on the west 
bank of the Presumpscot River, five miles above the Great Saccarappa 
Falls. This land, which is known as Mallison's (kant, was surveyed 
by Phineas Jones, Aug. 22, 1733, and a plan made of the same. It 
was in the shape of a rectangle ; two hundred rods along the river, 



mallison's falls. 275 

and running west one hundred and sixty rods, having Little River 
flowing through its southwest quarter. Mallison sold this grant for 
the sum of fifty pounds to Gen. Samuel Waldo of Boston. It does 
not appear that either Mallison or Waldo built any mills here, 
although as early as 1743 there was a saw mill on these falls, which 
was probably situated on the Windham side. 

The land coming into the possession of Enoch Ilsley of Falmouth, 
he sold it to John Waite of Gorham. Joseph Sanborn bought fifty 
acres of Waite, and on Sept. i, 1778, Joseph Winslow of Falmouth 
purchased one hundred acres, with two saw mills, the iron work bf 
another, and other buildings standing thereon. These are the first 
mills on the Gorham side at these falls of which we find any record. 
There was a grist mill built here sometime before 1779, ^^^ o" J^^"- 
9th of that year Winslow leased to Joseph Libby of Gorham one-half 
of the grist mill standing on this land at Horse Beef Falls, below the 
saw mill. On Nov. 30, 1779, Winslow sold Libby a half acre of land 
joining the falls, together with one-half the falls and dam and the 
saw mill, likewise a road "trod" from the mill to the landing place : 
and on the 5th of December of the year following he sold him, for 
thirteen hundred and thirty-three Spanish milled dollars, the hundred 
acres of the grant which he had purchased of Waite. This 
hundred acres appears to have been the northerly part of the right, 
being an irregularly shaped triangle, with one side lying along the 
river, and extending westerly to the side line of said right. Li 1787 
Joseph Libby sold the half acre of land, just mentioned, and the mill 
privilege to John Libby and Matthias Murch, his son and son-in-law. 

Capt. Joshua Swett was one of the early settlers here, and was 
quite largely interested in the mills. His son, Clark Swett, afterwards 
owned a saw mill on the Gorham side of the river. At the same 
time, on the Windham side, were another saw mill, a grist mill and a 
shop where wool was carded into rolls for spinning. Judge F. M. 
Ray of Westbrook, and John Stevens, in 1863 purchased the water 
power on both sides of the river of the heirs of Nathan Winslow of 
Portland. In 187 1 they sold the privilege on the Gorham side to 
Thomas K. Law. The latter did nothing whatever with the power, 
which was afterwards bought by the Sebago Wood Board Co. 

As to why this locality should receive the name of Horse Beef, 
which appellation it bore for many years, the old tradition is that 
when one of the earliest mill-men here opened a barrel of beef which 
he had purchased, he discovered, snugly packed away among the 



276 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

meat, a horse's shoe. Of late years, however, the falls have again 
been known as "Mallison's." 

The need of a bridge across the Presumpscot River bet\veen the 
towns of Gorham and New Marblehead, now Windham, was felt for a 
number of years, but was not considered very important so long as 
the only necessity for crossing lay in the hauling out of logs, which 
could be brought across on the ice in the winter time. At last, how- 
ever, in July, 1762, the Proprietors of Gorham chose Moses Pearson, 
Solomon Lombard, Esq. and Jacob Hamblen as a committee to 
concur with the committee of Marblehead on the proposal to build a 
bridge over the Presumpscot River at Horse Beef Falls. The bridge 
was built in the following year, and was the first bridge uniting the 
towns. In April, 1795, the town of Gorham voted that a committee, 
consisting of Lothrop Lewis, Samuel Elder and Thomas Bangs, 
should let out Horse Beef bridge to be rebuilt, in the best and cheap- 
est manner that it could be done. 

With the building of the mills settlers began to gather, and the 
place grew into quite a busy little hamlet. The first trader to locate 
here is said to have been Oliver Johnson. He was followed by 
Robert Wier, who also owned a paper mill on the Windham side, 
Edmund Griftin, Thomas Rea, John Webb, Josiah Elder, Jonathan 
Hanson and Thomas Brackett. 

Among the houses which used to stand here, and which was by 
far the most of a house of any in this locality, was one occupied at 
one time by Dr. Henry Dupee, an Englishman, who was a physician 
and apothecary. He had a garden near the house, in which he used 
to raise herbs for medicinal purposes. It is not known when or by 
whom the old house was built. George Johnson, the father of 
Benjamin Johnson, lived in it previous to Dr. Dupee's occupying it. 

With the cutting off of the timber hereabouts the business of the 
saw mills gradually ceased, and as the building of the cotton mill at 
Little Falls offered a chance of employment, the most of the people 
who were left moved there. Quite a number of houses were hauled 
from Horse Beef to Little Falls, and now form a part of that village. 
At present Robinson's woolen mill on the Windham side, with a few 
scattered houses on the Gorham side, are all that remain of the once 
thriving little village of Horse Beef. 

On the 26th of November, 1741, the Proprietors of Narragansett 
No. 7, or Gorhamtown, passed the following votes : — 

" Voted & Granted unto his Excellency William Shirley, Esq'', 
Governor of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, his heirs & 



LITTLE FALLS. 277 

assigns for Ever, Four Hundred Acres of the Common & undivided 
Lands within said Township. 

"Voted, Mr. Moses Pearson, Jn° Gorham & Joshua Bangs, Be a 
Committee to Lay out the same, pursuant to said Grant." 

This committee hired William Pote, Jr. to run out the grant, 
which was done in the following summer, and a plan made, which 
was accepted by the Proprietors on the 15 th of November, 1742, 
when they voted to accept the committee's report and plan, " pro- 
vided said plan contains no more than the four hundred acres 
granted." They also voted to have the same recorded in the Pro- 
prietors' book, and we find in the old Proprietors' Records, under 
date of Dec. 20, 1743, the report of this committee: — " \^'e, the 
Subscribers, being chosen by the Proprietors of Gorhamtown, as a 
Committee to lay out the four hundred acres of Land voted & 
granted to his Excellency, William Shirley, Esq'', have, agreeable to 
the Vote, laid out the same as within described. 



John Gorham ") p 
Moses Pearson - ^ ^ 
Joshua Bangs 



( Committee." 



Upon the same page is also drawn the plan, on which is written 
the following description : — 

" Decemb'' 20th, 1743. 

Within these Bounds is contain'd four hundred acres of upland 
lying on Presumpscot River, & adjoining to the Land granted by the 
great & general Court to M"" Joseph Mallison, as described in this 
Plan, which I, the Subscriber, have Survey 'd by the Desire of the 
Committee of Gorhamtown, so called, appointed by the Proprietors 
of said Town, to lay out the said Premises to his Excellency, Wil- 
liam Shirley, Escf . 

William Pote, Jun"" Survey"'." 

This land was situated near Little Falls ; the eastern end of it 
lying along the Presumpscot for about sixty rods each way from 
where the bridge now is, and running westerly five hundred and eight 
rods. At the west end it was one hundred and sixty rods wide, and 
the southern side, which was parallel to the northern side, ran easterly 
three hundred and one rods, till it struck the westerly side of the 
Mallison Grant. 

Joseph Knight was taken prisoner by the Indians, Feb., 1756, on 
the hundred acre lot No. 2 in Windham, while he was engaged in 
cutting logs for the saw mill of his father, William Knight. This mill 
was on the Windham side of the river, and is the first on these falls 
of which we have any knowledge. About the year 1767 Capt. Joseph 



278 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Knight purchased some ninety acres of the Shirley Grant, including 
the water power on the Gorham side, on which he erected and ran a 
saw mill, which was afterwards owned by his son Joseph. This mill 
and water power Joseph Knight, Jr. sold in 1823 to the Cumberland 
Cotton Manufacturing Company. 

The Cumberland Cotton Manufacturing Company, which was 
chartered by the State, held its first meeting in Portland and elected 
its officers, Mar. 23, 1824. At the annual meeting, Apr. i, 1825, 
when they elected their Directors and other officers, Jacob Coburn 
was re-elected as Agent and Superintendent of the Works. At this 
meeting the first assessment, two hundred dollars per share was 
voted to be called for by the treasurer, Thos. O. Bailey. The year 
following, another assessment of four hundred dollars per share was 
voted in order to meet the contracts made for machinery and other 
purposes. In 1827 it was voted that the capital stock be divided 
into eighty shares instead of the former number of twenty-four. This 
company, which was composed of Portland men, having purchased 
the water power on both sides of the river, proceeded to build a new 
dam. The mill was erected in 1825, the foundation being laid the 
year previous. Several large dwelling houses were also built by the 
company for the use of their operatives. The factory carried eighteen 
hundred spindles and ran eighty looms. It gave employment to 
about eighty persons, and manufactured some eight thousand yards 
of shirting and sheeting per week. This property afterwards passed 
into the hands of the Casco Company. In Nov., 1834, Mr. John R. 
Larrabee entered upon the duties of agent of the mills, succeeding 
Thos. J. Butler. Mr. Larrabee continued in charge of the mills until 
the autumn of 1855, when he resigned his position, and the following 
spring left town. The mill was destroyed by fire in November, 1856. 

The Little Falls mill privilege was purchased in 1875 by C. A. 
Brown and Co., who built the present large brick mill for the purpose 
of manufacturing wood-board. 

About 1846, Ichabod W. Leighton and Freeman Harding built a 
saw mill at Little Falls, on the spot where the pulp mill now stands. 
In 1 86 1, Wm. Cloudman built at the lower falls on Little River the 
first dam ever placed there. He then purchased Leighton and 
Harding's mill, tore it down, and rebuilt it at the latter place. In 1868 
Mr. Cloudman sold this property to Jos. Deguio, who in turn sold it 
to Theodore Sayward. 

The present village of Little Falls owes its existence to the business 
which began to come here with the building of the cotton mill. 



LITTLE FALLS. 279 

Jonathan Andrew, the father of Gov. John A. Andrew of Massachu- 
setts, kept a store near the \Mndham end of the present bridge, and 
was the first trader to locate here. When the post office of South 
Windham was established in 1828, he received the appointment of 
postmaster. Jacob Coburn, of whom we have spoken as the agent 
of the mills of the Cumberland Manufacturing Company, settled here 
about the same time as Mr. Andrew, which was about 1S24, and 
built the large brick house, now owned by Geo. W. Heath. Mr. 
Coburn was the first man to open a store and go into trade on the 
Gorham side. After some five or six years Edwin Coburn, his son, 
took the business, which he, in 1838, sold to Ichabod W. Leighton, 
who took the store, which when owned by the Coburns stood on the 
spot now occupied by the Hill block, and moved it to the place 
where the block owned by Wm. H. McLellan now stands. Mr. 
Leighton traded in this building for a number of years, after having 
moved and enlarged it, but finally left town. Elisha Guilford occu- 
pied the place for a year or two; when on P'eb. 20, 1864, the 
building was consumed by fire. Among others who have followed 
Mr. Coburn in trade here are Benjamin Sturgis, Geo. Cole, Benjamin 
B. Mayberry, Edmund Libby, A. O. Hill, Josiah C. Shirley, A. L. 
Folsom, Freeman Harding, John F. Smith, Jonathan Loveitt and 
Fred Freeman. 

There have been two Public Houses kept at Little Falls, one on 
each side of the river. That on the Windham side was opened 
about 1832 by Andrew Libby, in the old house still standing at the 
corner of Main and Depot Sts. The one on the Gorham side was 
kept by Ebenezer Hicks and after him by Justus Butler, who came 
here some fifteen years later. 

There has been quite a business done here in days past in the 
manufacture of boots and shoes. It seems a little strange that 
the shop in which the first shoes were made in this village should 
be situated on the spot occupied by the store in which Coburn com- 
menced trading. Edmund Libby, who was a shoemaker by trade, 
engaged, in a small way at first, in the manufacture of boots in the 
shop just spoken of. His business increasing, he took a partner, 
John F. Smith. Walter Berry and Joseph M. Plummer, as well as 
Lendall Brown, were also connected with him in this business at vari- 
ous times. The firm is said to have employed somewhere in the 
neighborhood of a hundred men. About 1855 Mr. Libby removed to 
Portland, and there went into the shoe business with C. J. Walker. 
A few years after Libby established himself in the business here. 



280 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

John Frink also opened a shop, employing quite a number of men. 
He sold out in i860 to Clement Brackett, who in turn sold to Jacob 
Bragdon. John F. Smith, before going into trade in this village, 
manufactured ladies' shoes here about the time of the Civil War. 

There was a Free Baptist Church and Society organized at Horse 
Beef in 1827, which built a house there on the Windham side, known 
as the "Old Oak Meeting House." In 1841 they decided to move, 
and in that year erected a meeting house on the Gorham side of the 
river at Little Falls. The first minister to preach in this building 
was Rev. James M. Buzzell, M. D. This church in January, 1864, 
took fire and was destroyed. About two years later, however, the 
Society built the present edifice, which stands upon the spot that was 
occupied by the burned building. 

Before the abolishment by the town of the District System and the 
substitution of the Town System, this locality comprised what was 
known as District No. 16. In 1834 the schoolhouse belonging 
to this district was destroyed by fire. It was situated at Horse Beef, 
where the house of Perry Stevens now (1877) stands. A new one 
was built between the Gray and Portland roads, on the road running 
across from the Gray road to Mallison's Falls. In the Town Report 
for the year 1855, the School Committee, speaking of No. 16, say, 
" This district has the advantage of possessing a good schoolhouse, 
and more school apparatus than any other district in town."' The 
town, believing that the growth of Little Falls demanded better school 
accommodations, in 1888 built a fine new schoolhouse on the Gray 
road at a cost of about three thousand dollars. Hon. Frederick Robie 
generously donated a bell to be hung in the cupola for the use of the 
school, and in his honor the building is known as the " Frederick 
Robie School." 



CHAPTER XIV. 



PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. 



For many years after the first settlement of the town there was no 
physician in Gorham. Nor was this lack often especially felt or 
noted. The women of the families were skillful in the compounding, 
from the barks, roots and herbs which grew around them, simple 
remedies which availed for all ordinary ailments. Their Indian 
neighbors also, in time of peace, taught them, the settlers, very many 
useful lessons in the arts of medicine and surgery. Occasionally, as 
in the case of young Phinney, when the injury demanded more scien- 
tific treatment than home could afford, the patient was carried 
through the woods to Falmouth, there to receive surgical aid. 

At length with the growth of the town and the increase of the pop- 
ulation the opening came for a physician, and with it in 1770 came 
the man, Dr. Stephen Swett. He made his home near Fort Hill, 
and soon brought there his family, consisting of his wife and seven 
children. Seven other children were afterwards born in this town to 
him and his wife. Dr. Swett was an earnest patriot, and enlisted 
as surgeon in the war of the Revolution, May 7, 1775, in Col. Phin- 
ney's 31st Massachusetts regiment. He probably served until the 
regiment was discharged, Dec. 31, 1775, and doubtless saw other ser- 
vice, though there seems to be no official record thereof. After a 
successful practice of several years in Gorham he removed to Wind- 
ham and thence to Otisfield where he died in 1807. 

The second physician to locate in town was Dr. Jeremiah Barker. 
He was a native of Scituate, Mass., and had studied medicine in 
Cambridge under the eminent Dr. Lincoln. He had practiced for 
some time in Barnstable, Mass., before coming to Gorham. He 
came here soon after the close of the Revolution, having become 
interested in the place through the influence of his brother-in-law, 
Hon. William Gorham. He lived east of the village, near the mouth 
of the Black Brook road. He was a noted man in his profession, 
and also took a prominent part in town affairs. After several years 
he moved to Portland, where he remained till about 1808, when he 
returned to Gorham and resided here until his death in 1834, at the 
age of 84 years. 



282 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Dr. Nathaniel Bowman, a graduate of Harv^ard in 1786, was the 
third physician to settle in Gorham. Shortly after coming he was 
married to Miss Johnson of Andover, Mass. He was a young man 
of much ability, and gave promise of taking a high rank in his pro- 
fession. It is said that while visiting a patient on the seventh of 
June, 1797, he remarked that none of his family had lived to pass 
their thirtieth birthday, but that he was going to break the record as 
he should be thirty on the following day. The next day, June 8th, 
he was killed by the fall of the church steeple, as is elsewhere related. 
His untimely death was greatly lamented. The tradition also says 
that his patient lost her life through the lack of medical attendance 
consequent upon his death. 

About the time of Dr. Bowman's death Dr. Dudley Folsom came 
here. He took at once an active and a prominent part in town and 
educational matters, and was esteemed not only as a skillful physician, 
but as a wise and prudent counsellor in public matters. He was 
Surgeon of Col. Burbank's militia regiment which marched to Port- 
land for the protection of that place during the War of 181 2. Dr. 
Folsom had a large and extensive practice, till his death in 1836. 

About 181 1, or 1812, Dr. Elihu Baxter commenced the practice of 
medicine in Gorham. He was educated for a physician in Hanover, 
N. H., and received his diploma at the age of twenty-one. He 
practiced at first in Lemington, Vt., going from that place to Alna, 
Me., and thence to Wayne, Me., in which latter town he remained 
for some years in good practice. From this place he removed to 
Gorham, where he resided for nearly twenty years; establishing a 
lasting reputation as a good citizen and a faithful and successful 
physician. He removed to Portland, where he died. (See Baxter.) 
Dr. Seaver was a physician in town for a few years in the first 
quarter of this century. He lived in the house since owned by Col. 
Hugh D. McLellan. Drs. Kittredge, Adams and Thorndike also 
practiced here. 

Dr. Nelson H. Gary, a native of Bridgewater, Mass. and a graduate 
of Bowdoin Medical School, succeeded Dr. Baxter, and lived in the 
house on South St., formerly occupied by him. Here he continued 
for several years, when he removed to Livermore. About 1860-62 
he returned to Gorham and again entered into practice here. After 
a few years he went to Westbrook. He died in Durham in 1877. Dr. 
Gary was the father of Mrs. Annie Louise (Gary) Raymond, of whose 
musical fame and talents Gorham is proud, though it cannot claim 
the honor of having been her birthplace. 




ELIHU BAXTER, M. D. 




DR. ALDEN T. KEEN. 



PHYSICIANS. -JSo 

Dr. John Pierce, a native of Monmouth, came here in 1835. He 
married Chloe, the daughter of Alexander McLellan, Esq. After 
practicing here for four years he removed to Edgartown, Mass., 
where he resided till his death in 1885. 

Dr. S. W. Baker followed Dr. Pierce. He came to Gorham from 
Windham. He remained some years in practice here, when he 
moved to Saccarappa, but returned later to this place. Mrs. Mary 
A. Baker, his wife, died in Gorham in 1849. Dr. Baker with several 
of his children removed to Texas, where he was still living not many 
years since. 

William H. Peabody, son of Ebenezer and Sally (Lewis) Peabody, 
was born in Gorham. He commenced practice here about 1825, 
and was a beloved physician. He identified himself with every good 
cause and work, till his death in 1843. His wife was Hannah, 
daughter of Col. James March, of Gorham. 

Alden T. Keen, a native of Freedom, located first at West Gorham 
about 1840. He soon removed to the Village, where he had an 
extensive practice for many years. He was especially noted for his 
kindness to the poor and needy. He married Elizabeth W., daughter 
of Rev. Clark Perry. In 1878 he removed to Cambridge, Mass., 
where he and his wife died. Two daughters, Julia M. and Lillian B., 
and a son, Jarvis B. Keen, survive them. 

Dr. Enoch Cross, Dr. S. C. Strong and Dr. Baldwin succeeded 
each other. 

Dr. William Wescott was a surgeon in the Civil War. He married 
Martha A. Libby of Gorham, and after practicing in Standish and 
Kennebunk, lived in the north part of the town. 

Dr. E. F. Mitchell, Dr. Lewis W. Houghton, Dr. Phineas Ingalls 
and Dr. Anderson have resided and practiced in Gorham for a longer 
or shorter time. Dr. Houghton built the house on State St., where 
Henry W. Hale lately lived. 

Dr. John Waterman came from Windham about 1839-40. He was 
a man of great discretion, and excellent judgment. He was for many 
years a member of the board of Trustees of the Academy and Semi- 
nary, He had a good practice until increasing years and feebleness 
compelled him to lay aside active work. 

Dr. Seth C. Gordon, now in an extensive practice in Portland, was 
for some time at Little Falls. 

Dr. John Sanborn lived near Gambo, and practiced medicine there 
for some years. 



284 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Dr. James M. Buzzell practiced at \Yest Gorham and Gorham 
village. He had much skill as a surgeon. 

Dr. George Fabyan of Scarboro came to this town about 1844, and 
remained for several years. His home was the house now occupied 
by Hon. Isaac W. Dyer. He removed from Groham to Portland, 
and soon after to Boston. 

Dr. Cheney, Dr. Vose (now of Calais), and Dr. Hitchcock have all 
practiced here. 

Hon. Frederick Robie, a native of Gorham and a graduate of Bow- 
doin, came here from Waldoboro, where he had been in practice. He 
remained here till the breaking out of the Rebellion. After the war, 
having given up his medical pursuits, he returned to Gorham to 
reside. He still lives with us, an honored citizen, having received 
from his townsmen many honors, and from the people of Maine the 
highest gift in their power. 

Henry H. Hunt, a native of Gorham, was a graduate of Bowdoin 
College, Class of '62. Soon after his graduation he enlisted in the 
5th Maine Battery, and was appointed Hospital Steward. He partic- 
ipated in the battle of Gettysburg, and was with Gen. Grant in his 
campaign from the Rapidan to the James River. After the war he 
completed his medical course at Bowdoin Medical School, graduating 
in 1867, and having spent another year in study in Philadelphia 
settled in his native town, where he soon won the respect and confi- 
dence of all, and entered upon a large practice, which continued 
until about 1880, when on"account of his health, he felt he must seek 
a different field of labor. At this time, to the great regret of our 
entire community, he removed to Portland, where he speedily took a 
place in the front rank of his professional brethren. He died in 
Portland in 1894. 

Dr. A. P. Topliff, now of Deering, practiced here a few years. 
After Dr. Hunt's removal, Dr. William H. Watson took his house, 
and was a physician in this place for some years. After he left town, 
Dr. Charles H. Ridlon succeeded him in 1887, and is now in suc- 
cessful practice here. 

Mrs. Rebecca Buzzell had for many years an excellent practice, 
till failing health compelled her to lay it aside. She was of the 
homeopathic school. 

Dr. O'Neil R. Straw was a successful physician here for some 
fifteen years, till in 1897 he removed to Portland. His place here 
was taken by Dr. Clinton Stacy, who after practicing for about a year 
and a half died Jan. 15, 1899. 



LAWYERS. 285 

Dr. A. W. Lincoln, Dr. Chas. H. Ridlon, Dr. Philip P. Lewis and 
Dr. E. D. Chellis are the present physicians at Gorham village. 

Dr. N. M. Marshall and Dr. B. F. Marshall were for some years at 
Little Falls. Dr. Hamlet and Dr. Woodman are now in practice 
at that place. 

It was not until the year 1801 that a member of the legal fraternity, 
John Park Little, located here in town. At that time the town con- 
tained about twenty-five hundred inhabitants. Whatever occasions 
for legal advice or assistance might have arisen previous to this must 
have been settled without the intervention of a Gorham lawyer. 
Indeed the community seems to have been a remarkably peaceable 
one, for when it was known that a lawyer proposed to take up his 
abode here, there was strenuous objection made to his coming, on 
the ground that while nothing was known against Mr. Little person- 
ally, any lawyer must of necessity be a promoter of strife and division 
for the sake of furthering and promoting his own interests. Indeed 
the opposition was so strong that a meeting was held after service 
one Sabbath to discuss the matter, and to vote, almost unanimously 
that Mr. Little should not come to Gorham. Notwithstanding all 
this, however, he came, and proved a decided acquisition, and soon 
held a prominent position in town. Spite of his legal profession he 
made it his aim to promote peace and to lessen litigation. He was 
a graduate of Brown University in the class of 1794, and was 
admitted in 1799 to the bar in Massachusetts. He was tall and 
commanding in figure, dignified and courteous in his bearing. One 
who was a small child at the time of Mr. Little's death says " I well 
remember the stately walk of John P. Little as he passed between 
his splendid new house and his law office." Mr. Little built the 
large three story house on Main St., now the property of Hon. 
Frederick Robie. His office stood near the sidewalk, next west of 
the house of Mrs. Sawyer (then Nathaniel Gould's). Many years 
since it was moved on to what is now Green St., and used for a 
dwelling house. It has recently been moved again, in anticipation 
of the new Library building, and has been placed south of the depot, 
on Lincoln St. Mr. Little was a man of sterling integrity, and 
undoubted honor. He was also an earnest and consistent Christian, 
and in every respect proved himself a most valuable citizen. He 
was one of the original trustees of Gorham Academy, and was 
chosen secretary of the Board at its first meeting. He enjoyed the 
respect of the whole community, and attained to a large and increas- 
ing practice. He was the son of John and Margaret (Park) Little, 



286 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

and was born in Lunenburg, Mass., Nov. i-j, 1772. He married, 
September, 1805, Mary Jackson, daughter of Hon. Oliver Prescott 
of Groton, Mass., and niece to Col. Wm. Prescott who commanded 
the American forces at the battle of Bunker Hill. Mr. Little died of 
quick consumption Mar. 26, 1809. His only child, John Oliver, 
born Mar. 17, 1808, died Sept. 18, 1809. Mrs. Little married Hon. 
Lothrop Lewis. 

Peter Thacher, son of Hon. Judge Thacher, the former pastor of 
the First Parish Church, read law with Wm. Symmes, Esq. 
of Portland who was one of the most able lawyers of his day. Mr. 
Thacher entered into practice in 1804 at Saccarappa. After 
remaining there about five years, he removed to his old home in 
Gorham, where he lived but a year or two, dying of consumption, 
Jan. 26, 1811. 

In 1805 Barrett Potter came to this place and opened an office. 
He remained, however, only a year and removed to Portland, where 
he became distinguished in his profession, and received many honors 
in public life. He was, for about twenty-three years. Judge of 
Probate for Cumberland County. 

Samuel Whitmore, Jr., son of Capt. Samuel Whitmore of Gorham, 
read law with Mr. Little, and opened an office for himself about 
1806. He was a graduate of Dartmouth, class of 1802. He prac- 
ticed law here for only two years, dying Aug. 27, 1808, at the age of 28. 
About this time Jacob Sheaff Smith, a native of Durham, N. H., 
opened an office in this place. He had the reputation of being an 
able lawyer, and was devoted to his profession during the more than 
twenty-five years that he practiced at the village. About 1833 he 
removed to the farm about two miles south of the village, lately 
occupied by Mr. Merritt. Here he lived until about 1867 when, 
after the death of his wife, he went to Brooklyn, N. Y. to reside with 
his son. He died in Brooklyn in 1880, at the age of 94. 

Joseph Adams was born in 1779 in Wayland (Sudbury), Mass. 
He graduated from Harvard College in 1805, and having studied 
law with Hon. George Thacher of Biddeford, located for a short time, 
after his admission to the bar, in Buxton. He soon removed to 
Gorham, where he remained until 182 1, in which year he removed to 
Portland. He was a man who commanded much respect and 
confidence. He was one of the delegates from this town to the Con- 
vention in Portland in 18 19, at which the Constitution of the State 
was adopted. He was also for a term of years County Attorney. 
Mr. Adams's successor was Josiah Pierce, who came to Gorham in 




JOHN A. WATERMAN. 



LAWYERS. 287 

182 1. He was born in Baldwin, and was graduated from Bowdoin. 
He was a man of rare intellectual gifts, and was remarkably 
interesting and brilliant in conversation. He possessed many and 
varied talents, and was an able and skillful lawyer. He was a 
member of the board of selectmen in 1837 and 1838, was repre- 
sentative to the State Legislature, State Senator three years, and 
President of the Senate in 1835 and 1836. He was for ten 
years Judge of Probate for Cumberland County. At the time of 
the Centennial Celebration of the town in 1836 he was chosen orator 
of the day and delivered an eloquent historical address. In 1861, at 
the request of the town, he prepared a History of Gorham. He 
continued in active practice in town till his death in 1866, at the age 

of 73- 

About 1833 Elijah Hayes opened an office here. He was a 
native of Limerick. He soon obtained a good and rapidly increasing 
practice. His prospects were, however, cut short by his sudden 
death, Dec. 22, 1847. His wife, Eliza (Gilpatrick), died shortly after 
him, leaving two sons, George and Walter, and a daughter, Eliza. 

Thomas H. Goodwin and John W. Dana had law offices in town 
for a short time, also Charles Danforth, the latter of whom has since 
been well known and honored as Judge of the Supreme Judicial Court 
of Maine. Alvah Black taught for a time in the Seminary, and 
afterwards practiced law here. Henry P. A. Smith, son of Mr. Isaac 
Smith of Portland, had an office here for a few years. He removed 
to Cherryfield, and afterwards went to California. He died in 
Helena, Montana, Nov. 20, 1870. 

John A. Waterman, son of Dr. John Waterman, came here with his 
father's family from Windham when quite a lad. He took his pre- 
paratory studies at the Academy, and was graduated from Bowdoin 
in 1846. In 1850 he opened a law office in this village, and continued 
in practice here till his death. He was a man of rare good judgment, 
great prudence and discretion, and of singular affability and kindness 
of heart. He was Judge of Probate for Cumberland County for 
many years. He died, lamented by the community at large, Mar. 6, 
1893. His son, John A. Waterman, Jr., also a graduate of Bowdoin, 
after practicing for a time in Brunswick, came to Gorham after the 
death of his father, and taking his father's office, is now in practice 
here. 

George B. Emery, son of Capt. Daniel C. Emery, was a native of 
Gorham, a student at the Academy, and a graduate of Bowdoin, class 
of i860. After his admission to the bar he opened an office at the 
village, where he continued in practice till his death, Aug. 11, 1898. 



CHAPTER XV. 

CONDITION OF THE ROADS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM IN EARLY TIMES. 
BRANDYBROOK HILI. — HORSE MEADOW ROAD — MAILS — RAILROADS. 

Rev. Paul Coffin of Buxton married Miss Mary Gorham, daughter 
of Capt. Nathaniel Gorham of Charlestown, Mass. In July, 1777, 
Stephen Gorham, Esq. came with his wife in a chaise, to Buxton to 
visit his sister. When they got as far as Saco, they were advised not 
to attempt to proceed farther in the carriage, as none had ever passed 
the road. Mrs. Gorham, having never ridden on a pillion, did not 
wish to attempt the ride in that way, and they concluded to try the 
chaise. They got through in four hours, Mr. Gorham walking, and 
steadying the chaise to keep it from being overturned. While in 
Buxton they with Mr. Coffin wished to visit their relative the Hon. 
William Gorham, at Gorham. They had to make the journey on 
horseback, with the pillions for the ladies. The ride and visit were 
accomplished in two days, by the track through the woods, there 
being a carriage road scarcely any of the way, and the trip occasioned 
some amusement to the gentlemen, and much fear and trepidation to 
the ladies. At this time no carriage had ever passed the road from 
Gorham to Buxton. 

In surveying the town of Gorham, and lotting the same, the first 
division of lots amongst the grantees were thirty acre lots, and a road 
was to run around every four lots, thus making a road on two sides 
of each thirty acre lot. A part of these roads were laid out four 
rods, and a part two rods wide. Such as were then thought would 
be the great thoroughfares through the town were four rods. Many 
of these roads have never been opened, and probably never will be. 
And in the second division the plan was general to have a road 
around every two hundred acres, thus bringing a road on three sides 
of every lot. In the original plan of the thirty acre lots the four-rod, 
or principal roads were named. The road running northerly, past 
Gorham village, over Fort Hill, was named " King Street." The 
next road westerly, parallel to this, running between the land lately 
owned by Joseph Harding, and Mr. Weston's land, thence between 
the land of the Alden heirs, and that recently owned by George 



BRANDYBROOK HILL. 289 

Chadbourn (now Mr. Shorey's) was named "Queen Street." This 
street was never opened. The main street in Gorham village, 
running as far as Mark Mosher's, or near there, was named " Gorham 
Street." The old Buxton (Flaggy meadow) road was called "Ham- 
blen Street." The road between Archelaus Hamblen's and Samuel 
Roberts's, Moses Fogg's and Leonard Roberts's, since called "Queen 
Street " was named " Phinney Street." The road from Scarborough, 
running northerly past Alexander Allen's, past the schoolhouse, 
which lately stood on Main St., Daniel C. Libby's and Ezra Richard- 
son's and on north was named " Paine Street." It appears that 
previous to Nov. 24, 1743, the road was made as far easterly from 
Gorham village as where Merrill Mosher lately lived, which by the 
plan was the end of Gorham Street. And at a Proprietors' meeting, 
then held, it was "Voted, That Mr. William Pote, Jno. Phinney, and 
Daniel Mozier be chosen a Committee to Lay out a New Road through 
the woods from the end of Gorham Street, down to Saccarappa Mills, in 
the most Convenient Place. And twenty shiUings on each right, in 
addition to the twenty shillings on each right previously raised, be 
raised to be expended in Cutting and Clearing Roads." 

The same year a vote was passed " to raise sixpence on each 
share, to be paid to Daniel Mozier, provided he look out and spot a 
road direct to Black Point, in y^ most convenient way from our lots laid 
out that way." Up to October, 1749, it does not appear that a road 
had been made to the Scarborough line, for at that time, the following 
vote was passed at a Proprietors' meeting : " Voted, that thirty pounds, 
old tenor, be paid to any person or persons, that appear, and clear a 
passable road from Gorham Corner to Scarborough line." At this 
time all the travel, southerly, did not take the planned road, called 
King Street, for the reason that there was a better road in the old 
Mast and Logging-road which entered the village near where State 
St. now enters School St., thence turning southerly near where J. C. 
Summersides' house now stands, ran across the lots, through what is 
now Mrs. Tolford's pasture, over the lot of Sammel Carruthers, and 
the Higgins lot, to the lot owned by Hugh D. McLellan, through 
what is called the "Old Slough Road," over Woodchuck hill, past the 
spot where Simon Waterhouse formerly had a house, on to the 
Borough Mill, so called, on the brook, westerly of where William 
McLellan and Benjamin Waterhouse now live, then to the south 
part of the town to Bragdon's Mill, now owned by S. B. Knight. 

By a vote passed in 1753, it appears that the principal roads in 
town at that time were as follows : from Saccarappa to Gorham 



290 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Corner, on which they voted to expend ;{;6-i3-4; from Gorham to 
Narragansett, No. i (Buxton), as far as the thirty acre lots went (to 
the road by Samuel Cressey's), i;6-i3-4; from the Fort to the Mills, 
and as far as the town line, ^13-6-8; from Gorham Corner to the 
Scarborough line, i:6-i3-4. The remainder of the money raised 
was to be laid out on the cross roads as the committee might think 
best. 

At a Proprietors' meeting held July 26, 1762, it was "Voted, that 
Moses Pearson, Solomon Lombard, Esq., and Jacob Hamblen be a 
Committee to converse with the Committee of Marblehead (Windham) 
on the proposal of Building a Bridge over Presumpscott River at 
Horsebeef Falls, or else where it will be most convenient, and make 
a report next meeting." 

There was no planned road located from the hundred acre lot, 
where Wilder Libby now lives, before Dec. 31, 1764, only a track 
running northerly. 

It appears on record, that as early as the year 1804, efforts were 
made to shorten and improve the roads from Standish to Gorham. 
On or about that time petitions were presented to the Courts for a 
road from Capt. Shaw's, in Standish, to John Miller's, in Gorham, thus 
avoiding, if possible. Fort Hill, and the large sweep round by the 
Messrs. Johnson. 

To offset this, at a town meeting held at the schoolhouse at 
Gorham Corner, it was " Voted, that Lothrop Lewis, Esq., Decker 
Phinney and Col. Nathaniel Frost be a committee to survey the old 
road above Timothy Hamblen's, and look out a new road from said 
Hamblen's to the main road between Samuel Moody's and Capt. 
Davis's, and to ascertain the saving that may be made by such 
alteration, and the difference of saving between said road and the 
one petitioned for from Standish to John Miller's, to enable the 
agent more effectively to oppose the laying out the last-mentioned 
road." 

It appears that before April, 1805, the Court had located the 
Horse Meadow road, so called, from Timothy Hamblen's to the 
branch near Samuel Moody's, instead of the one petitioned for from 
Standish to Miller's, for at a town meeting held April 15, 1805, the 
town took measures to settle the damages awarded to land-owners, 
and to open and make the road, which is still known as the Horse 
Meadow road. 

Before the year 1820, all the travel to Standish and the back 
country had to pass over Fort Hill, which was " a hard road to 



BRANDYBROOK HILL. 291 

travel." A few years previous to this date the back country people 
got quite waked up on the subject that a new road must be had, but 
some wanted to keep down the old Standish road to the branch, so 
called, thence haul to the right, on such a course as would pass Lit- 
tle River half a mile west of the mills above Fort Hill, thence over 
Fort Hill, by the "apple-tree," (and this apple-tree was a noted 
point in town for several years,) thence by David Elder's to near 
Benjamin Mosher's, into the old Saccarappa road. Others thought 
a better and more direct route was by the way now travelled, by 
West Gorham. At last it came to a focus ; the Court granted a 
road ; a committee of three was appointed to examine the several 
routes, and locate the one they thought the best. The Fort Hill 
route was examined first. In the meantime, the people in the vil- 
lage, and at West Gorham, assembled at Brandybrook hill (then 
a hill without a name), with oxen, ploughs, shovels, and crow-bars, 
and soon made it look quite passable. A great amount of work was 
done in a short time. At last the day came for the examination. As 
may well be supposed all the village took an interest in the pro- 
ceedings. The chairman of the committee was Esq. B — of 

Portland, who acted as surveyor. As the crowd was about to start 
for West Gorham to meet the committee, some one, knowing the 
man, suggested that a drop of good brandy (this was in the days, be 
it remembered, when almost all took their nipper) might possibly 

have a good effect on the committee, particularly on Esq. B — 

especially as it was warm and fatiguing scrambling through bushes 
and over brooks. The hint was acted upon ; the writer of this 
article was commissioned to fill a quart flask with the best the store 
contained, and to carry it to the scene of action. At the brook 
a consultation was held by the elders to determine the best place of 
crossing. At the point fixed upon, the bottle was taken and depos- 
ited in the brook under the bank in a cool place. Then the company 
passed on, met the committee at West Gorham, and commenced the 

return march. And it so came to pass that when Esq. B — set 

his compass to make the necessar}' angle to pass up the hill, the 
course hit squarely the point where the brandy was deposited. At 
the brook a halt was made ; some to rest, some to take a drink of 

water, and some to view the country over. Esq. B was 

a stout man, and the perspiration ran from him profusely. Some one 
remarked to him in a jocose way, that a little brandy would fit his 
case. '• Nothing could be better," said he, "but where is the brandy 
coming from ? That's the question." An arm was run under the 



292 HISTORY OF GORMAM. 

bank, and the bottle produced, all red and smiling. There was 
rejoicing in the camp. The liquor was drunk and much admired ; 
and the boy that produced it was patted and praised. When about 

to start, Esq. B said "1 want the name of this brook, and 

Providence has provided it. 1 will call it Brandybrook," and so 
entered it in his minutes of the survey, and the hill Brandy-brook 
hill. The road was located by West Gorham, and over the spot 
where the bottle was found in Brandybrook. Whether the bottle of 
brandy had anything to do with the location, remains to this day a 
mystery. 

What is known as " the new road to Saccarappa " was also laid 
out and opened to travel at about this same time. 

In the house owned and occupied by the Rev. Josiah Thacher, and 
which is now owned by Lewis Johnson, may be seen some heart- 
shaped holes cut in the window shutters. These owe their origin to 
the following fact : Mr. Thacher was expecting a very important 
letter. The mail came up from Portland that week so that the car- 
rier passed through Gorham after dark ; it was a cold evening, and 
the Thachers had all the shutters closed to help them to keep warm ; 
the postman, seeing no light in the house, passed on up country with 
the letter, and Mr. Thacher was obliged to wait until he came back, 
a week later. To prevent this ever happening again, Mr. Thacher 
had the holes cut so that the light might shine out and warn the 
postman that he was at home. 

The first mail between Portland and Boston is said to have been 
carried by William Wescott, who during the Revolution was known 
to every man, woman and child on the road between Boston and 
Portland and over the entire region of the County of Cumberland, as 
" Post " Wescott. He was employed by Washington, during the 
war, in carrying dispatches, and in carrying letters to and from 
the soldiers in the army and their friends and families in New Hamp- 
shire and Maine. The writer of this has in his possession a letter 
written by his grandfather, while in the army at Cambridge, and 
brought home to Gorham by Post Wescott in 1775. 

Parson Smith in his Journal, under date of Apr. 6, 1785, says, 
" The post at last got here, having been hindered near 5 weeks." 
And in a footnote to the above, Mr. Willis adds, "This was an 
unusual occurrence. From June, 1775 to January, 1789, the mail was 
sent once a week from Boston ; but it was very irregular in its time 
of arrival ; it was brought sometimes by the postman on foot, but 
generally on horseback. From January to May, 1789, it was sent twice 



MAILS. 293 

a week; after May of that year it came three times a week. In those 
days of irregularity, a gentleman of Portland, having business in 
Boston, and tired of waiting for the mail to arrive, started on his 
journey. He met the mail carrier, Joseph Barnard, in Saco woods, 
and the gentleman expressing a great desire to have a letter which 
he had been expecting, the accomodating postman took off his saddle 
bags and deliberately opening the mail, delivered to his impatient 
enquirer the long expected communication. As late as 1790, a letter 
was sixteen days coming from Philadelphia, thirteen from New York, 
and three from Boston; they travelled about forty miles a day. 
Postage, in 1786, was charged by pennyweights and grains; two 
pennyweights to Portsmouth was twelve and a half cents, to Boston, 
a shilling, and to Baltimore, thirty-seven and a half cents." 

The mails were carried on horseback for many years. The first of 
the mails carried through Gorham in carriages, was on the White 
Mountain route, in an old two wheeled chaise or sulkey. The first 
mail stage or coach was also on this route. 

In the year 181 1, and for some time after that date, there were 
but two mails per week up, and two down, passing through Gorham. 
Both went down on Monday, and up Tuesday ; one up through 
Buxton, Limington, Alfred and the towns in York County; the other 
up through Standish, Baldwin and through the White Mountains. 

A stage route was early established through Gorham, Alfred, Dover, 
N. H., and on to Boston. 

A post ofifice was established in Gorham in 1797, and Samuel 
Prentiss was appointed postmaster in September of that same year. 
Samuel Whitmore, Jr. succeeded him in June, 1807 ; and he in turn 
was followed by Alexander McLellan, Esq., who was appointed 
Dec. 5, 1809, and held the office for nearly twenty-eight years. 

In 1820 there was a White Mountain, or Coos mail, coming down 
from Conway every Monday and returning the following Tuesday. 
Passing through the place on these same days, was also a York 
County mail, carried on horseback by "Master" Tucker. As these 
mails left Portland Tuesday morning, the Portland weekly papers — 
at that time the Portland Gazette, and the Eastern Argus — were 
printed Monday evening, to be in readiness for them. The rate on 
letters then was not uniform, as at present, but differed according to 
the distance to which the letter was to be sent. For Philadelphia, 
and all over three hundred miles, the postage was twenty-five cents. 
To New York, it was eighteen and three-quarter cents. For distances 
of thirty miles or less, it was six cents; for more than thirty and 
less than seventy-five miles, ten cents ; and for over seventy-five but 



'294 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

less than one hundred and fifty miles, nine pence (twelve and one- 
half cents). A single letter, provided it contained no enclosures, 
might weigh one-half ounce. It was of no use for people to try and 
evade these prices by enclosing a number of letters for the same 
destination but for different individuals, in the same packet. Each 
enclosed scrap of paper, even if a bank bill, was charged full rates. 
Owing to this, a great number of letters were sent by the hands of 
friends, or even strangers, who might chance to be going in the 
right direction. 

Mr. McLellan was succeeded, Apr. i8, 1837, by Isaac C. Irish; 
and he in turn has been followed by Stevens Smith, appointed Dec. 
8, 1841 ; James Irish, June 7, 1845 ; Joshua B. Phipps, July 20, 1849 ; 
Samuel W. Lord, June 20, 1853; John Farnham, Dec, 1857; 
Eben W. Nevens, June, 1861 ; Cornelius Waters, May 7, 1863 ; Anna 
G. Waters, Feb. 16, i88o~Feb. 25, 1882 ; Henry R. Millett, Mar. 6, 
1882 ; Theodore B. Edwards, 1885 ; Henry R. Millett, Apr. 14, 1889 ; 
Simon B. Guthrie, Apr. 3, 1893, and Edward Harding, 1897. 

This office at the Village was made a presidential office in 1896 
by President Cleveland. 

There are also post offices at West Gorham, White Rock and North 
Gorham. 

When a few years ago, rural deliveiy of mail was established in 
this State, Gorham was one of the first towns to profit by it. 

On Aug. 10, 1835, a meeting was held at Alfred, to consider the 
expediency of building a railroad from Portland, passing through 
Westbrook, Gorham, Buxton, Hollis, Waterborough, Sanford, No. 
Berwick and Berwick, in Maine ; Great Falls, Dover, Newmarket and 
Exeter, in New Hampshire ; to meet the Andover and Wilmington 
Railroad at Haverhill, in Massachusetts. The delegates from Gorham 
to this meeting were Capt. Toppan Robie, Joseph M. Gerrish and 
Gen. James Irish. Gen. Irish was chosen chairman of the meeting, 
and he was also chosen chairman of a committee, appointed to make 
a preliminar}^ examination of the ground, with a view to selecting 
the best route. 

This railroad was incorporated under the name of the Me., N. H. 
and Mass. Railroad Corporation, and a charter granted, by an Act 
of the Legislature, approved by Gov. Dunlap, March 30, 1836. In 
December of the same year, the town of Gorham chose Gen. Irish, 
Capt. Robie and Josiah Pierce, Esq. to petition the next Legislature 
to grant a part of the surplus revenue of the Government toward 
building this railroad. 



RAILROADS. 295 

Gorham village experienced quite a boom in real estate at this 
time, owing to the prospect of having a railroad built through it ; but 
time passed, and the road was not built. 

The York and Cumberland Railroad, which was planned to pass 
through most of the same towns, and connect at Salmon Falls, N. H., 
with the Boston and Maine Railroad, was incorporated in 1846. The 
company organized July 20, 1848, with Joshua Richardson of Port- 
land as president, and Toppan Robie of Gorham, treasurer. Work 
was begun on the road the same year. It was opened as far as 
Gorham about 1850; then to Saco River, and after that as far 
as Alfred. The first conductor on this road was Col. Humphrey 
Cousins, now of Gorham, who had charge of the first train that passed 
over it. The route of the road was changed, and Rochester, N. H., 
made the terminus. The name of the line was also changed from the 
York and Cumberland to that of the Portland and Rochester 
Railroad. On the first of January, 1900, this road passed into the 
hands of the Boston and Maine, and was incorporated into its 
system. 

The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, now known as the 
White Mountain division of the Maine Central Railroad, passes 
through the northeasterly part of the town. It has a station at the 
village of White Rock, and also one on the Windham side at Little 
Falls, known as South Windham. A Gorham man, Mr. Stephen 
Stephenson, was one of the engineers engaged in the construction of 
this road. On Sept. 12, 1870, the first train of cars passed over this 
road from Portland to Lake Sebago. 

The electric road, known as the Westbrook, Windham and Naples 
Road, and running from Saccarappa to Little Falls, was opened on 
the 17th of August, 1899. The electric road connecting with this 
road at " Mosher's," and running to Gorham village was built in the 
summer of 1901. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

SLAVES THE TOWN's POOR CHANGE OF BOUNDARY LINE OLD 

BELLS TOWN CLOCK THE RED STONE MONUMENT 

TOMATOES THE POUND FIRE ENGINES. 

Slavery existed in Massachusetts for many years; in 1754 there 
were four hundred and thirty-nine slaves in Essex County alone. 
Slavery in the State, however, was of a very modified form, the con- 
dition of the slaves dilTering little from that of ordinaiy servants or 
apprentices, excepting that it was a life service. Their masters were 
not allowed to beat or chastise them unmercifully ; their marriages 
were protected by law ; the children of a female slave were free, and 
many other privileges were granted them. 

The present Constitution of Massachusetts was established in 1780. 
The first article in the Declaration of Rights asserts that all men are 
born free and equal ; and this was generally supposed to have 
reference to' slaveiy, still it was a point on which all did not agree. 
In 1 78 1, however, at the Court in Worcester an indictment was 
found against a white man for assaulting, beating and imprisoning 
a black. His trial took place at the Supreme Court in 1783, and the 
defence was that the black man was a slave, and the beating, etc., 
was the necessary correction of the master. This defence did not 
avail, the white man was found guilty and fined, and this decision 
was the death-warrant for slaveiy in Massachusetts. 

A few slaves were owned in Gorham. John Phinney doubtless 
brought with him at least one slave. He certainly owned one 
shortly before he came to Gorham, as the following document will 
show : 

KNOW all Men by these Presents That I Cornelius Waldo of Bos- 
ton in the County of Suffolk in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay 
in New England Merchant for & in consideration of the Sum of One 
hundred & fifty pounds in Money to me in hand paid by John Phinney 
of Falmouth in the County of York & Province afores^. Innholder the 
Receipt whereof 1 hereby acknowledge, Have and by these Presents 
Uo fully & absolutly Give Grant, Bargain & Sell unto the said John 
Phinney his Heirs and assignes forever My Negro man Named Nedd 
aged Tiventy five years 



SLAVES. 297 

TO Have & to Hold the s^. Negro Man Nedd unto the s^. John Phinney 
his Heirs and assignes, To His & their only proper use, benefit and 
behoof forever with warranty against all and every person and Per- 
sons whomsoever 

In Witness Whereof I the said Cornelius Waldo have hereunto Set 
my Hand and Seale the Sixteenth Day of January anno Dom. One 
Thousand Seven hundred & Thirty two 1732/3 



CoRN^. Waldo 



Signed Sealed & Delivered 

in presence of us Received on the day of the date 

Stephen Minot Jun above of Mr. John Phinney the Sum 

Samuel Wentworth Ter^. of one hundred & fifty Pounds 

being the full consideration within 

Expressed 

p"" CoRN^ Waldo 

In 1772 there were a number of slaves in town, of whom Jacob 
Hamblen owned one, Hugh McLellan, one, and William McLellan, 
two. Mr. Hamblen in 1774 emancipated his "negro man servant 
named Ceasor," in consideration of his having "faithfully served him 
(the said Jacob), and in further consideration of Five Shillings " paid 
by the said Ceasor. The discharge was " signed and delivered " in 
presence of Austin Alden and Stephen Phinney, May 2, 1774, and 
recorded by Enoch Freeman, Oct. i8th, same year. William McLellan 
must have been a humane and considerate master, for he settled a 
slave named Prince and his wife Chloe, on a little farm of twenty- 
two acres, with a house free, and very kindly made provision for 
their support from the McLellan family, during their remaining 
years. During the Revolutionary war Prince served as a seaman on 
board the " Frigate Deane " on a cruise to the West Indies, under 
Capt. Nickson. He also served fourteen or fifteen months on board 
the same vessel (then called the " Frigate Hague "), under Com. 
Manley. He was at Martinique when peace was declared, and was 
honorably discharged at Boston in the fall of 1783. Prince was a 
Guinea negro, bought in Antigua, from a venture sent by Mrs. 
Rebecca McLellan, and brought home to her by Capt. Joseph 
McLellan of Portland, who married Maiy McLellan, her husband's 
sister. A load of shooks was necessaiy to complete the purchase, 
and Prince always boasted that the first work he did in this country 
was to drive the team to Portland with this load of shooks that were 
to be sent to the West Indies to pay the boot to purchase himself. 



298 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Prince was exceedingly strong and active, though by no means a large 
man. A stor)' is told that a wager was laid that he could not draw a 
very large and heavy pair of ox-cart wheels up a certain steep clay 
hill : Prince, a little doubtful as to his own ability in the case, went 
out in the night and easily drew them to the top. The next day, 
when the crowd assembled, the prints of his bare feet, with the tracks 
of the wheels, betrayed him, and the wager was declared off. Mr. 
McLellan bought a negress, Dinah, for a wife for Prince, and after 
her death another, Chloe, with whom he lived between sixty and sev- 
enty years. From the year 1818, he received a pension from the 
Government for his services performed duiing the Revolutionaiy war. 
He died July 19, 1829, aged 89, according to Pension Records. 

Limbo was an African slave ow-ned by Elder Hugh McLellan. He 
was sent to the Great Meadows to spend the winter of 1760, to help 
Benjamin Stevens take care of the Gorham cattle. He was quite an 
old man at the time of the commencement of the agitation of the 
proposition to liberate the slaves in Massachusetts. About this time 
the Gome-Outers and New Lights were in full blast in Gorham ; uni- 
versal freedom and universal liberty for ever}^ man to do just what he 
pleased, seemed to be the hobby of most of them. Limbo was veiy 
fond of going to their meetings. They attempted to persuade him to 
run away, but at first he was unwilling. One Sunday morning he was 
met in his little piece of corn, at some distance from the house, by 
some of his religions friends. This time they succeeded in drawing 
him away, and Limbo vanished. He probably went to Concord, N- 
H. No search was ever made for him, as Mr. McLellan considered 
him worthless. Li 1790 he was sold to Samuel Osgood of Fryeburg, 
by Moses Ames of Concord, N. H., for a yoke of oxen. He was a 
native of Africa, but was probably brought to Maine from the West 
Indies. He used to say that he was kidnapped on the coast of 
Africa, when out feeding the silkworms. He died Dec. 12, 1828, at 
the Oxford House, in the village of Fryeburg, and in the cemetery 
belonging to that village a tombstone has been raised to him. The 
Abolitionists ought to erect a monument to Limbo's memory, for he 
was probably the first slave ever sent over the underground railroad 
to freedom. He gained but a very short time, for soon after all the 
slaves in Massachusetts were liberated. 

Several of the Hugh McLellan slaves are buried on the east side of 
the road, nearly opposite the old McLellan brick house. 

Plato, who was a slave owned by Lieut. Gary McLellan of Gorham, 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. He, together with another 



SLAVES. 299 

slave, Cato Shattuck of Falmouth, was mustered into the service by 
Maj. Daniel Ilsley of Falmouth, July 27, 1777, as a member of Capt. 
Paul Ellis's company, Col. Bigelow's 15th Mass. 

After the abolishment of slaveiy in Massachusetts there were a 
number of colored men who made their home in Gorham, amongst 
whom were Cato, Thomas Francis, and Neptune Stephenson, the lat- 
ter of whom married in 1807 Maiy Pollard, and died Aug. 9, 1824, 
aged 44. His gravestone says "A pious man." 

Cato lived on the Capt. Sylvanus Davis place, where Jonathan S. 
Whitney now lives. Samuel Butts, who bought the place of Capt. 
Davis and who kept a tavern there, had on one of his sea voyao-es, 
found and brought home Cato, and when he came to Gorham he 
brought him here with him. Cato worked long and faithfully- for Mr. 
Butts on his farm and at coopering, in which business Mr. Butts was 
also engaged. Having one day been to Portland with a load of 
shooks, he started on his return home rather the worse for rum, 
of which article he was very fond. When just above Little " river, on 
the Fort Hill road, overcome by the liquor he fell from his team 
and the heavy wheels passed over his head and killed him. He was 
found that evening by Capt. Cyrus Hamblen who was on his way to 
a school meeting. The old negro was taken home, and the next day 
buried in Mr. Butts's field. 

Thomas Francis came to town about the time of the freeing of the 
slaves, and lived for a time in the family of Elder Hugh McLellan, 
and after his death in 1787 with Mr. McLellan's son-in-law James 
Warren who settled Francis on a piece of land. Francis was married 
by Rev. Caleb Jewett on Sept. 30, 1792, to Lucy Ludlow, a colored 
woman. 

In the early history of Gorham, and for many years, the entire care 
of the poor of the town was intrusted to the oversight of the Select- 
men. No specific sums of money were appropriated for their use, 
but the town would vote that the poor be assisted, or taken care of, 
as economically as possible. Later, it was cu.stomaiy for the Select- 
men to invite and receive bids for the support of the paupers ; letting 
them out to the lowest bidder, provided they considered him capable 
of properly caring for them. In many cases this was quite a profit- 
able operation, as the successful applicant, in addition to his money 
received from the town, would not fail to obtain a great deal of labor 
from his lodgers. As late as 181 1 the town's poor were let out at 
auction. At a town meeting held in May, 181 2, it was "Voted; 
That those persons that are now wholly supported by the town, be 



300 HISTORV OF GORHAM. 

let out now at the present time in town meeting to the lowest bidders." 
But before the meeting dissolved it was "Voted; To reconsider the 
vote passed this day referring to the letting out of the poor." And 
this we think was the last time the letting out at auction of the poor 
was acted on by (}orham. 

The purchase of a farm for the poor was agitated as early as 1807. 
Col. Lothrop Lewis, as a committee, reported favorably on the pur- 
chase of the Daniel Hamblen farm on South St. The price asked 
was six hundred and twenty-five dollars for five-sixths of the farm. 
Nothing definite, however, was done in this direction, until the town 
received from the Treasurer of the State its share of the surplus 
revenue of the United States (which amounted to a little over two 
dollars for each individual in the town), when it was decided to use 
this money for the purchase of a town farm. In May. 1836, it was 
" voted that Josiah Bacon have the poor for the year ; to give him 
eight hundred dollars, and to raise nine hundred dollars for the sup- 
port of the poor." At this same meeting Daniel C. Emery, Esq., 
George Strout and Wm. Cobb were chosen as a committee to look 
out a farm on which to locate the poor, and in September the same 
committee, with Wm. Thomes in place of D. C. Emeiy, were author- 
ized to purchase the farm of John Hamblen, Jr., on the Gray road, to 
be used for this purpose. This farm was bought and stocked and a 
man hired to take care of it. 

A large number of the voters of the town, however, preferred that 
the owners of property should be taxed a little heavier to support the 
poor, and that they themselves, who paid little or no tax beyond a 
poll tax, should pocket their share of the cash; so in August, 1837, 
Caleb Hodgdon, Esq., Wendall P. Smith and Jacob H. Clement were 
chosen by the town as a committee to sell the town farm, distribute 
the " surplus revenue " and purchase another farm. In September, it 
was voted to raise thirty-four hundred dollars to pay for this latter. 
The committee, Nov. 20 of the same year, reported that they had 
sold the town farm to John Hamblen, Jr., subject to the town's 
approval, and recommended that the town hire the Huston farm of 
Mrs. Huston, as it would become their property at her death by the 
will of her husband, Simon Huston, and as the rent asked would be 
less than the interest of the value of the Hamblen farm. This report 
was accepted, and it was voted that the overseers of the poor should 
be a committee to take a lease of the Huston farm in behalf of the 
town. This was done, and until the death of Mrs. Huston in 1865, 
the town hired the farm of her. 



CHANGE OF BOUNDARY LINP:. 301 

At the death of Mrs. Huston the town gave a note to itself, for the 
value of the farm, for the sum of three thousand eight hundred and 
nine dollars and seventy-five cents. This note constitutes what is 
known as the "Huston Pund," the semi-annual interest of which, at 
six per cent., is applied to aid worthy and deserving poor, according 
to the terms of Mr. Huston's will. The town provides its farm with 
tools and stock, and hires a Superintendent to cultivate it, and to 
take charge of those of its poor who are placed there. In 1874 this 
Huston farm more than supported the poor of the town. 

In December, 1829, a bill was introduced into the Legislature by 
Mark White and others petitioning that the town be divided and that 
a new town be formed from portions of Standish and Windham, to- 
gether with the northerly part of Gorham. It, however, failed to pass. 

In 1835 Winslow Hall and some others made an effort to have 
themselves set off to Windham, but the town of Gorham opposed it, 
and the idea was abandoned. 

The small, square piece of land, near the village of Great Falls, 
containing about twenty acres, was taken from Standish and set off 
to Gorham by Act of Legislature, approved Mar. 14, 1839. This 
was done for the accommodation of Daniel Fogg, 3d, whose land lay 
in both towns. 

By an Act of the Legislature, passed March 4, 1864, a part of the 
town of Scarboro was set off and annexed to Gorham. This was 
accomplished chiefly through the efforts of Charles W. Deering, Eli 
L. Waterhouse, and others. The old line between the towns cut 
through many of the farms, while the new boundaiy, running from 
the Buxton line to the Nonesuch river, ran along the border of 
a range of lots. This " Scarboro Strip," as it is called, contains 
eighteen hundred and thirty-seven acres, valued at about forty 
thousand dollars. 

The first bell hung in Gorham was on the old Academy. Tradition 
says that it was given by friends of the institution ; but who they 
were has not come down to us. There is no record showing that it 
was purchased by the trustees. It was voted to have a cupola on the 
Academy, in which to hang a bell ; and the first that we hear of 
the bell itself is that March 9, 1S07, it was voted that Mr. Samuel 
Elder hang the bell as soon as it arrives in town. And on May 13, 
following, it was voted to pay Mr. Samuel Elder's bill of $21.49 ^^^ 
hanging the bell, he having then accomplished this duty. After 
many years' use this old bell becoming broken, it was carried to 



302 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Boston and recast, or a new one procured, which is now on duty in 
the old Academy. 

The bell on the First Parish church was purchased partly by 
subscriptions gotten up by the citizens of the village, and partly 
paid for by the parish. Sept. ii, 1820, the parish leased two lots of 
land, on the southerly side of their lot, of twenty feet front each, to 
Capt. David Harding, and Mr. Nahum Chadbourn, for seven years, at 
fifteen dollars each per annum. As it was found that enough could 
not be raised by subscription, at a parish meeting held Apr. 3, 182 i, 
it was voted that the money arising from the leasing of the land to 
Harding and Chadbourn shall be appropriated to the purchase of a 
bell for the meeting house ; the debts of the parish to be paid first. 
Also, that the parish assessors be a committee to receive all money 
that may be appropriated for purchasing a bell, (as well that by 
subscription as that voted by the parish,) and put the same out at 
interest on good security. One year after this vote, viz. : Apr. 2, 1822, 
it was voted that the treasurer hire two hundred and fifty dollars to 
aid in purchasing a bell, if obtainable, by pledging the rents of 
Harding and Chadbourn as security for the loan and interest. It 
would appear that there was no trouble in procuring the money, for 
at this same meeting Capt. Toppan Robie was chosen a committee 
to procure the bell and see to the hanging of the same. We cannot 
say what day the bell arrived in town, but probably there was no 
delay, as everyone was anxious to have it hung before the installation 
of Rev. Mr. Pomeroy, which was to occur on the 12th of June fol- 
lowing. However, the bell arrived from Boston, and was quietly 
resting on the ground, on the south side of the belfry, on the 6th of 
June, with the shears all rigged out from the bell-deck all ready for 
hoisting ; when word was given out that it would be hoisted the next 
morning (June 7, 1822), and at the appointed time there was a general 
turnout. Whether the bell was blessed, or no, I cannot say, but am 
sure there were many speeches made over it. When all was ready 
(about ten o'clock, a. m.), the fall was passed through the snatch block, 
secured at the bottom of the belfry, and laid off some fifty feet on the 
ground. Word was given to take the warp, and walk off slow and 
steady. Every man, woman and child that could do so, got hold, and 
when the bell reached the bell-deck, the procession with the warp 
reached to Capt. Hunt's tavern (since R. G. Harding's store). After 
it was safely landed on the deck, the tackle and fall was changed to 
an eyebolt over the bell-frame and in a few minutes the bell was 
landed in place, and before twelve o'clock at noon was ringing 



OLD RED STONE MONUMENT. 303 

merrily, and continued so to do for two days. The weight of the bell 
is twelve hundred and twenty-eight pounds, and its cost was about 
five hundred dollars. June 17, 1832, consent was given "that the 
bell may be rung on week days." At a meeting of the parish held 
Apr. 6, 1824, it was voted to appropriate the sum of ninety-six dollars 
and ninety-six cents to settle the debt incurred by purchasing the 
bell. 

About the year 1868 the subject of having a Town Clock in the 
village was agitated, when the Hon. Toppan Robie came forward and 
proposed that he should purchase a clock to be placed on the 
Congregational church, provided the citizens of the village would 
alter and prepare the steeple over the bell for putting it up. Per- 
mission having been obtained from the parish, the alterations and 
repairs were done by subscription, at a cost of about five hundred 
dollars. Capt. Robie commissioned Mr. Simon E. McLellan to go to 
Boston and procure the clock, which was done March ig, 1868, at a 
cost of five hundred and fifty dollars. The clock was put in place 
and set going in April, 1868. It was made by the Howard Watch 
and Clock Company, Boston, Mass. 

An article was inserted in a warrant for a town meeting, to be 
holden in the schoolhouse at Gorham corner. May 6, 1805 : To see 
if the town would erect a suitable monument in some suitable part of 
the town, designating thereon the time when the said town was first 
settled, etc. 

The meeting was held as aforesaid, and it was " Voted, that a stone 
be provided agreeable to the said article in the warrant for the 
meeting, and that the Hon. Stephen Longfellow be a committee for 
that purpose ; that said stone be placed near the Corner, in such 
place as said committee may judge most proper." And fifty dollars 
was raised to defray the expenses of the said stone. 

After the monument was procured it was set by the northeast 
corner of Capt. Robie's store (now Dea. Ridlon's) ; from that place 
it was moved across the street to near the old Hatch store (since 
burned, situated about where Mr. Simon E. McLellan's garden spot 
is, south of his house). After a time it was moved back to its former 
location by Capt. Robie's store ; and from here it was moved to the 
corner of the Congregational church platform. In 1886, at the time 
of the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the 
settlement of the town, it was removed to its present location. 

The inscription on the monument is as follows : 



304 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

On the West Side. 
" Gorham is one of the seven townships granted by Gen. Court in 
the year 1732, to the Narragansett settlers. On a division of the 
property among the original grantees, this town was assigned to Capt. 
John Gorham and one hundred and nineteen others, and was then 
called Narragansett, No. 7." 

North Side. 
" Capt. John Phinney commenced the first settlement in this town 
May, 1736. This event celebrated May 26, 1836, May 26, 1886." 

South Side. 
" This town was incorporated by the name of Gorham, Oct. 30, 
1764." 

East Side. 

•' This monument was erected by direction and at the expense of 
this town, May 6, 1805. Placed upon its present base. May 26, 1886." 

Notwithstanding the ver)^' large amount of tomatoes now used in 
town, the day of the introduction of this vegetable is not very far 
back. And I will state the fact that probably the first, or nearly 
so, of the raising of tomatoes in Maine, was in Gorham. In the year 
1820, the family of the I^ev. Timothy Hilliard, then living on the 
Madam Tyng place, so called, in Gorham, raised a quantity of what 
were then called " Love Apples." Some of the family brought an 
old-fashioned champagne-basket full of them to the village for sale. 
No one knew what they were, or how they were to be eaten, whether 
raw or cooked. They were handsome, every one admitted, but none 
loved Xh.Qm. They were an entirely new article in the vegetable mar- 
ket for this region of the country. They were left at the store for 
sale. A few were purchased at a cent each, as curiosities for the 
children ; the remainder rotted and were thrown into the street. 
The seed, or plants, were sent to the Hilliard family, from the Botanic 
(hardens in Cambridge, by their uncle Mr. Peck, Professor of Botany 
in Harvard College, and were highly recommended as a vegetable 
not to be neglected by the healthy, wealthy or wase. But like many 
other good things, the people's taste had to be educated, before their 
good qualities were duly appreciated. 

Many of us remember the old Pound at Gorham village. Follow- 
ing is the vote on record in relation thereto. At a town meeting 
held in the schoolhouse at Gorham corner on the first day of April, 
1805: 

•' Voted, That a Stone Pound be built at the Corner, and that it be 
set on the South east corner of the Burying Ground, and that it 
be built thirty feet wide and thirty five feet long, and that the Sum 



FIRE ENGINES. 305 

of one hundred and fifty dollars be raised to defray the expense 
thereof. That the Selectmen be a Committee to let out and Super- 
intend the building of said pound." 

The pound was built of stone, and was about thirty feet square on 
the inside. The walls were two feet in thickness, and were six feet 
high. Around the top was run a timber, one foot square, sawed 
diagonally. A heavy barred gate, five feet in height, and four and 
one-half feet in width, was set in a stout frame. It was hung by 
making the joist, which formed one of the side pieces, longer than 
the gate itself, and rounded at the ends. Holes were then cut in the 
sill and cap-piece, into which these rounded ends fitted, thus making 
the hinge. Field-drivers drove into the pound whatever stray cattle 
they found, and the poundkeeper turned the key on them. The 
owner was obliged to pay a fine before he could recover his missing 
property ; the poundkeeper receiving so much a head for the cattle 
thus impounded. In 1840, the town voted to discontinue the pound 
at the village, and to dispose of the rocks. 

The first we find in Gorham in relation to fire engines was in 
18 1 2. It appears that a subscription was started for the purchase of 
an engine, and at a town meeting it was voted " to raise the sum 
of two hundred dollars, for the purpose of aiding these persons that 
have subscribed for the purchase of an engine, for the use of said 
subscribers, and the town." At a meeting held subsequently, and 
called expressly for that purpose, this vote was reconsidered. Public 
enthusiasm, however, ran high, and in spite of the withdrawal of the 
town's oft'er of aid, enough money was subscribed to purchase an 
engine. This was an ordinaiy wooden " tub," with hand brakes, 
which worked by being pushed forward and back. 'J'he hose, which 
was' about five or six feet in length, rose from the middle of the 
machine. After using this engine for many years, the citizens, about 
1848, held a meeting and decided to purchase a new engine. The 
Hon. James Mann was appointed to procure one ; but when bought 
rt did not prove satisfactoiy, being large and clumsy, and requiring 
the strength of some sixty men to manipulate it. On occount of this 
fact, another meeting of the citizens was held, and it was voted to 
dispose of this machine. Liberal subscriptions were then made, and 
the engine which has been in use until the introduction of the water 
system in our village was procured. This engine was a new one 
and has clone excellent service in its day. 

The old machine was taken out for a frolic by a party of youngsters, 
and destroyed by some irate Irishmen. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



FIRKS IN GORHAM. 



1745. About this time a small grist mill on Little River, above 
Fort Hill, was burned by the Indians. 

1745. At this time the Indians also burned the first little log 
meeting house of the settlers, situated near Fort Hill. 

1766, Oct. 25. Mr. Elisha Cobb's house was burned. This house 
was situated on the northern side of the Flaggy Meadow road, about 
one half-mile from the village. 

1774, Jan. 15. The house of Capt. Daniel F:idridge, situated 
westerly from where Col. C olman Harding recently lived, was burned. 
This fire was on one of the coldest nights of the winter. There 
were no neighbors within half a mile. The family, consisting of 
sixteen persons, were all in bed when the fire was discovered. The 
light was seen from Flaggy Meadow road, where some dozen or more 
men started for the scene. As there was no road broken through 
the woods, and the snow deep, they had to form in Indian file, and 
make their way as best they could. When they arrived, the house 
was entirely consumed. The family were found in the barn, some of 
them nearly naked, and frost-bitten, having saved scarcely an article 
of any kind. The rescuers immediately divested themselves of every 
article they could spare, divided them amongst the sufferers, wrapped 
up the children as well as they could, took on their backs all that 
could not well travel, and carried them through the woods to the 
house of Mr. Zephaniah Harding (where the late Mr. Chas. Whitney 
has since lived), where the sufferers were kindly cared for by their 
friends and neighbors. One of Mr. Eldridge's children, a boy about 
eight years of age, was burned up in the house. Capt. Eldridge often 
made ballads and songs, famous for singing at huskings and social 
gatherings about town. He made a very pathetic one in relation to 
the loss of his house, death of his son, and the sufferings of his 
family on this night. 

1780. About this time a two-story dwelling house being built by 
Dr. Jeremiah Barker, nearly opposite where the house of Mrs. Rufus 
Mosher now stands, was burned while the Doctor and the workmen 
were at dinner. Another house was immediately built around the 



FIRES IN GORHAM. 307 

Standing chimney : afterwards moved and called the David Elder 
house. It was hauled across the fields back of Mr. Coburn's build- 
ings to its present location. (See Dec. 21, 1889.) 

1798, June. Andrew Cobb's house, situated on the hundred acre 
lot 38, was burned on a Sunday in this month, while the men 
were at a Free Will Baptist Convention, and the women at home 
cooking dinner. 

1802. About this time the Fickett house situated on land lately 
owned by James Larrabee, nearly opposite the house on the farm of 
William M. Dyer, was burned. 

1805, Sept. 5. Mr. Joseph Cressey's two-story house, with barn 
and outbuildings, standing on Flaggy Meadow road where the late 
Samuel Cressey lived, together with a two-story store on the opposite 
corner, five buildings in all, were burned. 

1807, June. The dwelling house of Madam Elizabeth Tyng was 
burned on a Sabbath afternoon. It was a nice mansion, situated on 
the northerly side of the old road to Saccarappa. This house was 
built by Madam Ross, the widow of Alexander Ross, Esq., dur- 
ing the Revolution, or before the year 17S1. On the decease of 
Mrs. Ross, it went to her daughter, Madam Tyng and her husband 
Col. William Tyng. It stood on the spot where the present house on 
the old Tyng place now stands. When burned it w-as occupied by 
Mrs. Tyng and the family of the Rev. Timothy Hilliard, who married 
the niece of Madam Tyng. 

1808, April. Samuel Elder's two-story dwelling house, situated on 
the southerly side of the old road to Portland, three-fourths of a mile 
from the village, was burned. 

1808, June. The house and buildings of Thomas Bangs, situated 
on lot 88, on Queen street, were burned on a Sunday morning. This 
was about the time Mr. Bangs's wife and some of his family had 
joined the Shakers. It was intimated to him that this was a judgment 
sent upon him for his obstinacy, and opposition to the brethren. 
He soon after joined the Family, and carried with him a large property, 
and moved with them to Poland where he died. 

181 2. Samuel McLellan lost by fire his joiner's shop, situated 
back of his dwelling house. 

1813, Aug. 29. Willard Buttrick's fulling and clothing mill, 
situated on Blenham's falls. Little River, above Fort Hill, some 
twenty rods below the bridge, burned. 

1820 or 182 1. David Mains's house and barn at Great Falls were 
burned ; situated where the schoolhouse now stands. 



308 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

1825, June 3. Dr. Dudley P'olsom's nice dwelling house, stable 
and outbuildings, on South St. at Gorham village, where the house of 
Mrs. Tolford now stands, were all burned on the night of the 3d. It 
was supposed to have been fired by their negro girl, in revenge for 
some fancied injury. The present house was mostly built for the 
Doctor by his friends and neighbors. It was framed and raised by a 
grand turn-out of the citizens of the town on the 4th of July, 1825, 
when a handsome and substantial collation was furnished, and served 
by the young ladies of the village. 

1826, Feb. 21. William Ashley's barn was burned by carelessness, 
while " smoking " a sick horse. 

1827, About this time Mrs. Martha Nason, widow of Samuel, 
who was the son of Uriah Nason, the first, had her house and barn 
burned. 

1834. Schoolhouse in District No. 9, White Rock, which stood 
on the corner where the last house stood, was burned ; also the school- 
house at Horse Beef, which stood where Perry Stevens' house now 
(1875) stands. 

1834. On the same night that the schoolhouses were burned, the 
barn of Mr. B. R. Sturgis, on the Elkanah Harding farm ; the barn 
of Everett Wescott, and the barn of Isaac Richardson, at Winship's 
corner, were burned. 

1836, Dec. David McLellan's house on the cross-road by Water- 
house's. This house was built by Mr. William McLellan in 1782. 

1840. Peter Whitney's mills on Little River, above Fort Hill, 
burned. 

1 84 1, April 20. Jeremiah Lord's house, store and barn w^ere 
burned at the south part of the town. 

1841, Nov. 29. William Cotton's house and buildings, standing 
on his farm above West Gorham, where he lived, were burned. 

1842. Daniel Broad's shop was burned. It stood at the junction 
of the old and new roads to Portland. 

1842, Sept. 9. Silas Libby, in the south part of the town, had two 
barns destroyed by lightning. 

1843. Solomon Libby's buildings w'ere burned; situated on 
Horse Meadow road, so called, near where the late Reuben Bangs 
lived. 

1843. Samuel R. Clement had a barn burned at West Gorham. 

1844, June 26. Robert Lowrey's house and carpet factory were 
burned at Gorham village. 

1844, Oct. 1 1. John Watson's store at West Gorham was burned. 



FIRES IN GORHAM. 309 

1845. Simon Elder's workshop, on the old Portland road, oppo- 
site his house, was burned. 

1845, May 2. Old Longfellow store, so called, on the corner of 
South and Main Sts., was burned. It was occupied below as a store 
by Mr. Jones ; above by the Farmers' and Mechanics' Fire Insurance 
office ; Dr. S. W. Baker, secretary. This building was built by Mr. 
Daniel Cressey for a store about the year 1795. It stood on the 
spot where the brick store owned by F. H. Emery now stands. 

1845 (}), June 6. Capt. Jo.shua Swett's house and buildings, at 
Little Falls. 

1845, June- Col. William B. Freeman's grist and saw mill on 
Little River, above Fort Hill. 

1846, Aug. 15. Dea. Nahum Chadbourn's building, situated on 
the Parish lot, near the Congregational meeting house, occupied 
below as a harness-maker's shop, and above as lawyers' offices, was 
burned ; also the David Harding store, occupied by Russell Linnell 
as a store ; the old Hatch store, built by Capt. Ebenezer Hatch about 
1810, and occupied by Mrs. Bangs as a fancy goods store ; the Eben 
Preble store, owned by Charles Hunt, Esq., and unoccupied ; Stevens 
Smith's jeweller's and watchmaker's shop. Mr. Joseph Hunt's hatter's 
shop was burned at the same time with the foregoing five buildings. 
Here many old-fashioned and fantastically shaped hats came to light, 
and not a bareheaded boy could be found in the village for many a 
day after this fire. 

1847, Sept. 3. Aaron Clark's house on Fort Hill was burned. 
Known as the James Phinney house. It stood where Samuel 
Roberts lately lived. 

1848, April 26. Joseph Cressey's two-story house, on the road to 
Standish, was burned. 

1848, Dec. 12. Israel Harmon had a building burned in the north 
part of the town. 

1850. Thomas Phinney's barn at the village was burned. Occu- 
pied by Charles C. Bangs. 

1850, Dec. The Congregational Church took fire, and was some- 
what damaged. It came near being a serious fire. 

1 85 1, Nov. Arthur M. Drown's shop at West Gorham was burned. 

1853. Henry Broad's barn was burned this spring, on the old 
Parson Jewett place. Lost a horse, two cows, hog, carriage and 
farming tools. 

1854, June 13. Berry's shoe-shop at White Rock. Capt. John 
Sturgis was badly burned at this fire, and died in about twelve hours 



810 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

in consequence. His son was also very badly burned at the same 
time. 

1854, July I. William Cotton's buildings were damaged by fire. 

1856, Nov. The Cotton Factory at Little Falls. This factory was 
built by the Cumberland Manufacturing Company in 1824: after- 
wards owned by the Casco Company. 

1857, Aug. 12. Schoolhouse in Dist. No. 4 ("Fogg District") 
was burned ; also schoolhouse in District No. 5, West Gorham, 
the same night. 

Mr. Prescott's dwelling house at North Gorham, near Esq. Hodg- 
don's, was burned. 

Schoolhouse in District No. 15, near where Isaiah Nason lives, 
was burned. 

1858, May II. William P. Sturgis lost a blacksmith's shop by 
fire at West Gorham. 

1859, ^^^- 9- Old Yellow Shop, so called, owned by Mrs. Mary 
J. Lewis and others, on the northerly corner of Main and School Sts., 
Gorham village. This store was built by Mr. Samuel Prentiss about 
the year 1784, and occupied by him for many years. After he left 
it, it had many occupants, and was used for various purposes. 
Becoming badly dilapidated, it finally went up. Many a jolly shine 
has been cut up in this old building, eyes blacked and noses fiattened, 
in days when it was thought no sin to drink rum, and fun to get 
drunk on flip, toddy and punch. 

I do not think our old citizens took much time to study into the 
right or wrong of a case when they went into a muss. Sometime 
before the War of 18 12, one of our national vessels came into Port- 
land, where several of her crew deserted, and found their way into 
the " old yellow shop," where an officer and four men, sent from the 
ship in pursuit, found them drinking with a crowd of citizens, who 
were listening to their recital of their wrongs and injuries. The 
officer and his men were invited to drink, which they did. When 
this was over, the officer told his business, and ordered the deserters 
to return with him, which they refused to do ; the crowd sympathiz- 
ing with the deserters. A general arming took place from a pile of 
hogshead staves at the door, and a free fight came off. If heads 
were not broken, it was no fault of the heads. It was said that 
some blood ran. The officer fired his pistol into the crowd, but no 
one was hit. He was immediately knocked down and disarmed, and 
his men surrendered. After the victory the victors did not know 
exactly what to do with the prisoners. They were, however, liberated 



FIRES IN GORHAM. 311 

on condition that they would make tracks for Portland as fast as 
boots would let them. And the deserters were hurried off the other 
way, amidst the shouts of the conquerors and of all the boys in the 
village. No one ever knew what the officer reported on his return 
to his ship. 

1859, May II. Augustus J. Stackpole had a loss by tire. 

1859, July 12, and Dec. 3. Gorham Female Seminary damaged 
by fire. 

1859, July 31. Daniel Davis had a store burned at the north part 
of the town. 

1859. John F. Smith's shoe shop at Little Falls was burned about 
this time. 

i860, Mar. 12. Charles H. Sykes's shop was burned, situated on 
the ground where the Methodist Church now stands. Occupied by 
the Misses Lowrey, milliners. 

i860, Nov. 9. Jacob C. Baker's barn, at the entrance of the Gray 
road, was burned. 

1 860. Samuel R. Clement's old mill house, near Stephenson's 
bridge, burned about this time. 

1 86 1. Mar. 31. William Johnson's barn, on the old Jacob Ham- 
blen place. 

186 1, April 23. Mrs. Mary Tyler's barn, on the place now owned 
by Willis I. Bickford, was burned. 

1 86 1, Dec. 7. Charles B. Cotton's store, near the Standish line. 
North Gorham, was burned. 

1864, Jan, The Free Baptist meeting house, at Little Falls, was 
burned. 

1864, Feb. 20. Ichabod W. Leighton's store burned at Little Falls. 

1864, June 4. Mrs. Lucy Emery's house and buildings burned. 
Formerly owned by Oliver Hanson, near Standish. 

Barnabas Cannell's house and barn burned at Great Falls. 

1865, Jan. 2. Alfred Libby's buildings at Great Falls. 

1865, Jan. 15. Col. James Larrabee's house and barn burned. 
This was on the strip taken from Scarborough. 

1865, Feb. 28. A. A. Waterhouse, and others, partial loss by fire, 
at Little Falls. 

1865, Aug. Charles H. Cressey : the Mann barn, on southerly 
side of road, burned about this time. 

1 866, Nov. Harris Barnes's barn burned, on the old McDougall farm. 
1869, July 5. Stephen Anderson's house, barn and workshop 

were burned at Great Falls. 



312 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

1869, Nov. Stephen Hinkley & Co.'s tannery buildings, at 
Gorham village, caught fire near the engine house on Nov. 12, 1869, 
but by great exertion a total conflagration of the establishment was 
prevented. On the 14th day of the same month and year, the prin- 
cipal building again took fire, at about half past eight in the evening, 
when the establishment was totally consumed, excepting the office, 
which with the Hinkley dwelling house and stable, was saved only 
with great difficulty. Loss about thirty thousand dollars. Insured 
for about twenty-one thousand dollars. This was the largest fire 
ever known in town, notwithstanding that a large amount of property 
was saved in hides, bark and unfinished leather. 

1870, Jan. 21. Gorham Fruit Preserving Company's iron build- 
ing was burned at Gorham village. 

1870, Feb. 4. Rev. Charles Cressey's house and barn, on the 
Mann farm, so called. 

1871, May 15. Gorham corn-packing house was totally consumed. 
This building was originally Irish's tannery, then the carpet factory, 
and finally a corn- packing factory. 

187 1, May 18. Henry B. Johnson's brick hotel was burned. 
This house was built by Maj. Farnham in 1805, and recently owned 
and occupied by Gen. James Irish. The fire communicated to 
several neighboring houses, but little damage was done to them. 
Thaddeus P. Irish's new house now stands on the spot at (iorham 
village. 

187 I, Aug. 13. Col. William B. Freeman's house, barn and out- 
buildings, on his farm above Fort Hill, were burned. 

1871, Oct. 18. Charles Osborne's house was burned; it stood 
where his new house now stands. It was formerly the William Paine 
house. The family were at dinner ; the fire made such rapid progress 
that nothing was saved. 

1871, Dec. Goff & Plummer's dry-house, a little above Great 
Falls. The loss was five thousand dollars. 

1872, Mar. 26. John Lindsay's shop at Great Falls. 

1872, Nov. 8. Edward P. Weston's barn was burned, on the John 
Harding farm, so called, at Gorham village. 

1873, July 4. White's Mills, so called; chair factory, boarding 
house; including grist and saw mill, with the Great Falls bridge. 
Most of this property was in Windham. 

1873, Sept. 21. John Lindsay's store burned at Great Falls. 
Occupied by Jeremiah Parker, Esq., as a clothing-shop. 

George U. Beck's store at depot, White Rock Station. 



FIRES IN GORHAM. 313 

1874, Mar. 23. John Lindsay's two-story store at Great Falls. 
Store stood near the end of the Canal bridge, and was occupied by 
Chamberlain & Seeley as a store. 

1874, July II. Clinton D. W. Shaw's house and barn burned, 
near Great Falls. 

1874, Sept. 8. Enoch Mayberry's house at Great Falls. 
Joseph Plumnier's store, at the north part of the town, near 

the house of Caleb Hodgdon, Esq. 

1875, Jan. 9. Col. Frederick Robie lost a row of tenement houses, 
standing on the northerly side of the old burying ground at Gorham 
village, occupied by Mr. Flaherty, Mr. Whitmore and Mrs. Cochran. 
These buildings were old settlers, and have a history. The first 
building was probably built by Capt. Cary McLellan, on the easterly 
side of the road, and used by him and others as a store, soon after 
the Revolution. The second was originally a potash house, built on 
the Bryant Morton lot, — more recently known as the Longfellow 
lot— and was afterwards used as a pottery for the manufacturing of 
brown earthern ware, such as cups and saucers, pots, milk-pans, 
bowls and pitchers. After the close of the Revolution imported 
ware was scarce and high, and people were compelled to use coarse 
articles. The writer can remember when brown earthern table-ware, 
such as cups and saucers, bowls, pitchers and plates were in use, 
and an article of sale in the stores. The other building was, as long 
ago as the year 1808, an old cooper shop, standing on the easterly 
side of the road, in front of the (now) new schoolhouse. The first 
two of these buildings were moved across the road, placed near the 
burying ground, facing the street, and used by Mr. David McLellan 
as a soap factory, in the days when brown bar soap was quite an 
article of manufacture in Gorham, at which time there were three of 
these factories in the village doing a good business. The old store 
was used for a drying house, and the other for a boiling house. In 
this there were two large kettles, set with big wooden curbs, that 
would hold several hogsheads of soap. Wh^n the property came 
into the hands of Capt. Robie, these buildings were moved back, and 
faced to the north, on to the line of the burying yard. The old 
cooper shop was taken across the street, and joined on to the west- 
erly end of the row, and all converted into tenement houses. 

These buildings, at this time, stood on a court that ran from 
South St., westerly. State St. was not then open. The old 
hay scales were moved into this court, and there w^as a large barn 
standing beyond the burying yard, where Mr. Winship's blacksmith 



314 



HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 



shop now stands. The hay scales were built by Isaac Gilkey, and at 
that time, and for many years afterwards, stood in the street, opposite 
the new school house, reaching nearly half way across the street. 
These scales w^ere a curiously constructed machine. I cannot liken 
them to anything now about, but will describe them as nearly as I 
can. Their general appearance was that of a sort of open shed, 
under which the loads to be weighed were driven. From the under 
side of the roof was suspended a horizontal bar, the principle of 
whose working was precisely that of a pair of old-fashioned steel- 
yards. From the short end of the lever hung two chains, one of 
which was attached to each of the clumsy wooden hubs of the 
great wheels. (It must be borne in mind that the ox-carts then in 




0\k WckH "itaXts 

use, were all of the old-fashioned two-wheeled variety.) Heavy weights 
were then placed in the scale-pan, which was suspended from the 
long arm of the bar: in this way the load was weighed; the cart 
when balanced being lifted bodily clear of the ground. 

House of Capt. Stanwood, on Flaggy Meadow road. This 

house, at one time occupied by James Paine, stood opposite that of 
the late Samuel Cressey, and was built by David Patrick. 

1877. Schoolhouse burned at Great Falls. 

1878, April. The tar house of the Oriental Powder Company. 
Loss five hundred dollars. 

1878 or '79. About this time the house on the old Jedediah Cobb 
place in the Quaker neighborhood was burned. It was where Charles 
Horton had lately lived, but at this time was unoccupied. 

1883, Sept. 9. The two story house, known as the Webster house, 
situated nearly opposite the Congregational church, was burned. 
This house was one of a number built by the late Alexander 



FIRES IN GORHAM. 315 

McLellan, Esq., as tenement houses for the use of the coopers 
employed by him in his West India trade. 

1884, Feb. Stave mill of Goff & Plummer; above Great Falls. 

1885, Nov. Large barn on the Haggett heirs' estate; loss seven 
hundred dollars ; fire was caused by children playing with matches. 

1885 or '86. House of Asa Libby, situated in Whitney neighbor- 
hood, near William Files's, was burned. 

1886, Jan. House of Freeman Fairbanks. This was the old 
Lieut. Ebenezer Murch place, on Flaggy Meadow road. 

1886, Jan. or Feb. House of Uriah S. Nason at White Rock was 
burned. Fire was caused by a defective chimney. 

1888, Aug. 2. The old Alden house, on the Standish road, was 
burned. This house was built by Dea. Austin Alden, and was 
raised Dec. 11, 1764. 

1889, Dec. 21, or 22. The David Elder house, so called, was 
burned. This was the house built by Dr. Jeremiah Barker, and spoken 
of in this chapter under date of 1780. 

1892, Feb. 5. On the night of the 5th and 6th of February fire 
destroyed at Gorham village the building occupied by Frank H. 
Emery as a store. This building was known as the Emery and 
Jameson block, and stood on the spot where the old Longfellow 
store \vas burned in May, 1845. It was occupied in part as a 
dwelling by Stephen P. Libby. There was also burned at the same 
time a tenement house, facing on South St., owned by Dr. Alden T. 
Keen, and the grocery store of Cyrus Abbott. 

1894, Aug. 26. The house of William P. Sturgis at West Gorham 
was burned. It was occupied at the time by Harris Moody. Loss 
two thousand dollars. 

1894, Oct. I. Normal School dormitory building, owned by the 
State, better known as Gorham Seminary, was burned. The building 
was four stories high, and was occupied by about eighty students. 
As the fire occurred in the day time, the occupants, except those who 
roomed on the fourth floor, were able to save nearly everything. The 
total loss was in the neighborhood of five thousand dollars. 

1894, Dec. 25. The two-story house at the village, on State St., 
occupied by Silas Rounds. 

1895, Aug. About this time the Ansel Stone and the Richard 
Willis places, situated in what is known as the "Quaker neighbor- 
hood," were burned. The Stone place was where James Bangs 
formerly lived, while Elder Joseph Gates resided on the farm after- 
wards owned by his grandson, Richard Willis. 



316 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

1895, Sept. 26. The farm buildings of W. H. Parker, near Grove- 
ville. The fire was caused by lightning. 

1897, Aug. Dwelling house burned on the Gray road ; standing 
near Little River. It was owned by Theodore Sayward. and was 
occupied at the time by a Mayberry family. 

1897, Dec. The store of H. G. Parker, at Great Falls, was 
burned, together with the post office, and the residence of Carlyle W. 
Shaw. All the mail was burned. 

1900. Barn of Mrs. Henry L. Carll, at West Gorham, was burned 
in the spring of this year. 

1900, Aug. 20. Schoolhouse in Fogg district was burned during 
the night. 

1900, Oct. 24. House of Mrs. Henry L. Carll, at West Gorham. 
This was the old Ithiel Blake place. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

TAVERNS TEMPERANCE LIBRARIES. 

The earliest settlers of Gorham were as a rule a hospitable set of 
people, ready to share their beds and their food with the wayfarer 
and the stranger, when occasion brought such to their doors. It was 
only with the opening of the roads, and the easier chance thus offered 
for travellers to pass to and through the town, that Gorham began to 
feel the need of some public place of entertainment for man and 
beast. The first person to meet and relieve this want was Mr. Jacob 
Hamblen. In 1757 he opened in his dwelling house, which stood at 
the head of Main St., on the spot lately occupied by R. G. Harding's 
store, a "house of entertainment," as it was called, which he kept 
until his death in 1774. 

He was succeeded in this business by Jonathan Elwell, who came 
to Gorham in 1775, and during the following year opened a tavern 
in the Mosher neighborhood. In the year 1778 he moved to the 
village and took the old Hamblen tavern, which he kept for a short 
time. We find meetings of the Proprietors notified to meet at his 
public house in Gorham. A part of this old Hamblen tavern was 
afterwards moved, and with some additions, used by Maj. Simeon 
Farnham as a dwelling house. In 1805, when he built the brick 
house, recently known as the "'Gorham House," he moved the old 
house farther down the street, and for many years it stood in what is 
now the Misses Hinkley's flower garden, just west of the tannery. 
It was torn down some years since. 

In 1779 Gary McLellan exchanged his farm, the hundred acre lot 
No. I, situated on South St., with Daniel Hamblen for his farm at 
Gorham corner (formerly his father's). He then built, on the site of 
the old Jacob Hamblen house, a tavern, into which he worked the 
Daniel Hamblen house. This building is the Harding store. Here 
Mr. McLellan kept tavern until 1805. We have recollections of this 
hotel as having been occupied by Capt. Daniel Hunt, who died in 
1833, and later by Mr. Jonathan Tukesbury, and Col. Colman 
Harding. 

From the old Court of Session Records we find that Capt. Bryant 
Morton was licensed as an Inn-holder in 1764, as were also Samuel 



318 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Whitmore in 1771, Ebenezer Hall in 1774. Jonathan Elwell in 1776, 
and Caleb Chase Feb. 13, 1777. In 1762 Bryant Morton and 
Wentworth Stuart, in 1765 Stephen Phinney, in 1767 Benjamin Frost 
and Joel Whitney, in 1769 Caleb Chase, in 1772 William Gorham, 
and in 1774 Cary McLellan, Alexander McLellan and James Warren 
were licensed as " Retailers of Tea, Coffee and Liquors." 

Samuel Prentiss opened a public house here in 1786. His house 
stood on what is still known as the Prentiss lot, close to the spot 
where Simon B. Guthrie's store now stands. About 1805 there were 
several public houses in town. Samuel Staples kept a public house 
at the village, in his dwelling which still stands on the west corner of 
Main and Elm Sts. James Phinney, Jr., who lived about a mile 
below the village on the old road to Saccarappa, on the farm now 
owned by Geo. Alden, kept a hotel in the old house which stands 
in the corner of the roads. This hotel was long a famous resort for 
fashionable parties from the village. The best society in the place 
would gather there for a fine supper and a good dance. In the north 
part of the town Samuel Butts kept a tavern in his house, which is 
the place, not far from the North Meeting house, where Jonathan S. 
Whitney now lives. Allen Davis also kept a tavern in his house on 
the Flaggy Meadow road, now owned and occupied by his grandson, 
Frederic D. Scamman. Josiah Shaw bought of Samuel Prentiss in 
1797 a lot of land on Main St. in the village, and on this land built 
the house now occupied by Prof. Lucian Hunt. Here he kept a 
tavern, noted far and near for its good cheer. The old Judge 
Thacher mansion was purchased by Alexander McLellan, Esq., who 
added the ell (lately removed), fitted the house up and let it for a 
hotel. Thomas A. Barker kept a public house here, and was fol- 
lowed by Capt. William Stephenson, Mr. Bragdon, Mr. Drake, Mr. 
Lowell and Joseph Estes. 

Jacob H. Clement and Reuben Lowell kept large taverns at West 
Gorham, designed with their immense stables especially to accommo- 
date the teaming travel to Portland, which came down through the 
White Mountain Notch. 

William A. Rice came from Portland and settled at Great l''alls 
about the year 1833, when he opened a public house there. 

Col. James March came to Gorham from Scarborough about 1806, 
and kept a hotel, called the " Bell Tavern," at Gorham village, in the 
brick house built by Maj. Simeon Farnham. This house, after 
having been used as a private dwelling for some years, was again 
converted into a hotel, which was kept by various parties, among 



TEMPERANCE. 319 

them, Eli and Jesse Annis (Eli died there in 1852), Augustus John- 
son, who came from Cornish in 1854 and bought the place, then 
called the '• Narragansett House," Mr. Dow, and Henry B. Johnson, 
the latter of whom was running the house at the time it was burned 
in 1871. 

Mrs. Harmon has more recently kept a hotel at her house on 
Main St. Willis I. Bickford now keeps, in the Capt. Winslow house, 
a hotel called the " Ciystal Spring House." Mrs. Jose keeps a pub- 
lic house at the village in the house which was formerly Samuel 
Staples's tavern. 

In the town of Gorham the cause of temperance seems by our 
records to have had quite an early consideration, for at a town meet- 
ing, held April 7, 1806, it was " Voted, That whereas the practice of 
selling ardent spirits in retail shops in small quantities to be drank 
in said shops is pernicious and injurious to the interests and morals 
of the citizens at large and ought to be guarded against, and sup- 
pressed, therefore, Voted as the sense of this town, in public town 
meeting expressed, the standing laws respecting retailers are good 
and wholesome, and ought to be strictly observed by all the retailers 
of ardent spirits in this town." Still we were like other towns in 
those days much engaged in business of which lumber formed the 
principal part. For this article the West Indies was the chief mar- 
ket, and the returns came home generally invested in ardent spirits, 
and everybody supposed that it must be used, so about everybody 
drank, and nearly all thought that it was all right. 

The first Temperance Society that was in operation here was what 
at the time was known as the " Sixty Nine Society," so named from 
the fact of its having sixty-nine members. This was about the year 
18 1 5, but the mass of the people did not receive it with much favor. 
All the traders were forbidden by the agents of this society to sell 
liquor to be drank within the premises. This was carried out for a 
short time, but was evaded by purchasing it in one store, and drink- 
ing it in another, or by withdrawing to the platform in front of the 
building, which was furnished with a hogshead standing on its head 
for an extempore table, on which was a pail of water, tumblers and 
sugar. Small pocket-flasks were much in use in those days. The 
seller would not have the liquor drank on his premises, but would 
put it into a flask, and give notice that across the street all the 
appliances for concocting a mixture could be found. This did not 
stop the drinking, but made the thing so ridiculous that the whole 
affair soon blew over, and people who wished were allowed to take 



320 HISTORY OF gokha:\i. 

their drinks under cover. Rev. Asa Rand, Dr. Barker, Col. Lewis, 
Mr. Alden and Dea. Cross were the principal movers in this society. 
The formers were ahead of the times ; the society was never popular, 
and died purely from dissolution. 

It was the fashion, and probably the law, that the selectmen 
should once in a year, and oftener if necessary, read to the retailers, 
and post up in their stores, a list of persons by them deemed to be 
drunkards, forbidding all persons selling those named any intoxicating 
liquors, under the pains and penalties of the law. Usually, soon 
after the March meeting, the selectmen would be seen with notices 
in hand marching about the village, and going into the stores, where 
they would call the owner before them, and in a solemn manner read 
the notice to him, post it up conspicuously, and walk out. And by 
the time their last foot had left the door, the notice was stowed away 
in some snug place, not to appear till wanted. Many persons were 
thus posted who never knew the fact. But the law had been com- 
plied with. 

Another attempt at reform was made in 1822, when a society, 
known as the "Total Abstinence Society," was formed. The princi- 
pal movers in this were Rev. James Lewis and James Smith, Esq. 
This society accomplished some good, but soon died. Among other 
temperance organizations which have existed in Gorham have been 
the " Rechabites," and the " Reform Club." 

At a town meeting held in March, 1839, the town voted to accept 
the following resolves, which were presented by Edmund Mann, 
Esq. : 

"Whereas it has been the practice of certain individuals to post 
themselves at or near our Public Meetings for the purpose of selling 
intoxicating liquors, the effect of the use of which is wrangling, 
disorder, confusion and indecency at said meeting. Therefore 
resolved that our Moderator, Selectmen and Constables be instructed 
to use their authority to the extent of their jurisdiction to protect us 
in the exercise of our rights, from the loathsome and demoralizing 
effects of tippling establishments, by preventing their locating at or 
near the place where we meet. And whereas the Statute provides 
that the Selectmen may grant license to as many as they think neces- 
sary, to retail spirituous liquors ; 

"Therefore Resolved that we respectfully request said otificers to 
review the scenes frequently exhibited in our bar-rooms and grog 
shops, and that they regard the feelings of wives and children whose 
bread is there taken from them, and then decide how many such 
establishments shall have their sanction; sum up the advantages and 
disadvantages and be guided by the result." 




IJANA ESTKS. 



LIBRARIES. 321 

In 1845 the town voted that the selectmen, clerk and treasurer, 
be directed not to grant license to retail spirituous liquors in any case 
otherwise than for medical and mechanical purposes. The select- 
men were also directed to prosecute all persons who might sell in 
town without a license. 

In 18 14 a village library was kept in Mr. Nathaniel Gould's house. 
Mr. Gould was a saddler and harness-maker. His son Edward, who 
had some care of the books, says that his father's shop was a resort 
for many of the Revolutionary soldiers and others, who would take 
the books into the shop, where the old soldiers would compare the 
Revolutionary history with their views and memories. 

The Attic Fraternity at Gorham Academy, a society modelled on 
the Peucinian and Athenean societies of Bowdoin College, possessed 
a library about the year 18 18. 

In January, 1834, a Social and Circulating Library was established, 
the shares in which were one dollar per year. Daniel C. Emery was 
chosen president, and Eben Preble, secretary. This library was at 
first kept in the wooden building, which stood where F. H. Emery's 
store now stands, and which was destroyed by fire in 1845. ^^'• 
Preble at this time kept store in this building, and as he was libra- 
rian, the having of the books here made it very convenient for him. 
The library was afterwards kept in Dea. Chadbourn's shop, which 
stood on the Parish lot, where the new Congregational vestry is 
located. From thence it was moved across the street and placed 
in the room behind Dr. Waterman's office. This library contained 
about one thousand volumes — magazines and books. The members 
of the Association, with the exception of Dr. Keen and Judge 
Waterman, having allowed their membership to lapse from the non- 
payment of dues, these two gentlemen claimed the library, and 
presented it to the Seminary library. When the Seminary was discon- 
tinued, the books were transferred to the Normal School. 

In 1 88 1 the idea of forming a Library Association was proposed 
and talked up by some of our citizens. It was thought best to sell 
shares at five dollars each, and the village was canvassed for 
subscribers. Circulars were also sent out addressed to former resi- 
dents. There was no opposition, and the movement was a success 
from the start; people subscribing liberally; among others, Ex-Gov- 
ernor Robie took twenty-five shares. Judge Waterman, ten, etc. Rev. 
Dr. Geo. L. Prentiss of New York City, the Robies, Hiram Tenney, 
Dana Estes and others made contributions of books, while Judge 
Waterman offered the Association the use of a room, free of rent for 
a year. This Library Association was incorporated in April, 1882, 



822 HISTORV OF GORIIAM. 

and the library opened to the public in the following October. The 
Association has had a number of librarians, among them Miss Mary 
Smith ( Mrs. John A. Waterman), Miss Sarah Warren and Miss Sally 
Robie. The late John R. Cressey at his decease in 1892, left 
by will to this library the sum of one thousand dollars. It also 
received from the Walker estate a donation of five hundred dollars. 
The library at North Gorham (Great Falls) also received six hundred 
dollars from this latter source. 

About 1892 John McGregor Adams of Chicago, the oldest son of 
Rev. Dr. John R. Adams, late of Gorham, made the Gorham Village 
Library Association the generous ofTer to erect for their use a build- 
ing to cost not less than ten thousand dollars. After some delay 
and discussion as to the location of the building, Mr. Adams made 
the town the following proposition : 

" If the Free Public Library Building is erected upon the Drown 
and old school house lots 1 offer to enclose these lots, together with 
the cemetery lot, with a substantial fence — a neat, uniform iron 
fence on the east side and south side, and to have the cemetery put 
in such condition that it will be an ornament to the village, and place 
a sufificient sum of money in the hands of the Library Association to 
provide and maintain it (the cemetery) in such condition ; provided 
the schoolhouse lot is conveyed by a good and sufficient deed of 
warranty to the Library Association." 

Dec. 3, 1892, Ex-Governor Robie offered the following preamble 
and motion, with appropriate remarks : — 

In consideration of the munificent gifts of Mr. J. McGregor Adams 
of Chicago, for the purpose of erecting a suitable free public library 
building for the use of the inhabitants of Gorham, also providing for 
the proper and perpetual care of the old cemetery in said town, the 
voters of Gorham, in town meeting assembled, do return a unanimous 
expression of sincere thanks to our distinguished former townsman 
for these public testimonials to his honored father, the late John R. 
Adams, D. D., and his worthy and accomplished mother, Mrs. Mary 
Ann McGregor Adams, whose sacred memories are held by every 
citizen of the town in the highest veneration and esteem. 

It was then voted " That the town accept the offer made by Mr. J. 
McGregor Adams, and grant to him such permission and full 
authority to act as contemplated by him in his offer to take care of 
the cemetery." 

For various reasons the carrying out and completing of this 
designed work has been for the time being postponed, but will no 
doubt be satisfactorily accomplished in the near future. 





// 



CHAPTER XIX. 

EARLY SOCIETY IN GORHAM, AND SOME FACTS ABOUT GORHAM FOR 

THE YEAR 1780. 

When the first settlers came to Gorham, and made their small 
clearings, they were hemmed in on every side by the dark and dense 
woods. There were neither roads nor bridges. Neighbors found 
their way to each other's cabins by paths marked out by spotted 
trees. 

Their first dwellings were of logs laid cob-house fashion one upon 
another as close together as possible ; the crevices stufi"ed and chinked 
with moss and clay to keep out the cold. These houses were built 
with an enormous chimney on the outside, usually made of stone, and 
the open fireplace took up the larger part of one side of the room. 
The mantle-bar, as it was called, which held up the top of the fire- 
place, was in those early days made of wood, and one of the last 
duties to be performed before going to bed was to wet this thoroughly, 
and thus lessen the danger of its taking fire in the night. In the 
depth of the great fireplace was burned wood four feet in length. 
A huge log, from two to three feet in diameter, hauled in sometimes 
on a hand-sled, and sometimes by the horse, was placed first in 
position ; upon this was laid a back-stick, just enough smaller 
than the log to lie well upon it ; next came the fore-stick, and upon 
these was piled the smaller wood, the coals fanned with boughs, or 
blown by the bellows, and soon a roaring fire leaped high up the 
chimney, and filled the room with light and heat. There was no 
need for economy in the article of firewood in those days. 

A sulphur match was then unknown, and it was a serious calamity 
to our ancestors to lose their fire. It was the custom on retiring to 
cover up carefully and deep with the ashes in the fireplace the coals 
and half burned brands of the evening's fire and on raking open the 
ashes the next morning there would be found a fine bed of glowing 
embers. If, however, by some mischance the fire went out, the only 
way to relight it was by the slow and uncertain method of striking a 
spark from fiint and steel into tinder or tow, or by "borrowing fire " 
of a neighbor, which was frequently done, if one was within reason- 
able distance. For instance, when George Waterhouse built his 



324 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

cabin and made his clearing, his family and that of his nearest 
neighbor, John Dyer, a half mile away, often borrowed fire of each 
other, going across lots through the woods by the spotted trees. To 
bring home live coals and burning brands required haste, hence the 
expression, so often used of a person in a hurry, '' going to borrow 
fire." 

Pots and kettles swung from the iron crane over the fire, and were 
hung lower or higher by means of pot-hooks and trammels. Skillets, 
trivets, toasting-irons and other cooking utensils stood or hung around 
the hearth. Meats were suspended by a stout string over a dripping- 
pan to roast before the blaze. To twist this string, and so turn the 
meat and give each part a chance to cook, was usually the duty of 
some child of the household. When the string had been twisted in 
one direction a while it could be left to itself to untwist, then the 
process must be repeated. No meat was ever better cooked or tasted 
sweeter than that cooked in this way. Bread and cakes were baked 
on a board propped up before the fire, unless the housewife were so 
fortunate as to have brought a Dutch oven with her from her old 
home. Potatoes and onions were roasted to a turn in the hot ashes. 
Our ancestors would at first have fared hardly for fresh meat, but for 
the fact that game abounded in the woods. Squirrels, rabbits and 
coons were easily caught in- their season, and occasionally a bear, a 
deer, or a moose furnished the table with a luxurious meal. It is 
said that the la.st moose seen in town was on the hill east of the Black 
Brook road, not far from the house of Freeman Richardson. 

The chimney corner was a favorite resort. In and around the 
fireplace the family would gather, scorching their faces, while the 
draft up the chimney's throat chilled their backs, Almost as much 
light must have come into the room through the top of one of these 
low, broad chimneys, as came in through the small window openings. 
Certainly there could have been no lack of fresh air or of ventilation. 
As years went by, and larger houses were built, the huge chimneys 
still held their own, but were placed in the centre of the house, and 
had deep brick ovens built in them. In these ovens large fires were 
kindled, and kept burning till the temperature was judged to be right, 
when the fire was "drawn," and the ashes swept out by means of a 
broom of green hemlock boughs, and the oven was ready to be filled 
with all manner of savory compounds. An iron shovel with a handle 
four feet in length was used in putting in and taking out the food, and 
it required long practice and much dexterity to slip from the blade of 
this shovel, into its place at the back of the oven, a hand-moulded 



EARLY SOCIETY, 



325 



loaf of " rye and Indian " bread, and not have it fall a shapeless 
mass. The first act of the hospitable housewife on the arrival of 
unexpected company was to " put a blast " into the oven, that is, heat 
it for a baking. The mouths of these ovens were at first closed by 
squares of sheet iron, but about 1815-20, vSamuel Edwards, for some 
years a resident of Gorham, invented the cast iron oven-door, famil- 
iar to so many of us. The large two-story house which lately stood 
on South St., near where the late Freeman Higgins lived, and which 
was built about the year 1767 by C^apt. Cary McLellan, had a kitchen 
fireplace which was ten feet wide on the front, eight feet across the 
back, and about six feet high. Within this fireplace were two brick 
ovens, one on either hand, each capable of holding several loaves of 
bread and pots of beans, and a dozen or more pies. 

The first cabins had for windows, small openings cut to admit 
light and air, and these could be closed and fastened by heavy 
wooden shutters and bars, for security against wild beasts and 
Indians. Window-glass was not used in Gorham for many years. 




HOUSE RUILT BY PRINCE DAVIS. 



Oiled paper sometimes served as a substitute. When the Rev. Mr. 
Coffin came to the neighboring town of Buxton in 176S, he put a few 
panes of glass in his study, and these were the only ones in the 
house, or the town. When Prince Davis built his house on the Flaggy 
Meadow road, about 1764, he made his windows of 7 x 9 glass, and 
only two panes in width and five high, on account of the scarcity 
and high price of glass. At night the huge fire and blazing pine- 
knots gave sufficient light for all necessary purposes. Later came 
tallow candles, either dipped, or run in moulds, and sometimes bay- 
berry wax was mixed with the tallow, and gave out a pleasant frag- 
rance as the candles burned. 

In these days of plenty, of comforts, and conveniencies, we can 
but smile when told of the doings of our ancestors, and the shifts 
and contrivances our mothers had to make use of, in order to have 



326 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

good times and keep up appearances. For many years after the 
settlement of tlie town, population was sparse, roads hardly more 
than foot-paths through the woods, and barely passable for teams, 
and the houses small, some of them only log cabins ; but the few 
inhabitants had large hearts and social dispositions, and hospitality 
was never known to lack. A well furnished house of that day would 
be a curiosity of this. The furniture was of the coarsest and com- 
monest kind, most of it of purely domestic manufacture. The article 
of lumber was not lacking, but the cabinet-maker was missing. Such 
articles as could be manufactured by the man of the house with his 
scanty supply of tools was thought to be all that was needed, and all 
that could be accommodated in the house. Wooden dishes or 
trenchers of home manufacture were in common use for the table. 
These were followed by pewter dishes, which were much used. A 
hundred years ago the dresser, filled with long rows of pewter plat- 
ters, plates, mugs and porringers of various sizes, was the pride of 
the housewife's heart. These, being often rubbed and scoured by 
her diligent hands, shone like polished silver. On one of these large 
round pewter platters it was the custom to serve up a whole dinner, 
the meat in the centre and the various vegetables piled around it. 

At that time visiting and parties were thought to be the business 
of the day, not of the evening or night. Locomotion was slow, 
carriages were not known in town, only such as were drawn by stout 
and rugged oxen, which the settlers had for carrying on their lumber- 
ing operations, and tilling their farms. 

Let us give a sketch of a neighborly visit about the year 1770. 
When the day came the family were up and stirring in the morning, 
breakfast was had and cleared away, and then came a general fixing 
and dressing up of such as were to go visiting. If the distance 
made it inconvenient for the women to walk and carry the baby the 
oxen were put to the cart or sled as the season might be, the old- 
fashioned basket-bottomed chairs in sufficient numbers to hold the 
company were arranged in the cart, and if the weather made it 
necessary, the best and brightest colored quilts and coverlets of the 
ladies' own manufacture were brought into requisition, for then 
the buffalo that ranged over the vast prairies of the great West was 
an animal of which they knew nothing, and they made use of such 
comforts as they had. Compliments were rarely sent, if so or not, 
the difference was but little ; the visits were visits of aid, comfort 
and encouragement. When all was ready the team was carefully 
driven toward the destined place by the watchful husband and father, 



EARLY SOCIETY. 327 

who walked by the side of his oxen, and with skill and dexterity 
avoided the stumps, logs and rocks, that he might not injure his 
precious load. These rides and drives were not through pleasant, 
shady lanes and over gently sloping hills, covered by the rich crops 
of the husbandman. They were through the dark forest where the 
axe of the woodman had made but small way ; the trees had been 
cut and thrown on each side to allow a passage ; the rocks, too large 
to be moved by the scanty help then to be had, were shunned as 
best they could be. Here and there was a small clearing of a few 
acres, with its black and charred stumps, and with its small house, 
the home of the hardy pioneer, and a still smaller hovel or shed for 
the scanty supply of stock. 

These settlers were men and women for the times in which they 
lived ; hardy, robust and brave. They could clear the forest, till .the 
land, raise their crops, and defend their homes and families against 
attacks of the Indians as well as trained and tried veterans of war 
could do. But war has nothing to do with the day of which we are 
now writing ; the black cloud has passed, these dark forests can now 
be passed in safety so far as the savage is concerned ; the visit of 
friends, not of Indians, is expected, and when they arrive all is bustle 
and joy. The baby is caught in the arms of the matron of the house, 
the woman is helped to get down from the cart, and the boys jump 
their own way. The oxen are taken off, secured and fed, for no 
farmer neglects his oxen. All this is but the work of a few minutes. 

Now comes the real business of the day, which is still but a little 
advanced from the morning. The men go about the work of the 
farm, both visitor and host, in order that they may have a good 
appetite for dinner, and that the improvements of the farm may be 
seen and talked over, the children run to their play, and the women 
to making the preparations for dinner. The fowls are caught and 
dressed in nearly as short a time as it takes us to tell of the operation, 
some of the girls are sent to hunt the hens' eggs, and to make the 
custard and pudding. The old cider is put on tap, and perhaps 
the men allow themselves a drop of something a little stronger. 

Now comes the dilemma, what is to be done for a table ; the little 
pine table in the corner of the room can never be made big enough 
for a " social board " to hold all the company; but women have 
quick invention ; Bill and Tom are sent in haste to take down the 
barn door; in it comes and the little pine table is put under one end, 
and something else under the other. The old family chest is turned 
upside down, and the substantial domestic-made linen tablecloths 



828 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

are brought out from their depository. These were spun and woven 
by the matron's own hands before she left Cape Cod when she was 
a girl, and are of a lily whiteness, and of the most approved figure 
and pattern of diamond and huckabuck. The honor of eating from 
them is never awarded to the family, except when they have company. 
They were her wedding tablecloths, and consequently much prized. 
The barn door is quickly covered with the cloth, and there is a social 
board of which no woman need be ashamed. The table is made 
literally to groan under the weight of substantial and delicacies 
prepared for the dinner. These delicacies are not of foreign pro- 
duction, as the settlers can have but few things other than the 
produce of the forest, field and brook, immediately around them. 

When dinner is ready all the chairs from the cart are removed, 
and all the seats in the house are called into requisition. The horn 
is blown, and the men and boys come from the clearing with wills to 
do ample justice to the fixings prepared by their wives and mothers. 
Dinner commences, and it soon appears evident that " A dinner of 
herbs where love is, is better than a stalled ox with hatred," for all 
is joy and contentment ; all the labor is performed that is intended for 
that day, there is no hurry, all take their time and enjoy themselves. 

When the meal is over, and a little time spent in talk, the afternoon 
is on the wane, and the careful father and prudent mother think it 
about time to be moving; he has his work to attend to and his chores 
to do; she has the cows to milk, and milk to strain. So the oxen 
are again put to the " carriage," the passengers stowed, the driver 
takes his place, and in due time the happy and contented party 
arrive at their forest home, and for a month talk of nothing but the 
pleasures of this visit. 

Wolves and other predatory beasts were for many years numerous 
and troublesome. At the time of Almery Hamblen's birth in 1775 
wolves abounded in the woods in great numbers, and it is said that 
they chased the attending physician and the man who went for him, 
so that they had to run their horses to the house at their utmost 
speed to escape being overtaken by them. The event occurred, we 
suppose, in the night. About this time a bounty was paid of forty 
shillings on every wolf killed. The State refunded to the towns 
what they paid for the destruction of wolves on the presentation of a 
certificate, of one of which the following is a copy : 
Mr. Treasurer 

THIS may certify that there has been paid out of the Town Stock of 
Gorhani for three Grown Wolves, and Wolves Whelps, kill'd in 



EARLY SOCIETY. 329 

and near this Town, and within this Province, since the first Day of 

December last past, and the Heads thereof brought unto our Constable 

or Constables, and the Ears thereof cut off in the Presence of some 

of our Selves, as the Law directs, and so certified unto us, in the 

whole the Sum of Six Founds ; which Sum we desire you to allow to 

our Town, by paying the same unto Mr. Caleb Chase our Town 

Treasurer. Dated in Gorham aforesaid, the third Day oi January 

Anno Dom. 177^. 

Sam'' Whitmore > , , , , , , 
^ ^ y Select Men 

James Gilkey ) 

., f. ) Town Treasurer 

Caleb Chase \ ^, ,,, , 
\ or lown Clerk. 

This certificate was duly attested by the Constable, Cary McLellan. 
As late as 18 15 a bounty of twenty dollars was voted on the heads of 
wolves killed in town the current year. There was also a bounty 
of one dollar on foxes as late as 181 1. Bears occasioned much loss to 
the settlers by carrying off their pigs and calves. An amusing little 
story is told of a man then living in the north part of the town, who 
was greatly annoyed by the depredations of one of these animals, and 
resolved to lie in wait for him. When the bear appeared, and rose 
on his hind legs to take a good look at things and plan his campaign, 
Mr. R. raised his gun and took a careful aim, but before pulling the 
trigger sang out " Take care there !" Bruin taking the hint, dropped 
and vanished. When asked why he shouted at the bear, he said he 
" thought it no more than fair to give the critter a chance." It was 
rare that Bruin met with so considerate a foe. 

Comfort had much more to do with the dress of our ancestors than 
did fashion. Each woman was skilled in the art of carding, spinning 
and weaving, and her household were clothed in good, solid, sub- 
stantial, home-spun cloth, spun and woven by her own hands. One 
of the entertainments of the day was a " wool breaking," or carding 
bee, where the women would meet with their wool-cards at the house 
of one of their number, and break, or card her wool for her, ready 
for the spinning-wheel. This was hard work, but the opportunity 
thus given for talking over the news, besides doing a neighborly 
kindness, paid for it all. Each family gladly helped the others. 
No service was beneath the dignity of any when friends and 
neighbors required aid. There were also spinning-bees, when all 
the spinners, married and single, would assemble with their wheels, 
which made merry music while their practiced hands drew out the 
threads of wool or linen. Five skeins of seven knot yarn was a fair 



330 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

day's work for each. Flax was raised in considerable quantities, and 
spun upon the "little " or flax wheel. Many beautiful specimens of 
snowy hand-made linen are still treasured in town, the work of a 
hundred years ago. The dye-pot played an important part in each 
household. Much of the cloth for wearing apparel was of indigo- 
blue, striped or checked with white threads. 

For many years a clock was too precious a luxury to be brought 
into the wilderness. Nor was there need of one. The goodman and 
his wife could regulate their daily work to a nicety by a glance at the 
sun, or by the noon-mark on the door sill, or window ledge. 

The holidays and amusements of our forefathers were not very 
numerous. Fast Day was observed as sacredly as the Sabbath. All 
secular employments and sports were laid aside, and all attended 
service, where they usually heard a long discourse on the degeneracy 
of the times. The annual Thanksgiving was kept with thankful 
hearts. All went to meeting, save those who were detained at home 
by age or sickness, or the necessary preparations for the dinner. 
After dinner the young folks spent the day in the sports of the times, 
and at dusk the family gathered around the hearth with nuts, 
apples and cider, for a general good time. Corn-huskings, quilt- 
ings, apple-bees, the general muster, and the raising of buildings 
were occasions of festivity. It was the custom at a raising to break 
a bottle of spirit on the ridgepole, and to repeat some rhymes, naming 
the frame as it was called. When in 1839 Jacob H. Clement of 
West Gorham raised a stable, John Phinney, an old revolutionary 
soldier who was present, repeated the following lines which he said 
were used in naming the frames of Capt. John Stephenson's house 
and barn which were raised about 1775 : 

For the house frame. 
" Cursed is the tory's heart, 

Which from the Congress laws depart. 
If the laws they do not fear 

I hope they will not prosper here, 
And if the laws they do obey 

I hope they will prosper in com and hay." 
For the frame of the bam. 
" May flames' nation seize 

All them that doth displease 
The name of the other frame." 

At all these gatherings rum, grog and flip circulated freely. The 
day or evening closed with a liberal supper and a merry dance. 

The Sabbath was strictly a religious day, and its privileges were 
dearly prized. No one was excused from attending meeting, except 
for the best and most valid of reasons. The meeting house was 



EARLY SOCIETY. 331 

without fire, and would seem to us a bleak, cheerless place. A fore- 
noon and afternoon service each Sabbath with long prayers and 
longer sermons was the rule. A prayer of an hour and a quarter, 
and a sermon of two hours in length were not unusual. About the 
close of the last century footstoves came into vogue. These were tin 
boxes, some nine or ten inches square, perforated with holes, and 
contained an iron pan, which when the stove was in use was filled 
with good, live, hard-wood coals from the hearth. These stoves, 
enclosed in an open frame of wood, were carried by a bail, and it was 
the custom for the small boys to carry them to church each Sabbath 
for their mothers and sisters. When placed beneath the feet they 
afforded a grateful warmth to the chilled worshipper. The present 
Congregational church at the village was once set on fire and nar- 
rowly escaped destruction through the overturning of one of these 
stoves. Wood stoves were not placed in the meeting house till 1822, 
and many and strong complaints were made at the time on account 
of the discomfort caused by the heat given out by them. Tithing 
men were appointed whose duty it was to enforce the laws against 
travelling on the Sabbath, and also to see that order was preserved 
in the Lord's house. These men were provided with suitable staves 
or poles at the expense of the town, and with these they rapped 
smartly on the head the offender caught nodding, or playing in the 
meeting house. The following are among those who served as tith- 
ing men: —James McLellan, Benjamin Morton, Thomas Irish, Gary 
McLellan, Richard Lombard, Samuel Murch, James Irish, John 
Perkins, Nathaniel Freeman, Isaac Plummer, Nathaniel Phinney and 
James Chadbourn. Misdemeanors in church, as well as some other 
offences, were sometimes punished by confinement in the stocks. 
These stood on the green, south of the church. They consisted of 
two thick, oaken planks set on edge, one above the other, between two 
posts, which in turn were set in foot-pieces and firmly braced. The 
upper timber could be raised or lowered. In the upper edge of one 
and the lower edge of the other, half-circles were cut, which formed 
when brought together round holes of the size to hold a man's leg 
just above the ankle. The unfortunate offender was made to sit 
down on the ground, and place his legs in the lower notches, the 
upper plank was then let down upon them, and locked fast by the con- 
stable, and he was left to meditate on his misdeeds, or to be jeered 
at by the mocking crowd around him. This punishment fell into 
disuse after some years, and the stocks were thrown aside on the lot 
across the street. It is said that the last use that was ever made of 



332 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

them was when some graceless boys met a farmer who had come to 
market, and was rather the worse for liquor. Seeing a chance for 
sport they pounced upon him, and dragging out the old stocks, fast- 
ened him into them, of course to his great rage and mortification 
when he became sober. The next morning he reappeared in the 
village with a yoke of oxen, and a chain which he fastened to 
the stocks, and hauled them off, and that was the last that was seen 
of them. 

Profanity was punishable by the laws of the Commonwealth with 
fine or imprisonment. There lie before me two writs issued for this 

offence. On Sept. lo, 17S9 B was convicted, before Judge 

Thacher, of uttering "one prophane oath," and was sentenced to pay 
a fine of four shillings. This he refused to do, and was accordingly 
committed to jail for five days, and ordered to pay one shilhng for 
the writ and constable's fees. Mr. B. does not seem to have laid 
this lesson well to heart, for he is again "convicted on his own con- 
fession of having been guilty of uttering one prophane oath on the 
8th day of Nov. 1791. and is adjudged to pay a fine of 12 shillings — 
this being the 3"^' time he has been convicted of prophane swaring 
— and 3^ & 4^^ costs." Again refusing to pay he was sent to jail for ten 
days, with 1/4 to pay for writ and constable's fees. It is to be hoped 
that by this time he saw the error of his ways, and amended them. 

Funerals were occasions for neighborhood gatherings. The ser- 
vices were simple, but not always short. On one such occasion. Rev. 
Mr. Rand prayed with great fervor for one hour and thirty minutes. It 
was long the custom to place a liberal amount of tansy upon and 
around the coffin, with the view of warding off any danger of infec- 
tion or injury that might arise from the presence of the corpse. 
Until the time of the temperance reform, liquors were freely provided 
at funerals, and minister, mourners, and all present were expected 
to partake. This incident is related of a funeral that took place on 
the Flaggy Meadow road. The day being very warm and the road 
to the old cemetery long, the bearers when the procession reached 
the village set down the bier and its burden before one of the stores, 
and proceeded to refresh themselves with a glass of grog, the mourn- 
ers, meanwhile, decorously waiting. It was the custom to have two 
sets of bearers ; the one, near the age and station of the deceased ; 
these walked beside the body ; the other, who were generally young 
and strong, carried the coffin on a bier covered with a heavy, black- 
cloth pall. The first hearse that was used in town is within the 
memory of some of us. At each corner of this vehicle rose a slender 



EARLY SOCIETY. 833 

post. Between these, placed high above the wheels, was an open 
platform. On this the coffin rested, and was covered by the pall. 

There was not lacking a tinge of superstition in those days. 
Several persons in town were reputed, and firmly believed, to be 

witches. Mrs. H , who lived in the south part of the town, 

bewitched the cows, and spoiled the butter. Through her influence, 
the warp and the woof in the loom of her neighbor snarled and 
tangled, and the work of the weaver was well nigh ruined. When, 
however, Mrs. H. made her appearance, and got into the loom 
and put her hand on the shuttle, every thread untangled and straight- 
ened out at once and the work went on as usual. In another part of 
the town lived a worthy woman, also esteemed to be a witch. The 
playmates of her children feared to eat the hot biscuit and butter she 
offered them, lest they should be bewitched by her. Another woman 
was said to be able to turn herself into a black cat, and in proof of 
this it is related that one night when a black cat was prowling about 
the house of a neighbor, something was thrown at it which hurt its 
head. The next day the woman appeared with a handkerchief 
bound about her forehead, and in answer to inquiries explained that 
she had hurt her head. What further proof could be needed that she 

and the cat were identical ? Mrs. S , who lived not far from 

the Buxton line, was not blessed with so smooth, handsome and 
pleasant a face as some ladies have, and perhaps was not so highly 
polished in her manners. She somehow acquired the reputation of a 
witch, and curious stories were told of her witch doings, one of which 
we will relate. One of her neighbors, on his way home from the 
village by a cross-cut through the woods, met her near a miry place 
in the track. Suddenly meeting a person in such a place, probably 
startled the horse a little, and at the same time he stepped into the 
deep mud and fell down, throwing his rider some distance into 
the mire. Mrs. S., in a kind manner, dragged the man out, and 
laid him up to dry. The horse, after floundering in the mud awhile, 
got out and ran home, and his rider went to sleep in his comfortable 
place, where he was found some time after by his friends. When 
found and asked how he came to be in such a plight, he said that old 
Mrs. S. had bewitched him ; that she rose right up out of that 
mud hole, took him and his horse, and poked them into the mud and 
then vanished; that he got out somehow, he did not exactly know 
how ; but he thought the devil had been trying to carry him off. He 
said he had had an awful fright, and he was glad they had come, and 
he wanted his friends to keep Mrs. S. and the devil off of him 



334 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

till he could get home and read his Bible. And all this the old man 
firmly believed to be true, but people believed that the spirits he 
found at the village had more to do in the affair than any witch 
spirits that Mrs. S. could conjure up. 

There was a spirit of remarkable thrift prevalent in most of the 
early New England towns. Especially were they careful as to 
the character and standing of any who proposed to come and settle 
within their limits. If it was rumored that a new party was coming, 
great pains were taken to find out some few things about the man's 
moral character, and all things about his financial status. If he 
bought real estate and paid for it or if it was learned that the incom- 
ing man was a person of property, well and good ; but if he could 
show no property, he must be a man of rare moral virtues to be 
acceptable to the town as a resident. The fear was that such an one 
would become a load upon the charity of the municipality, and 
increase the pauper bills. When it was thought that there was risk 
that one might become a town charge if he came to the town 'to live, 
he was respectfully warned by the town authorities not to come any 
nearer, or if he had already come, he was warned to leave. Such warn- 
ing relieved the town of all liability for support, in case he proved unable 
to take care of himself. Here is a sample of one of these warnings: 
, - — ^ — > , Cumberland ss. To the Constable of the Town of Gorham 
I ^„!L^^1, ^ in s^ County, Greeting. 

You are in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
directed to Warn, And give notice unto Kezia Whitney — Elizabeth 
Parker, the Wife of John Parker Deceas^' and her Family — together 
with her Mother, the Widow Warren, — John Poland &: Family — 
William Holmes — Joseph Wakefield & Family — Joseph Young, 
Jun"" — Charles Caveno c\: Family — Gideon Snow — Joshua Swett 
— Turff Thomas^ — Mary Goodwin — Reuben Libby — & James 
Brackett, Who have lately come into this Town, for the purpose of 
abiding therein, not having obtained the Town's Consent therefor ; 
That they depart the limits thereof with their Children &: others 

under their Care, (if such they have) within fifteen Days. And 

of this Precept with your doings thereon you are to make return into 
the office of the Clerk of the Town, within Twenty Days next coming, 
that such further proceedings may be had in the premises as the Law 

directs Given under our hands & seals at Gorham aforesaid this 

Thirteenth Day of May, A. D. 1791. 

Stephen Longfellow ) Selectmen 
Samuel Elder >- of 

James Phinnev ) Gorham. 



EARLY SOCIETY. 335 

Cumberland ss — Pursuant to the within Warrant. 

I have Comply'^ with the within Warrant, and Notified & warned 
all the within named persons, to depart this Town, Except the Widow 
Warren & she is in Scarborough. — Gorham, June 2'"'. 1791. 

Gary McLellan, Gonstable. 

The mechanic arts or trades were transmitted from generation to 
generation by an older man, or one well versed in all the mysteries 
of the craft, teaching the art to a younger one till he became an 
accomplished workman. Generally the lad was apprenticed for a 
certain term of years. By the terms of the indenture the master 
agreed to teach and the lad agreed to learn all the various processes 
of the art or business. Among other trades and lines of business in 
which boys were apprenticed, was that of agriculture, as the following 
indenture in my possession will show : 

THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH THAT David McDugle of 
Gorham, in the County of Cumberland And State of the Massachu- 
setts Bay hath put himself And by these presents doth Voluntarily & 
of his own free will &: accord and with the Consent of his mother 
Put and bind himself Apprentice to Gary McLellan of Gorham afore- 
said Gentleman & Eunice his Wife, to learn the Art, Trade or 
Mistery of Husbandry And with him, the said Gary & Eunice his 
wife, after the manner of an Apprentice to Serve from the day'^of the 
date hereof for & during the Term of Five years, four months & 

eight Days to be Completed & ended — 

During all which term the said Apprentice his said Master & Mis- 
tress Faithfully shall serve, their Secrets keep, their.Lawful Commands 
gladly every where obey. He shall do no damage to his said master 
or mistress, nor see it to be done of others without letting or giving 
Notice thereof to his said Master or Mistress. He shall not waste 
his said Master's Goods, nor lend them Unlawfully to any. He 
shall not commit Fornication, nor contract Matrimony within the 
said term. At Cards, Dice, or any other Unlawful game he shall 
not play whereby his said master or mistress may have Damage with 
their own goods or the goods of others. He shall not Absent himself 
by Day or by Night from his said master or mistress's Service with- 
out their leave, nor haunt Ale houses. Taverns or Play houses but in 
all things behave himself as a faithful Apprentice Ought to do 
towards his said Master & mistress During the said term of five years, 
four months And eight days to be Completed & ended 
And the said GARY McLELLAN & EUNICE his Wife for them- 
selves Do hereby Covenant & promise to teach & instruct the said 



336 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Apprentice or Cause him to be taught t\: instructed to Read, to Write, 
& to Cypher as far as the Rule of Three (if said Apprentice be 
Capable to learn). And to find the said Apprentice sufficient 
Cloaths, meat & drink, washing and Lodging in Sickness & Health 
for & during the said term. And at the Expiration of said Term to 
give unto the said Apprentice two suits of Apparel ; One fitting for 
working days ; And the other fitting for Sabbath days. And also a 
Cow. And a yoke of Steers, which shall then be Coming in four 

years old. IN TESTIMONY WHEREOE the parties to the.se 

presents have hereunto interchangeably set their hands & Seals the 
Seventh Day of July ADomini One thousand Seven hundred & Sev- 
enty nine — 

Signal Seal^' & Deliver^ ^ Cary McLellan 
in presence of us ' David McDugel 
Tho* Kinaid f 

Betty Kneeland 1 

In the valuation of the town of Corham for the year 1780, it 
appears there were three hundred and fifty-five taxable polls, and 
twenty-seven not taxable, which would make the male population 
over sixteen years of age something near three hundred and eighty- 
two, and allowing the females of equal age to be equal in numbers, 
we h^ve seven hundred and sixty-four for the population over sixteen 
years of age. -Add to the above, fifty per cent, for the number of 
those below sixteen, which is about the usual ratio, and we have 
eleven hundred and forty-six as the population of the town in 1780. 

This year there was returned by the assessors of the town one 
hundred and fifty-seven houses valued at from two dollars to two hun- 
dred dollars. The house of Hugh McLellan was valued at two 
hundred dollars ; the same house is now standing, the brick house 
above the Academy toward Fort Hill. The house of Mrs. Elizabeth 
Ross, afterwards occupied by Col. Tyng, and which was destroyed 
by fire in 1807, was also valued at two hundred dollars; Capt. John 
Stephenson's, lately standing, above West Gorham, at one hundred, 
and William McLellan 's, one hundred and thirty dollars. There 
were also one hundred and thirty barns, valued at from three to fifty 
dollars. Stephen Longfellow appears to have had the best ; his is 
put at fifty dollars : the next are those belonging to LI ugh and 
William McLellan, these are put at thirty-five d(jllars each. 

It appears that our ancestors thought well of good drink, for we 
find they manufactured two barrels of cider to each ton of hay cut on 
their farms. It stands thus on the valuation; "Tons of hay cut, 



SOME FACTS FOR THE YEAR 1780. 



387 




338 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

1,103; — Barrels of cider made, 2,225," — two barrels of cider to 
each person, young and old, in the town. 

The usual production of grain, of all kinds, in the town was about 
eleven thousand, three hundred and seventy-one bushels yearly ; and 
there was on hand when this valuation was taken about one thousand 
bushels. This was in June, from which it appears that with a mod- 
erate chance for a good harvest there was no great danger of a 
famine, particularly as, from the usual manner in which valuations 
are given in to the assessors, we may suppose this was no over 
estimate. 

The live stock on hand amounted to one hundred and fifty-five 
horses over two years old, two hundred and fifty-one oxen, five hun- 
dred and ninety-five cows, two hundred and twenty-five swine over 
six months old, and twelve hundred and fourteen sheep over one 
year old. About one hundred and seventy-three families kept swine, 
each family owning from one to six. Cows were kept by two hundred 
and thirteen persons ; the greatest number kept by any one was by 
William McLellan, fifteen. Simon Huston kept twelve ; Hugh 
McLellan, nine ; George Thomes, eight ; Stephen Longfellow and 
Robert McTonald, seven each. It does not appear that sheep were 
kept in large flocks in Gorham : there were only four flocks of thirty 
and upwards; Simon Huston had fifty, and Ebenezer Hall, Hugh 
McLellan and Jedediah Cobb had thirty each. The balance was in 
small flocks, — nearly all owning a few — from four to twenty-five. 

Such a thing as a chaise or pleasure carriage was hardly known in 
the country at this time. In the valuation book there is no column 
for the value of chaises, but they were taxable by law : the bushels 
of grain on hand and the value of chaises were entered in the same 
column, and against the name of ]\Irs. Elizabeth Ross, or as she was 
at the time more commonly called. Madam Ross, there is the entry 
ninety-nine in figures, with no explanation, and as that is more than 
double the number that was returned by any person in town of 
bushels of grain on hand, the probability is that this was for a chaise, 
and if this is so, it is the first one in town of which we have any 
account. 

In the following list of the population of Gorham, the number of 
inhabitants corresponding with the first four dates are estimated, as 
may be found expressed more fully elsewhere : 



SOME FACTS FOR THE YEAR 1780. 



339 



POPULATION OF THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 



Gorham in 1763 had a population of 

1772 ' 

1775 ' 

1780 ' 

1790 ' 

1800 ' 

1810 ' 

1S20 ' 

1830 ' 

1 840 ' 

1850 ' 

i860 ' 

1870 ' 

18S0 ' 

1890 ' 

1900 ' 



432 

588 

852, 

1 146 

2244 

2503 
2632 
2800 
2988 
3002 
3086 
3252 
3351 
3^33 
2888 
2540 



CHAPTER XX. 

CIVIL WAR OF 1861-65, AND THE SOLDIERS' MONUMENT. 

The bombardment of Sumter, Apr. 12, 1S61, found the State of 
Maine as totally unprepared to furnish troops to aid in crushing the 
Rebellion as can well be imagined. The militia of the State com- 
prised an enrolled but unarmed force of about sixty thousand men, 
of whom only about twelve hundred were in any condition for use in 
an emergency arising within the limits of the State ; and their uni- 
forms, equipments and camp equipage were totally unfit for use in 
the field. 

April 15th, President Lincoln called upon Maine to furnish one 
regiment of infantry, for a three months' service. Our State Legis- 
lature, however, called together at an extra session, realized that if 
the war should last longer than at first anticipated, the Government 
would labor under a great disadvantage in having only three months 
men under arms, and resolved to furnish, as soon as it possibly 
could, ten regiments, fully armed and equipped, and enlisted to serve 
for two years. To each man thus enlisting, was allowed a bounty of 
two months pay, provided he should be mustered into the service 
of the United States. Maine's " First Regiment " was mustered in 
for three months, but the other regiments for three years. 

At a town meeting, held in Gorham on the 29th of April, 1861, 
the following resolves were passed unanimously : — 

" Resolved, That as citizens of Gorham, in town meeting legally 
assembled, we cordially approve of the action of the Governor and 
Legislature of this State in promptly responding to the call of the 
President of the United States for men and means to defend 
the Government and honor of the Country. 

" Re.solved, That we will cheerfully sustain our proportion of all 
the expenses necessarily growing out of this fearful emergency in our 
country's affairs, not as a burden imposed, but as a willing sacrifice." 

There were six resolutions passed, and it was then 

" Voted. That by the power and authority given by an Act of the 
Legislature, passed at its late extra session, the town of Gorham will 
and does hereby raise the sum of one thousand dollars, for the pur- 
poses contemplated in the sixth section of said Act : and that the 
Hon. Josiah Pierce, Col. Hugh D. McLellan and Joseph W. Parker, 
with the selectmen, be a committee to appropriate the sum as the 




LIEUT. COL. HKNRV R. MILLKTT. 



CIVIL WAR. 341 

exigences of the case may require; and that the selectmen be, and 
hereby are, authorized to draw their orders on the Treasurer accord- 
ingly." 

At a meeting held on the 8th day of May, the selectmen were 
withdrawn from this committee, and Freeman Harding, Merrill T. 
Files and Thomas J. Hasty were chosen members in their places. 
The duties of this committee were to distribute support to the famil- 
ies of the (iorham companies of Volunteers, who were absent in the 
service of their country. 

During the war Gorham contributed for the aid of the soldiers, 
money, hospital stores, etc., to the value of about four thousand, four 
hundred dollars. 

Two companies, belonging to the Fifth and Ninth regiments, were 
enlisted in Gorham, and were composed of men from Gorham and 
other Maine towns. The tirst man to enlist in Gorham was John C. 
Summersides ; Edward B. Phinney and Theodore Shackford being 
the second and third, respectively. Co. A., 5th regiment, marched 
from Gorham in June, under the command of Capt. Josiah Heald, 
for Portland, where the regiment was organized and mustered into 
the service of the United States on the 24th of that month, leaving 
Portland for Washington on the 26th. Col. Mark H. Dunnell 
of Portland organized, and at this time commanded the regiment. Col. 
Edward A. Scamman, who commanded the Fifth from Nov. i, 1862, 
to Jan. 8, 1863, was a Gorham man by birth. Our townsman Henry 
R. Millett, enlisted in Co. A. as a private. On the organization of 
the regiment he was appointed ist Sergeant. July 12, 1861, he was 
promoted to 2d Lieut., and in the following August to Captain, from 
which rank he rose to Major, and on Jan. 8, 1863, was commissioned 
Lieut. Col. of the regiment. Col. Millett served with honor and dis- 
tinction, as a brave soldier and a good otificer. He was wounded at 
Rappahannock Station in Nov., 1863, and at Cold Harbor on the 
4th of June, 1864. John C. Summersides, who also enlisted as a pri- 
vate in the same company, returned home with the rank of Captain. 

This regiment saw much severe fighting, and its record is one of 
which its former members may justly feel proud. It was engaged 
in the battles of Bull Run, Malvern Hill, Gaines' Mill, Charles City 
Cross Roads, Crampton Pass, Antietam, Fredericksburg, second 
Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, the Battle of 
the Wilderness, Spott.sylvania Court House and Cold Harbor, beside 
a number of smaller fights, including West Point and Salem Hights. 
In the fight at Rappahannock Station four Rebel battle fiags were 



842 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

captured by four members of this regiment ; Corporal Theodore 
Shackford capturing the stand of colors belonging to the Fifty- 
fourth North Carolina regiment. After three years of service the 
Fifth Maine was mustered out at Portland on the 27th of July, 1864. 

Capt. Colman Harding enlisted a company and Sept. 18, 1861, 
with his company, K, of the Ninth Regiment, left Gorham for 
Augusta, where the regiment rendezvoused. On its organization, 
which took place on the 21st, Capt. Harding was elected Lieut. Col., 
and Lieut. Thomas E. Wentworth was chosen to succeed him as 
Captain. The regiment moved from Augusta on the 24th, and arrived 
at Washington two days later. November 7th it was landed at Hilton 
Head, So. Carolina, where it took part in the taking and occupying 
of that place. In July, 1863, the regiment went up Folly river, under 
fire from the enemy's batteries, and landed on Morris Island, where 
it charged and carried the rifle pits, capturing the colors of the 21st 
S. Carolina regiment. The Ninth was one of the regiments that 
assaulted Fort Wagner on the nth and i8th of July and the 6th of 
September. It was in the assault of the iSth that Capt. Chester B. 
Shaw, who had succeeded Capt. Wentworth in the command of K 
company, was killed at the head of his men. After he was wounded 
and unable to do anything for himself, he was heard urging his men 
not to wait for him, but to go forward. This regiment was also 
engaged with the enemy at Walthal Junction, Drury's Blufif, Bermuda 
Hundred, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Deep Bottom, and in the assault 
upon Fort Gilmore. It was mustered out at Raleigh, N. C, July 13, 
1865. 

In 1864 Col. Hugh D. McLellan was appointed, by the Governor 
and Council of Maine, one of the Commissioners to take the soldiers' 
votes in the Presidential and State elections of that year, and he was 
also instructed to visit such hospitals in the South as he might be 
able to, with a view to the amelioration of the condition of the Maine 
soldiers, and the collection of information which might result to their 
benefit. 

GORHAM MEN IN THE ARMY. 

First Maine Infantry, mustered in, May 3, 1861 : mustered out, 
Aug. 5, 1861. 





Co. 




Co. 


Files, Wm. H P. 


D. 


Paine, Chas. H. 


B. 


Hasty, William 


" 


Robie, Lincoln 


" 


Knowlton, Charles T. 


C. 


Swett, George W. 


A. 


Mosher, Marshall M. 


" 







CIVIL WAR. 



343 



Third Infantry, mustered in, June 4, 1861 ; mustered out, June 28, 
1864. 

Bradbury, Charles H. 
Brown, John 
Clark, Henry 
Clark, John 
Clay, John 
Cole, Charles 
Davis, Charles 
Fadden, James L. 
Foster, Charles F. 
Grant, Freeman 
Hannessey, John 

Fourth Infantry, mustered in, June 15, 1861 ; mustered out, July 19, 
1864.. 



K, Sergeant in U. 8. V. R. Corps. 
E. 



K. 
A. 
F. 
H. 



Harrington, Martin 


K. 


Hughes, John 


H. 


Kane, Henry 


F. 


Meservey, John . 


K. 


Niall, William T. 


I. 


Phillips, Edward T. 


" 


Primrose, John 


H. 


Welch, Martin 


I. 



Dunlevey, Eugene G. 

Henderson, William F. 

Ricker, George 



Robinson, Benjamin F. K. 
Rooney, Michael " 

Smiley, James E. 



Fifth Infantry, mustered in, June 24, 186 1 ; mustered out, July 27, 
1864. 



Henry R. Millett 
John R. Adams 
John S Merrill 
Jo^iah Heald 
John C. Summersides 
Joseph Wight 
William Merrill 
Frederick Speed 
George D. Beck 
Richmond Edwards 
John L. Haskell 
Charles H. Patrick 
John O. Winship 
Morris F. Bumpus 
Chas. M Edwards 
Edward S. Gilman 
Noah Ladd 
Henry H. Newell 
Edward B. Phinney 
George S. Reed 
Theodore Shackford 
Chauncey C. Shaw 
Frank W. Smith 
Augustus J. Stackpole 
Charles M. Ward 
William H. Boyd 
David Smith 
Daniel P. Larry 
Daniel M. Wescott 
Buck, Theodore E. 
Burnell, James B. 
Cilley, Oliver 
Darling, George L. 
Duffy, Peter 
Elder, Alonzo S. 
Elwell, Charles H. 



Lt-Colonel. 

Chaplain. 

Quartermaster. 

Captain. 

I St Lt, and commanding company. 

1st Lt. 
2d " 

Sergt. 



and acting 2d Lt. 



Corp. 



Musician. 
Regt. Band. 



Farwell, Walter H. 
Frink, Isaac N. 
Gilbert, Albert 
Hamblen, Arthur M. 
Harmon, James F. 
Harmon, Joseph D. 
Hall, Levi 



A. 



344 HISTORY OF C7ORHAM. 

Libby, Cyrus L. A. Ricker, Samuel F. K. 

Libby, Tyiig S. D. Rolfe, Emery A. 

Lord, Frank A. Sias, Horace " 

Martin, Marshall " Smith, Silas M. " 

Merritt, Geo. H. " Stevens, John C. C. 

McPhee, Francis " Wentworth. Horatio A. 

Plunimer, Robert " Wescott, William F. " 

Seventh Infantry, mustered in, Aug. 21, 1861 ; mustered out, Sept. 

5, 1864. 



Ai Waterhouse 




Ass't Surgeon 


John H. Fogg 


K. 


I St Lt. 


Lacasse, Chas. J. 


F. 





Eighth Infanti7, mustered in, Sept. 7, 1861 ; mustered out, Jan. 18, 

1866. 

Thomas C. Webber D. 2d Lt. 

Brown, Freeman 

Dean, Charles D. 

Ninth Infantry, mustered in, Sept. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, July 13, 

1865. 

Colman Harding Lt. -Colonel. 

Thomas E. Wentworth K. Captain. 

Chester B. Shaw " " 

WiUia'i) H. Johnson " Seigt. 

Frank B. Libby " " 

William W. Lowe " " 

Albert Graffam 

George W Johnson 

William P. Sturgis 

Mark D. Swett 

Edwin R. Smith 

Btll. William Pike, William Q. K. 

Canncll, Albert Scott, John B. 

Caiinell, Hirman 

Cannell, Lot 

Deviiie, Alphonso C. Sturgis, William H. K. 

Harmon, Josr|)h A. 

Hasty, Thomas J. G. Wright, John A. E. 

O'Brian, Frank 

Tenth Infantry, mustered in, Oct. 4, 186 1 ; mustered out. May 8, 

1863. 

Mains, Solomon G. of Windham (Gorham Quota). 

Moulton, Matthias I. 

Wheeler, William PL H. " 

Eleventh Infantry, mustered in, Nov. 12, 1861 ; mustered out, Feb. 

2, 1866. 

Fitch, Albert K. Williams, Charles F. 

Swett, George W. F. 

Twelfth Infantry, mustered in, Nov. 20, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 
7, 1864. 

Joseph Colby Chaplain. 

Daniel M. Phillips H. Captain. 



E. 


Corp. 


K. 


" 


„ 


Musician. 




Pike, William Q. 




Scott, John 


K. 


Smith. Edward 


'' 


Smiih, James 


C. 


Sturgis, William : 


K. 


Trip, Moses B. 


G. 


Wright, John A. 


B. 







CIVIL 


WAR. 


K. 
I. 


I St Lt, 
2d Lt. 


Prom. capt. in signal corj 


I. 


Sergt. 




C. 
K. 


Corp. 




C. 


" 




K. 




Mayberry, Randall F. G. 
Rice, Arthur K. 


K. 




Smith, James A. K. 


B. 




Whitney, Gershom S. L 



345 



Stephen M. Eaton 
Horace Wilson 
James K. P. Wilson 
Mahlon H. Parker, 
Daniel L. Roberts 
Marshall C. Sturgis 
Chapman, Rufus G. 
Colby, Joseph, Jr. 
Eaton, Charles P. 
Lombard, Blanchard M. 

Thirteenth Infantry, mustered in, Dec. 31, 1861 ; mustered out, 

Jan. 6, 1865. 

Seth C. Gordon Ass't Surgeon. 

Frederick Speed Adjt. Prom. capt. and asst. adjt. gen. of vols. 

John P. Bailey E. Wagoner. 

Bangs, Edwin G. G. Libby, William F. F. 

Gilbert, Lafayette Plummer, Robert E. 

Fourteenth Infantry, mustered in, Dec. 31, 1861 ; mustered out, 
Jan. 13, 1865. 
Croak, John G. Rich, Thomas H. G. 

Fifteenth Infantry, mustered in, Jan. 20, 1862 ; mustered out, July 
5, 1866. 
Daniel P. Rolfe D. Sergt. 



Joseph P. Martin 
Gibbons, Patrick 



Corp. 



Sixteenth Infantry, mustered in, Aug. 14, 1862 ; mustered out June 
4, 1865. 



Joseph B. Baxter 




Ass't Surgeon. 


Thomas E. Wentworth 


F. 


Captain. 


Oliver H. Lowell 


D. 


" of Windham (Gorham Quota). 


George W. Edwards 


B. 


1st Lt. 


John McPhee 


F. 


Sergt. 


William Cannell 


" 


Corp. 


John F, Harding 


" 


" 


Benjamin b . Metcalf 


" 


" 


James S. Thomas 


G. 


, Musician 


Andrews, Abram S. 


F. 


Richardson, Joseph F. 


Blair, Samuel E. 


" 


Smith, David " 


Green, William F. 


" 


Smith, Francis L. " 


Harding, George B. 


" 


Ward, William W. 


Johnson, Albion 


" 


Whitney, Alonzo M. " 


Paul, Frank 






Jordan, Granville B. 


F. 


Wilson, James 



Seventeenth Infantry, mustered in, Aug. 18, 1862 ; mustered out, 
June 4, 1865. 



Almon L. Fogg 


H. 


Captain. 


Cyrus M. Hall 


B. 


Sergt. 


Benjamin F. Bond 


H. 


Corp. 


Alpheus C. Parkhurst 


I. 


" 


Albion P. Stiles 


H. 


" 



346 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Allen, Levi D. 


I. 


Irish, Melville 


I. 


Brown, Freeman 


K. 


Lowe, John 


A. 


Brown, James 1^. 


I. 


McDonald, James G. 




Brown, Joseph M. 


" 


Powers, William 


I. 


Fadden, James L. 


K. 


Rand, Freedom D. 


H. 


Foster, Charles F. 


" 


Richardson, Isaac 


G. 


Hanson, William 


H. 


Roberts, John H. 


I. 


Harris, Charles S. 




Smith, Silas M. 


H. 


Haskell, James E. 


H. 


Strout, William E. 


I. 


Hicks, Ephraim 


" 


White, Charles M. 


" 


Hughes, John 


D. 


Winter, Charles 


H, 



Nineteenth Infantry, mustered 
May 31, 1865. 
Whalen, Edwin A. 

Twentieth Infantry, mustered in, Aug. 29, 
July 16, 1865. 



in, Aug. 25, 1862 ; mustered out, 



1862 ; mustered out, 



Hospital Steward. 

Patrick, Charles P. 
Patrick, Henry C. 
Robinson, Otis S. 
Rounds, Robert B. 
Sanford, Nathan J. 
Sears, James L. 
Smith, Thomas 
Spear, William 
Thompson, Henry 
Usher, Sidney B. 
Webb, Eli 
Whitney, Frank R. 
Wood, Warren H. 



Lewis W. Pendleton, 

Bacon, Isaac E. 

Cannell, Heman 

Cannell, Samuel A. D. 

Cole, William H. A. 

Dunn, Alpha T. 

Dunn, William F. 

Gorman, Thomas F. 

Harding, Edwin S. 

Harding, Frank C. 

Harding, George B. A. 

Harding, Walter 

Hivert, William A. 

Libby, Lewis D. 

Lombard, James 

Twenty-Fifth Infantry, mustered in, Sept. 29, 1862 ; mustered out, 

July 10, 1863. 

Thomas W. Harris 
Asa C. Palmer 
George A. Hunt 
William W. Colley 
Samuel Dingley 
Elias R. Howard 
Joseph S. K. Swett 
fllisha Douglass 
Joseph Files, Jr. 
Enos B. Hale 
Edward Harding 
Ivory Phillips 
Carlyle W. Shaw 
James Phinney, 2d, 
Baker, Andrew 
Billings, Horatio S. 
Blake, Charles H. 
Bragdon, William H. 
Cannell, Barnabas 
Cannell, John J. 
Copp, John F. 
Davis, Daniel W. 
Douglass, Edward K. 



F. 
K. 


Captain. 
2d Lt. 




F. 
K. 


Sergt. 




F. 


" 




F. 


Sergt. 




K. 


Corp. 




F. 


" 




K. 


" 




F. 


" 




K. 


Wagoner. 

Files, Albion P. 
Gilman, John F. 


K. 


" 


Hale, Washington 


F. 


F. 


Hanson, Theodore H. 
Johnson, Daniel 


K 


" 


Kemp, Charles E. 


F. 


K. 


Libby, Alphonso E. 
Libby, Asa 
Libby, Stephen P. 


K. 
F. 





CIVIL WAR. 




K. 


Tyler, James E. 


K. 


F. 


Wallace, John C. 


" 


K. 


Ward, Isaac 


F. 


" 


Warren, Henry A. 


K. 


F. 


Whitney, Ai E. 


" 



347 



Marr, William W. 
Parker, John M., Jr. 
Phinney, Frank 
Spinney, John D. 
Twombly, Wilson M. 

Twenty-Ninth Infantry, mustered in, Dec. 17, 1863 
June 21, 1866. 



mustered out, 



Josiah H. Mower 


I. 


James P. Sutherland 


" 


Daniel D. Delano 


" 


Henry Sanborn 


» 


Carter, Dennis F. 


C. 


Chadbourne, H. A., Jr. 


L 


Day, Albert F. 


K. 


Day, George L. 


" 


Donahue, Jeremiah 


G. 


Dunnell, William 


L 


Knox, John H. 


G. 


Lyon, Hugh 


L 


McMann, Michael 


F. 


Moulton, Matthias 


B. 


Mower, Albion P. 


I. 


Parmenter, Orrin 


" 


Pierce, Edwin D. 


E. 


Robinson, Levi 


L 


Warren, James G. 


B. 


Whitman, Harrison F. 


I. 


Young, Amos 


" 



Sergt. of Greene (Gorham quota). 
Corp. " Lisbon " 

Musician, " Peru " " 

Wagoner, " Greene " " 

of Fryeburg (Gorham quota). 



of Augusta (Gorham quota). 
" Greene " " 

" Garland " " 

" Lewiston " " 



" Greene (Gorham quota) 

" Jackson " " 

" Saco " " 

" Lisbon " " 

of Mexico (Gorham quota). 
" Skowhegan " " 



Thirtieth Infantry, mustered in, Jan. 

D, 1865. 



II, 1864; mustered out, Aug. 



Benjamin F. Libby 


C. 


Sergt. 


George W. Swett 


K. 


" 


Joseph S. K. Swett 


" 


" 


John P. Bailey 


B. 


Wagoner. 


Buck, Theodore E. 


I. 




Cram, Charles G. 


" 




Gilpatrick, William 


C. 




Hale, Washington 


" 




Kelley, William 


" 




Libby, Stephen P. 






Libby, William F. 


B. 




Quigley, Michael 


D. 




Rounds, William H. 


K. 




Wallace, John C. 


I. 




Wentworth, Royal W. 


D. 




Wiswell, Luther, Jr. 


K. 





of Waterboro (Gorham quota), 
of Limington (Gorham quota). 



of Windham (Gorham quota). 

Thirty-First Infantry, mustered in, April, 1864; mustered out, July 

15, 1865. 

Sergt. 
Corp. 

Small, Benjamin K. 



Horatio F. Smith 
Marshall Martin 
Elder, George A. 
Files, William H. 



F. 
C. 
H. 
C. 



Thirty-Second Infantry, mustered in, April, 1864; transferred to, 
and consolidated with the Thirty-First regiment, Dec. 12, 1864. 
Joseph Files, Jr. C. Sergt. 

Files, William H. P. " Smith, William PL H. 

Martin, Marshall " 



348 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



First Maine Cavalry, mustered in, Oct. 31, 1861 ; mustered out, 

Aug. I, 1865. 

Captain. 



Joel Wilson F. 

Thomas C. Webber I. 

Blake, Horace P. E. 

Brackett, Hiram E. A. 

Cannell, John J. F. 

Dresser, Edward E. E. 

Gilman, Fairfield J. " 

Johnson. Albert H. F. 

Kellogg, Charles F. L. 

Richardson, Amos E. 
Richardson, William A. 

Small, Joseph B. 

Warren, Benjamin E. 

Wilson, Horace F. 

Second Cavalr)^ mustered in, Jan. 12, 1864 
6, 1865. 
Fred A. Fuller 
John P. Jordan 
Joseph W. Lee 
George M. Pattingill 
Thomas Connelly 
Shirley Harmon, Jr. 
Isaac Mills 
Brown, Charles 
Hunker, Burton 
Cloudman, Edwin H. 
Dodge, John 
Eastman, Frank H. 
Fisher, William 
Freeman, James E. 
Gilbert, Emery 
Haskell, Nathaniel B. 
Johnson, Edwin S. 
Lindsey, Charles A. 
Lord, John A. 
Morrison. Ellis 
Murray, Patrick 
Patten, Alphonso 
Peacock, Edward, Jr. 
Plummer, Russell C. 
Reeves, George M 
Small, Francis H. 



.of Portland (Gorham quota). 



of Denmark (Gorham quota). 
" Parsonsfield " " 



of Greenbush (Gorham quota). 

" Windham " " 

" Denmark " " 



mustered out, Dec. 



G. 


S( 


jrgt. 


of Bangor (Gorham quota). 


G. 






" " " " 


D. 


S( 


;rgt. 


of Calais (Gorham quota). 
" Pembroke " " 


D. 


G 


orp. 


" " " " 


M. 




" 




G. 




" 


of Bangor (Gorham quota). 


D. 






" Pembroke " " 


G. 






" Bangor " " 


B. 








(i. 






of Oldtown (Gorham quota) 
" Bangor " " 


D. 






" Charlotte 


B. 








G. 






Bath quota. 

of Bangor (Gorham quota). 

" Medford " " 


B. 








D. 






" Perry (Gorham quota). 
" Prescott " " 


G. 






" Bangor " " 


I. 






" Gardiner " 


B. 
G. 
D. 






Lebanon quota. 



1862 ; mustered 



First Maine Heavy Artillery, mustered in, Aug. 21 
out, Sept. II, 1865. 

Paul, Frank G. Whalen, Edwin A. 

Richardson, Isaac, Jr. " 

First Battery Mounted Artillery, mustered in, Dec. 18, 1861 ; 
mustered out, July 15, 1865. 
McCarty, Thomas Spaulding, William M. 

Second Batter)^ mustered in, Nov. 30, 1861 ; mustered out, June 
16, 1865. 
Stevens, John Marshall. 



CIVIL WAR. 849 

Fourth Battery, mustered in, Dec. 21, 1861 ; mustered out, June 
17, 1865. 
Bragdon, William H. 

Fifth Battery, mustered in, Dec. 4, 1861 ; mustered out, July 6, 
1865. 

Edward N. Whittier ist Lt. and brevet captain. 

Charles O. Hunt, " " and brevet captain. 

George W. Whittier Quartermaster Sergt. 
Hunt, Henry H. 

Sixth Battery, mustered in, Jan. i, 1862; mustered out, June 17, 
1865. 

Joseph W. Burke ist Lt. of Lee. 

John G. Deane " " " Portland. 
Moulton, Charles J. Waters, Reuel W. 

Riggs, Charles F. 

First Maine Regiment Veteran Volunteers, organized Sept.' 20, 
1864; mustered out, June 28, 1865. 



Ai Waterhouse 




Ass't Surgeon. 




James F. Harmon 


A. 


Sergt. 




George L. Darling 


" 


Corp. 




Francis, Joseph 


F. 


Lacasse, Charles J. 


F. 


Gilbert, Albert 


A. 


Libby, Tyng S. 


B. 



The following Gorham men also enlisted, but were placed in 
unassigned companies, and owing to the close of hostilities not sent 
to the front. 

Bangs, Charles E. 29th company. Parker, Winfield S. 29th company. 

Clement, William F. 29th " Shaw, Carlyle W. 29th 

Nims, Edward A. 26th " Shaw, Clinton D. W. 29th " 

Parker, John M., Jr. 28th " Turner, Samuel G. 28th 

Gorham also furnished the following men who served in other than 

the State of Maine organizations. 

Adams, A. Egerton Captain in R. L Battery, and Capt. of Troop L., 

ist N. Y. Mounted Rifles. 

Adams, John R. Chaplain of 121st. N. Y. Regt. 

Blake, Frank H. nth U. S. Infantry. 

Bradbury, Charles H. Sergeant in U. S. V. R. Corps. 

Cannell, Marshall Gen. Butler's Body Guard. 

Gary, William H. 13th Mass. Regt. 

Gary, Samuel E. 13th Mass. Regt. 

Coonlcy, George W. ist D. C. Cavalry. 

Conley, Jamt-s B. U. S. Navy. 

Davis, Daniel W. California Cavalry. 

Day, James H. Mass. Regt. 

Douglass, Orman L. California Regt. 

Dyer, Charles F. Mass. Regt. 

Estes, Albert S. 13th Mass. Regt. 

Estes, Oliver Dana 13th Mass. Kegt. 

Farr, Tellis U. S. Colored Troops. 

Gordon Seth C. Surgeon of ist La. Infantry. 

Harding, Josiah 104th Illinois Infantry. 



350 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Howe, Warren 
Jackson, Eliphalet W. 
Johnson, Albert H. 
Johnson, John 
Mann, James 
McLellan, Actor P. 
McLellan, Josiah T. 
McPhee, Francis 
Merritt, George H. 
Meservey, John 
Parkhurst, Alpheus C. 
Patrick, Albert 
Penfield, Charles 
Phillips, James L. 
Potter, George F. 
Richardson, Isaac, Jr. 
Robie, Frederick 
Sanford, John H. T. 
Sawyer, John 
Stackpole, Theodore, Jr. 
Twombly, Wilson M. 
Waterhouse, Ai 
Waterhouse, Horace F. 
Waterhouse, Thomas 
Waterman, Charles F. 
Waters, William G. 
Webber, Thomas C. 
Winship, John O. 
Winters, William G. 
Wormwood, Samuel P. 



U. S. Army. 

Chaplain in U. S. Army. 

U. S. Navy. 

U. S. Navy. 

Major and Paymaster in U. S. Army. 

8th Minn. Regt. 

1st California Cavalry. 

U . S. Navy. 

U. S. Navy. 

U. S. Navy. 

17th U. S. Infantry. 

43d Mass. Regt. 

Lieutenant in U. S. Navy. 

Mass. Regt. 

14th R. I. Heavy Artillery (Col.). 

2d U. S. Sharpshooters. 

Lt. Col. and Paymaster in U. S. Army. 

33d Mass. Regt. 

1st Army Corps, (Hancock's). 

N. Y. Regt. 

29th Mass. Battery, Light Artillery. 

Surgeon of 43d U. S. Colored Troops. 

Mass. Regt. 

Mass. Regt. 

7th Conn. Regt. 

Captain in Mass. Regt. 

Captain in ist D. C. Cavalry. 

Sergeant in Conn. Infantry. 

Mass. Regt. 

R. L Regt. 



The Conscription in Gorham, July 17, 1863. 



Daniel Mosher, 
Edward Crockett, 
Isaac McLellan, 
Toppan Robie, Jr., 
Albion P. Libby, 
John O. Winship, 
George D. Robinson, 
Ivory Libby, 
Henry H. Hunt, 
Matthew Johnson, 
David Patrick, 
David E. Sawyer, 
Daniel D. Plummer, 
Charles B. Fogg, 
Francis Paine, 
Charles Kellogg, 
Levi Hamblen, 
Moses B. Dame, 
Charles El well, 
Moses D. Purinton, 
George F. Pliinney, 
Alvan F. Emery, 
John M. Allen, 
Sylvanus Tuttle, 
John W^ Files, 



John Chester, 
Thomas Irish, 
William H. P. Files, 
Lendall B. Lowell, 
Warren H. Wood, 
Lewis McLellan, 
William H. Shackford, 
Horace A. Cloudman, 
James L. Hall, 
George Patrick, 
Robert Rounds, 
Benjamin L. Harmon, 
Christopher C. Plummer, 
Lorenzo D. Thompson, 
John M. Elden, 
Frank Crockett, 
Charles B. Cotton, 
Alexander Allen, 
Augustus Milliken, 
Charles L. Beck, 
Winfield S. Libby, 
William T. Skillings, 
Joseph F. Shackford, 
Albert Johnson, 



Edward S. Morse, 
Archelaus L. Hamblen, 
Fred A. Morse, 
Rufus A. Fogg, 
Kimball Eastman, 
Richard Willis, 
William McLellan, 
Melville C. l.eighton, 
Daniel W. Greene, 
Sew'ard Wescott, 
Mark F. Fogg, 
William W. Webb, 
Robert P. Jewett, 
John H. F"ogg, 
P^ank P. Frost, 
John Johnson, 
James M. Brown, 
David Files, 
Edmund f Jreene, 
Augustus Sweetsir, 
Silas M. Smith, 
Lewis Lombard, 
Benjamin T. Metcalf, 
Charles E. Bangs. 



Of the above men, one enli.stecl, twenty-six furnished substitutes, 
one paid commutation, and the remainder were exempted. 



CIVIL WAR. 



351 



Drafted, reported and furnished substitutes, for the army. 



NAME OF PRINCIPAL. 


NAME OF SUBSTITUTE. 


RESIDENCE 


Allen, Alexander 


Charles F. Foster 


Portland 


Bangs, Charles E. 


James Wilson 


" 


Crockett, Frank 


John Hennessey 




Fogg, Charles B. 


John Meservey 




Fogg, Mark F. 


Charles S. Harris 


Portland 


Fogg, Rufus A. 


Charles Davis 


" 


Hamblen, Archelaus L. 


James Smiley 


" 


Irish, Thomas 


James L. Fadden 


Turner 


Johnson, Albert, 


John JoJinson 




Johnson, John 


Charles Cole 


Biddeford 


Johnson, Matthew 


William T. Nial 




Libby, Albion P. 


Freeman Grant 




Libby, Ivory 


William Bell 




McLellan, Isaac 


Michael Rooney 




McLellan, Lewis 


Eugene Dunlevy 


Portland 


McLellan, William 


John Clark 




Paine, Francis 


William Henderson 




Plummer, Daniel D. 


Henry Kane 


Portland 


Purinton, Moses D. 


Edward T. Phillips 




Robie, Toppan, Jr. 


George Ricker 




Sawyer, David E. 


Edward Whalen 




Shackford, Joseph F. 


Heniy Clark 


New York 


Shackford, William H. 


John Primrose 


Portland 


Skillings, William T. 


John Brown 


" 


Wescott, Seward 


John Clay 


Boston 


Willis, Richard 


Martin Harrington 


Portland 


Drafted and furnished substitutes, for the 


navy. 


Chase, Albion K. P. 


David Stephenson. 




Elder, Randal J. 


James Graham. 




Hinkley, vStephen, Jr. 


George Tucker. 




Johnson, Charles 


John C. F. West. 




Johnson, Isaac L. 


Charles Forest. 




Libby, Benjamin I. 


John Burnes. 




Parkhurst, Leonard W. 


John Andrews. 




Waterman, John A. 


Edward Newman. 




Watson, Oliver C. 


James Smith. 





Other substitutes furnished by Gorham men. 



NAME OF SUBSTITUTE. 



NAME OF PRINCIPAL. 



Devine, Alphonso 








Clarence E. Buck. 


Fitch, Albert 








Lorenzo D. Files. 


Francis, Joseph 








Almon L. Files. 


Martin, John 








Chas. K. Hinkley. 


McCarty, Thomas 








William H. Johnson. 


O'Brian, Frank 








Daniel Wesc ott. 


Runnells, Perley 








Michael G. Hayden. 


Scott, John 








Josiah B. Webb. 


Smith, Edmund 








Cyrus B. Clay. 


Smith, James 








Chas. E. Wescott. 


Smith, James 








Jonathan S. Whitney. 


Welch, Martin 








Octavus F. Milliken. 


Recruits mustered 


in by 


Provost Marshall. 




NAME. 


DATE OF MUSTER. 


REGIMENT. 


Bacon, Isaac E. 


Apr. 


s. 


1865, 


2Cth Infantry. 


Blake, Horace P. 


Dec. 


ID, 


1863, 


ist Cavalry. 



352 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Bragdon, William H. 
Cannell, Albert 
Cannell, Heman 
Cannell, Jolin J. 
Cannell, Samuel A. 
Carter, Dennis F. 
Cloudman. Edwin H. 
Cole, William H. 
Coonley, George W. 
Crain, Charles G. 
Dresser, Edward 
Dunn, Alpha T. 
Dunn, William F. 
Freeman, James E. 
Gibbons, Patrick 
Gilman, Fairfield J. 
Gorman, Thomas 
Harding, Edwin S. 
Harding, Frank C. 
Harding, George B. 
Harding, Walter 
Hivert, William A. 
Libby, Lewis, 
Libby, Stephen P. 
Lombard, James 
Lord, John A. 
Low, John 

McDonald, James G. 
McMann, Michael 
Moulton, Charles J. 
Nimes, Edward A. 
Parker, John M., Jr. 
Patrick, Charles P. 
Patrick, Henry ('. 
Pierce, Edwin D. 
Plummer, Russell C. 
Potter, George F. 
Quigley, Michael 
Richardson, Amos 
Richardson, William A. 
Robinson, Otis S. 
Rounds, Robert B. 
Sanford, Nathan J. 
Sawyer, John 
Sears, James S. 
Small, Francis H. 
Smith, Thomas 
Spear, William 
Thompson, Henry 
Turner, Samuel G. 
Usher, Sidney B. 
Warren, Benjamin 
Webb, Eli 

Wentworth, Royal W. 
Whitney, Frank R. 
Whitney, Gershom S. 
Wilson, Horace 
Wilson, James K. P. 
Wood, Warren H. 



)ATE 


OF ^ 


USTF 


Oct. 


6, I 


864, 


Mar. 


29. 


865, 


Mar. 


29, ] 


865, 


Sept. 


30. 1 


864, 


Feb. 


14, 1 


865, 


Feb. 


7, I 


865, 


Sept 


30, 


864, 


Mar. 


13' 


865, 


Feb. 


19, 1 


864, 


Sept. 


26, 


864, 


Dec. 


10, 


863, 


Apr. 


5. ' 


865, 


Apr. 


5- 


865, 


Sept. 


30. 


1S65, 


Apr. 


I ', I 


865, 


Dec. 


ID, ] 


863, 


Oct. 


8, 


864, 


Mar. 


25' 


865, 


Mar. 


29, 


1865, 


Feb. 


3- 


865, 


Mar. 


25' 


1865, 


Mar. 


3'' 


865, 


Mar. 




865, 


Mar. 


3I' 


1865, 


Mar. 


25' 


1865, 


Sept. 


30. 


1864, 


Dec. 


I, 


863, 


Apr. 


1 1, 


865, 


Feb. 


6, 


865, 


Sept. 


28, 


1864, 


Mar. 


24' 


1865, 


Mar. 


28. 


1S65, 


Apr. 


II, 


865. 


Apr. 


5' 


865, 


Feb. 


23. 


86 s, 


Sept 


30' 


1S64, 


Oct. 


ID, 


1864. 


Oct. 


7' 


1864, 


Dec. 


ID, 


1863, 


Dec. 


ID, 


1S63. 


Apr. 


II, 


1865, 


Mar. 


29, 


1865, 


Apr. 


I I, 


1865, 


Feb. 


23' 


1865, 


Apr. 


I I, 


iS6s, 


Sept 


3O' 


1864, 


Oct. 


4, 


1864, 


Oct. 


4, 


1864, 


Mar. 


14' 


1865, 


Mar. 


28, 


1865, 


Mar. 


3I' 


1865, 


Dec. 


10, 


1863, 


Mar. 


29, 


1865, 


Feb. 


7, 


1865, 


Mar. 


25' 


1865, 


Mar. 


7. 


1865, 


Sept 


26, 


1864, 


Mar. 


13' 


1865, 


Apr. 


5' 


1865, 



REGIMENT. 

4th Battery. 
20th Infantry. 

1st Cavalry. 
20th Infantry. 
29th Infantry. 
2d Cavalry. 
20th Infantry, 
ist D. C. Cavalry. 
30th Infantry. 
I St Cavalry. 
20th Infantry. 

2d Cavalry. 
I 5th Infantry. 
1st Cavalry. 
20th Infantry. 



30th Infantry. 
20th Infantry. 
2d Cavalry. 
17th Infantry. 

29th Infantry. 

6th Battery. 

26th Unassigned Infantry. 

28th Infantry. 

20th Infantry. 

29th Infantry. 

2d Cavalry. 

14th R. I.H. Art. (Col.) 

30th Infantry. 

1st Cavalry. 

20th Infantry. 

1st Army Corps(Hancock's) 
20th Infantry. 
2d Cavalry. 
20th Infantry. 



28th Unassigned Infantry. 

20th Infantry. 

1st Cavalry. 

20th Infantry. 

30th Infantry. 

20th Infantry. 

1 8th Una.ssigned Infantry. 

ist Cavalry. 

1 8th Unassigned Infantry. 

20th Infantry. 



THE soldiers' MONUMENT. 353 

Early in October, 1865, Hon. Toppan Robie sent to several prom- 
inent citizens of Gorham a letter, offering to have erected, at his own 
expense, a suitable monument ; to be in commemoration of those 
who had perished in battle, or died of wounds, in the Civil War ; to 
be placed in front of the Town House. As a result of this, a town 
meeting was held on the Sth of November, at which the town accepted 
the proposition, and presented their thanks to Mr. Robie. 

This monument was dedicated, with appropriate exercises, Oct. 
18, 1866. On it are the following inscriptions : — 

Captain Almon L. Fogg, 17th Maine Regiment, mortally wounded at Gettys- 
burg, Pa., July 3d, 1863, died July 4th, aged 24. 

Captain Oliver H. Lowell, i6th Maine Regiment, mortally wounded at Gettys- 
burg, Pa., July 1st, 1863, died July 2, 1863. aged t,;^. 

Captain Daniel M. Phillips, I2tli Maine Regiment, killed at Winchester, Va., 
Sept. 19, 1864, aged 28. 

Captain Chester B. Shaw, 9th Maine Regiment, killed at Fort Wagner, S. C, 
July iS, 1S63, aged 25. 

Lieutenant George W. Edwards, 16th Maine Regiment, killed at Fredericks- 
burg, Va., Dec. 13, 1862, aged 22. 

Sergeant Joseph Files, Jr., 32d Maine Regiment, killed at Spottsylvania, Va., 
May 12, 1864, aged 30. 

Sergeant John McPhee, i6th Maine Regiment, killed at Petersburg, Va., Apr. 

2, 1865, aged 35. 

Sergeant Charles H. Patrick, 5th Maine Regiment, died at Washington, D. C, 

July 3, 1864, aged 28. 
Sergeant Horatio F. Smith, 31st Maine Regiment, died at Gorham, Aug. 28, 

1864, aged 19. 
Corporal William Cannell, Jr., i6th Maine Regiment, killed at Gettysburg, Pa.. 

July I, 1863, aged 30. 
Corporal Shirley Harmon, Jr., 2d Maine Cavalry, died at Gorham, Oct. 28, 1864, 

aged 18. 
Corporal Benjamin F. Metcalf, i6th Maine Regiment, died'at Gorham, June 24, 

1863, aged 20. 
Corporal Henry H. Newell, 5th Maine Regiment, died at Ale.xandria, Va., Nov. 

28, 1861, aged 21. 
Corporal Mahlon H. Parker, 12th Maine Regiment, killed at Port Hudson, La., 

May 31, 1863, aged 22. 
Sergeant Cyrus M. Hall, 17th Maine Regiment, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 

3, 1863, aged 22. 

Sergeant Wm. H. Johnson, 9th Maine Regiment, died at Gorham, Feb. 15, 

1866, aged 44. 
Corporal Morris F. Bumpus, 5th Maine Regiment, wounded at Spottsylvania, 

Va., May 10, died May 12, 1864, aged 29. 
Corporal John F. Harding, i6th Maine Regiment, wounded at Hatcher's Run, 

Va., Feb. 5, died Feb. 21, 1865, aged 22. 
Corporal Daniel L. Roberts, 12th Maine Regiment, died at Ship Island, Miss., 

May 15, 1862, aged 25. 
Corporal George S. Reed, 5th Maine Regiment, died at Westbrook, Me., Apr. 

27, 1864, aged 48. 
Corporal Charles M. Ward, 5th Maine Regiment, killed at Spottsylvania, Va., 

May 12, 1864, aged 23. 
Abram S. Andrews, ifith Maine Regiment, died in Libby Prison, Richmond, 

Va., Nov. 2, 1863, aged 21. 
James B. Brown, 17th Maine Regiment, died at Fredericksburg, Md., Aug. i, 
1863, aged 21. 



354 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Freeman Brown. 17th Maine Regiment, died at Baltimore, Md., Apr. 21, 1865, 

aged 34. 
Franklin H. Blake, iith U. S. Infantry, wounded at Spottsylvania, Va., May 8, 

died May 9. 1 864, aged 20. 
Geo. W. Coonley, Baker's D. C. Cavalry, died at Augusta, Me., Mar. i, 1864, 

aged 18. 
William F. Dunn, 20th Maine Regiment, died at Cape Elizabetli, Me., Apr. 14, 

1865, aged 19. 
Peter Duffey, 5th Maine Regiment, killed at Petersburg, Va., June 20, 1864, 

aged 22. 
Ormond L. Douglass, ist California Cavalry, killed at Fort Laramie, Kansas, 

Oct., 1864, aged 23. 
Alonzo S. Elder, 5th Maine Regiment, wounded at Rappahannock, Va., Nov. 

8, died Nov. 10, 1863, aged 23, 
Albert S. Estes, 13th Mass. Regiment, killed at Manassas, Va., Aug. 29, 1862, 

aged 25. 
Ephraim Hicks, 17th Maine Regiment, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863, 

aged 21. 
James E. Haskell, 17th Maine Regiment, killed at Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 

13, 1862, aged 20. 
Joseph D. Harmon, 5th Maine Regiment, killed at Gaines Mill, Va., June 27, 

1862, aged 22. 
Lewis Libby, 20th Maine Regiment, died at Philadelphia, Pa., July 7, 1865, 

aged 20. 
Solomon Mains, loth Maine Regiment, wounded at Antietam, Md., Sept. 17, 

died Sept. 18, 1862, aged 37. 
Geo. H. Merrett, 5th Maine Regiment, killed at St. Charles, Ark., June 13, 

1862, aged 22. 

William Powers, 17th Maine Regiment, died at Washington, D. C, Jan. n, 

1863, aged 20. 

Chas. F. Riggs, 6th Maine Battery, killed at Petersburg, Va., Dec. 5, 1864, aged 

24. 
John H. Roberts, 17th Maine Regiment, wounded at Spottsylvania, Va., May 

12, died Aug. 15, 1S64, aged 45. 

Emery Rolfe, 5th Maine Regiment, died at Governor's Island, N. Y., Nov. 2, 

1862, aged 20. 
Freedom D. Rand, 17th Maine Regiment, wounded at the Wilderness, Va., 

May 6, died May 7, 1864, aged 23. 
Joseph Small, ist Maine Cavalry, wounded and prisoner, Aug., 1864, died in 

Rebel prison, aged 20. 
Francis PL Small, 2d Maine Cavalry, died at Barancas, Fla., Sept. 5, 1865, 

aged 21. 
William M. Spaulding, ist Maine Battery, died at New Orleans, La., July 5. 

1864, aged 45. 

James A. Smith, 12th Maine Regiment, died at New Orleans, La., May 27, 

1862, aged 19. 

William H.Smith, 32d Maine Regiment, died at New Haven, Conn., Sept. 19, 

1864, aged 32. 

John M. Stevens, 2d Maine Battery, died at Baltimore, Md., Jan. 4, 1S65, aged 

21. 
Silas M. Smith, 17th Maine Regiment, died at Washington, D. C, May 24, 

1865, aged 29. 

Moses B. Tripp, 9th Maine Regiment, died at Fernandina, Fla., Aug. 6, 1862, 

aged :i:,. 
William \V. Ward, i6th Maine Regiment, died at Annapolis, Md., Oct. 20, 

1863, aged 19. 

Chas. F. Waterman, 7th Connecticut Regiment, died at Fort Pulaski, Ga., 

June 5, 1862, aged iS. 
Alonzo M. Whitney, i6th Maine Regiment, killed at Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 

13, 1862, aged 18. 



THE soldiers' MONUMENT. 355 

G. Sumner Whitney, 12th Maine Regiment, died at vSavannah, Ga., May 11, 

1865, aged 20. 
Charles Williams, nth Maine Regiment, died at Meredan Hill, 1). C., Apr. 10, 

1862, aged 41. 
Chas. H. Paine, ist Maine Regiment, died at Gorham, May 25, 1S66, aged 24. 
Reverend John R. Adams, D. D., died April 25, 1866, aged 64, of disease 

resulting from devoted service during the rebellion as Chaplain of the 5th 

Maine, and 121st New York Regiments. 

In our late war with Spain the following enlisted from Gorham : 
First Maine Infantry. 

Libby, Henry. 

Battery E, 2d U. S. Artillery. 

Bolton, Ralph. Harding, George. 

Fifield, Claud. Perkins, James. 

Hanscomb, Walter G. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

NAILS CLOCKS — VELOCIPEDE ORGANS BUTTON-HOLE MACHINE 

MECHANICAL INVENTIONS CARPET WEAVING TANNERIES 

OTHER MANUFACTURES. 

After Eliphalet Watson left his farm, somewhere about the year 
1805, the buildings were occupied by a Mr. Sleeper, who was a nail 
maker. His business was the manufacturing of wrought nails for 
building purposes, and it is probable that here was about the last 
place where the business was carried on in this part of the country. 
Cut nails had begun to come into fashion, and the manufacturing of 
them was commenced by Mr. Valentine at Saccarappa at this time, 
or soon after. The making of wrought iron nails was a laborious 
business, taken from the commencement. Iron did not then come in 
a size and shape adapted to the manufacture of any article the smith 
might wish to make. Nail rods were not known. When small iron 
for light work was required, it had to be spilt out by hand with a 
cold-chisel from large bars of Russia and Swedish iron. The work of 
reducing a large bar of Russia iron to shingle-nails by hand-labor, 
and in sufficient quantities for building houses is hard to think of at 
this day. 

About the year 1808 Mr. Samuel Edwards came here from Ashby, 
Mass., and for many years carried on the manufacture of wooden 
clocks in this village. His clocks were excellent timekeepers, though 
now out of date. Afterwards Mr. Edwards moved to Portland, and 
went into the iron-foundry business. 

About the year 1820 an attempt was made to manufacture a 
velocipede in Gorham. The idea was suggested by a rough wood- 
cut in an English magazine which had come into the possession of 
some one in the village. A number of men subscribed small sums 
toward defraying the expense, and Mason Frost and George Hight 
undertook its construction ; their only guide being the picture and its 
description in the book. The machine was built in the shop after- 
wards owned by Capt. Bailey, and which at that time stood close to 
the street, but was moved back about 1840 to its present location in 
Alfred Bailey's yard. Mason Frost, who was a carriage maker, got 



MECHANICAL INVENTIONS. 357 

out the frame and wheels, while George Hight undertook the iron 
work. 

The machine consisted of a stout piece of white oak, supported at 
each end by a sturdy oak wheel. The rider sat astride of this back- 
bone, and propelled the vehicle by striking his toes against the 
ground. There were no pedals or other machinery to it. It was 
steered by an iron bridle, attached to the forward wheel ; and, as 
represented, was able to go up hill as fast as an active man could 
walk, while it could speed down a moderate slope at the rate of about 
ten miles an hour, and on level ground nearly as fast. At last the 
thing was completed, and a trial was made of it in the presence of 
a throng of interested spectators, but no one could do much with it, 
excepting to amuse the crowd. At this time there was no saddle or 
seat on it, but one was afterwards added. Frost was the only one 
able to make any headway at all on level ground, and he but little, 
while as to riding up hill, it was no go. The velocipede was finally 
stowed away in some corner, and the experiment abandoned. 

The hrst organs made in the State of Maine were made in Gorham, 
about the year 1825, by Mr. Calvin Edwards. He was a very ingenious 
man. Afterwards, he moved to Portland where he in company with 
his son and William Twombly manufactured pianos quite extensively. 

Though the machine for working button-holes was not really 
invented in Gorham, the first one was made here. A Mr. Humphrey 
came here to Elden Gamman, bringing patterns and drawings ; 
Mr. Gamman being one of the best machinists in the country. They 
went to work together, made, and set up the first machine of the kind 
ever made in this part of the country. Humphrey took out a patent, 
and in Boston sold a half-interest for seventy-five thousand dollars ; 
created a stock company for its manufacture, and was made president 
and managing agent at a handsome salary. 

About the year 1826 Mr. Edmund Gamman of Gorham invented a 
machine for cutting brads with a head. This machine he disposed 
of to a Mr. Noyes, at Little Falls, as a kind of partner, to procure a 
patent on the same. Mr. Noyes after procuring the patent sold it, 
and Mr. Gamman never received one cent for his interest. It was a 
great machine for the time, though improvements have since been 
made. 

Edward Brown about the 3'ear 1846 owned and carried on the saw 
and grist mill above Fort Hill, situated on Little River. He first 



358 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

originated the idea of a mowino; machine. He was a very ingenious 
man, but poor, and destitute of a mechanical education, and with a 
lack of proper tools. At that time there was no such thing talked of 
as a mowing machine. Still, Mr. Brown went to work to get up one. 
Most of his gearing was of wood. His iron work was done by a 
common country blacksmith, and did not work kindly. His knives 
were in shape somewhat like those in present use, only longer and 
more pointed. The principle of their working was precisely like that 
of the present day. Mr. Brown's situation did not allow of his 
devoting much of his time to the machine, consequently its progress 
was slow. One day when he was from home, a stranger called and 
requested of Mr. Brown's brother the favor of examining a curious 
machine he understood they were making. He was allowed to 
examine it, and it was noticed that he was very particular in his 
examination, and even measured a number of the parts before taking 
his leave. Two years after Brown commenced his, a machine came out 
in Massachusetts, precisely like his in principle, so much so that it 
was evident that his was taken as a pattern on which to work and 
improve. This machine was patented. But to Edward Brown, then 
of Gorham, really belongs the honor of being the inventor of the 
mowing machine. 

About the year 1827 Hugh Gilroy came to Gorham with his 
family. He was from the North of Ireland: a weaver by trade. He 
fitted up a small shop at West Gorham, opposite the house of the 
Rev. James Lewis, and commenced weaving ingrain carpeting, 
damask table-covers and bedspreads. It was quite a curiosity at that 
time. This was the first ingrain carpet weaving that was done in the 
State of Maine. At the time there was a small establishment of this 
kind at Dover, N. H. The manufacture of carpet warp and filling 
was in its infancy in New England. Gilroy \s carpets were woven 
from materials of domestic manufacture, furnished by those ordering 
the goods, and woven to order. The story is told of a certain 
Gorham woman who hired Mr. Gilroy to weave her a carpet, he 
finding the warp and she the yarn for the filling. When she received 
the carpet, it seemed to her that Mr. G. had cheated her and not used 
all her yarn. So she went to work and ravelled the entire carpet, to 
get out the filling and weigh it; only to find that her yarn was all 
there, and that she had lost her carpet. 

Mr. Gilroy's situation at West Gorham not being to his liking, he 
built a building on the Flaggy Meadow road, opposite the house 



CARPET WEAVING. 359 

formerly occupied by Mr. Seth Hersey, where he somewhat enlarged 
his business. From there he moved his building to Gorham village, 
on to what is now called Water St. Being poor and not able to keep 
up with the improvements of the times in machinery, and not meeting 
with the success he expected, he sold out his factoiy to John 
Parington, about the year 1832. Mr. Gilroy's son Patrick tells me 
(1875) that his father hardly had a settled residence after he left this 
town. He w-as an ingenious man, and got up many patents and 
improvements in machinery for weaving, some of which he sold for 
large sums ; but was always poor. In attempting to cross the Niagara 
River into Canada, about the year 1847, he lost control of his boat, 
was caught in the current, and carried over the Falls. His body was 
found, much mutilated, below the Falls, and buried on the American 
side. When he left Gorham he had a wife, four sons and three 
daughters — to-day his son says, " I have neither father nor mother, 
sister nor brother. My wife and my three children are dead. I 
have not a relative on the face of the earth that I know of ; certainly 
none in America, and I am sixty-six years old." 

Mr. Parington made some improvement in the machinery. He 
carried on the business but a short time ; his health failing, he sold 
out to Gen. James Irish and his son Isaac Irish about the year 1835. 
They built a large building on the opposite side of the street into 
which they put the best machinery of the day, most of which was 
made by Elden Gamman of Gorham. Mr. Parington dying in 1836, 
the company employed Robert Lowrey, an experienced carpet weaver, 
as their foreman. Lowrey was from Ireland, and had worked at the 
business several years in Lowell, Mass. He did not remain with 
them long. He finally purchased the Gilroy factory, and went into 
business by himself. His house and factory were destroyed by fire 
in 1844. 

The new factory went into the hands of Messrs. Emery and 
Jameson, and finally to Daniel C. Emery, Esq., who ran it awhile. 
The busines becoming poor, the building w^as cleared out, and made 
into dwelling houses. 

David H. McKenney opened a factory at the junction of the two 
Portland roads, where he manufactured carpets for a few years. 
The late Dea. Marshall Irish owned and ran a small factory a few 
years since, where he made a good article at a fair price. 

There has been a large amount of carpeting manufactured in 
Gorham, since the business was first started in 1827 ; but the 
business from various reasons as a whole has not been a success. 



360 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

For some years after the settlement of the town it was the custom 
for almost every house-holder each fall to kill a " beef creature," and 
have the skin tanned to make shoes for his family. 

Probably the iirst tanners in Gorham were William Cotton and his 
brother John. Their father, Dea. William Cotton of Falmouth, was a 
tanner, and it seems reasonable to suppose that the sons learned 
their trade of him. William Cotton lived above Fort Hill on the 
thirty acre lot 65, on the back end of which he had his tan-yard, 
where he tanned the cowhides and calf skins of his neighbors. This 
yard has entirely disappeared. The entrance to it was by a two-rod 
road (now discontinued) running west from the Fort Hill road, 
between lots 65 and 121. 

In a Gorham tax bill for 1792 we find the names "Hunt the 
tanner," and " Clark, tanner." As this is the iirst mention of either 
man's name, the probability is that they both came to town about 
this time. 

Capt. Oliver Hunt in 1794 purchased the thirty acre lot 18 on 
South St. His tan yard and buildings were at the western end of 
where the present railroad bridge now is, and when the railroad was 
built and the cut made all traces of his yard disappeared. Capt. 
Hunt had here a mill to grind his bark. This consisted of an 
upright round stone standing on its edge, revolving on an axle, and 
slowly crushing the bark beneath it as it was drawn around by an old 
horse. Although doing a good business, Capt. Hunt's yard was but 
a small affair compared to one of our modern yards. 

Previous to the year 1805 Joseph Cressey, who lived on the thirty 
acre lot 53, carried on the tanner's business near his house, and here 
the remains of his old tan pits are still to be seen. 

Moses Clark had his establishment where the Hinkley tannery 
is now located, where with his son, John R. Clark, he carried on the 
business until his death in 1824. About that time Gen. James Irish 
hired this tannery, and ran it for a few years. In 1832 Stephen 
Hinkley purchased the yards and building of the Clark heirs. 

In the year 1828 Gen. Irish built a large building for a tannery 
on the spot where the corn shop lately stood, and sank a number of 
tan pits. Into this building he put two bark mills, a grindstone, 
a fulling mill, a circular saw, a turning lathe, a polishing machine, a 
double carding machine, a picker, a shearing machine, and starch 
making machine, consisting of a grater, a washer and ten stirrers. 
Gen. Irish then constructed artificial ponds, supplying a column of 
water three inches by five in size, which falling on a wheel twenty- 



TANNERIES. 361 

five feet in diameter drove his machinery. This estabh'shment was 
afterwards converted into a corn packing factory, and was destroyed 
by fire in 1871. 

There was a tan yard on the east side of School St., just north of 
the house now occupied by Mrs. Martha Harmon. Here the tanning 
business was carried on by John Wilson and William Hasty. The 
remains of this yard were to be seen until very lately. 

Humphrey Pike came from Scarborough to Gorham about 1828. 
Here, he lived some rods east of the Chas. Moulton place, on the 
rising ground west of the river. He was a tanner, and had his tan 
pits on the fiat ground near the river. House and tan pits have long 
since disappeared. 

Among other branches of business that were once carried on quite 
extensively in Gorham were coopering, soap making, the manufactur- 
ing of pottery, the making of hats, tinware manufacturing, cabinet 
making, tool making, and the manufacturing of cotton shirting and 
sheeting at Little Falls. 

The making of barrel and hogshead shooks for shipment to the 
West Indies was at one time a large business at the village and gave 
employment to many men. At one time there were ten cooper-shops 
scattered about the village. The first hatter in town was John 
Dickey. John Darling and Joseph Hunt made hats here for many 
years, while Hezekiah Brown carried on their manufacture at West 
Gorham. George Hight made curriers' knives, hoes and garden 
tools. Elden Gamman, in his machine shop, manufactured lathes, 
planing machines, etc., and was a workman of rare skill and ability. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

FIRE INSURANCK COMPANIES SECRET SOCIETIES. 

The first insurance company organized in Gorham was the Maine 
Mutual Fire Insurance Company, which was incorporated in 1828, 
Its first president was Capt. Toppan Robie, and its first secretary, 
Jacob S. Smith, Esq. This company about 1844 or '45 built and 
used as its offices the brick building, now occupied by the Gorham 
Saving's Bank, and also used by John A. Waterman, Esq. for his law 
office. The old wooden building, which occupied this location and 
was removed to make room for the new one, now stands between 
Hinkley's tannery and the old Rust house. It was once a tin-shop, 
later used by James Swett for a shoe-shop : afterwards Sarah and 
Abbie McLellan traded in it, and at one time Susan King kept a lit- 
tle store there. 

The Farmers' and Mechanics' Mutual Fire Insurance Company 
was incorporated by the Legislature, Feb. 25, 1839, with the follow- 
ing members: — Stephen Webb, Jr., Josiah Pierce, Chas. Hunt, 
Seward Merrill, Rvifus Morrill, Jonathan Hanson, William Silla, 
Daniel C. Emery, Saul C. Higgins, Uaniel Clarke, Robert Johnson, 
Jr., Joseph Hamblin and Joshua Moulton. At the time that the old 
Longfellow store was burned in 1845, this company had its office in 
the upper story. Dr. S. W. Baker was then its secretary. After- 
wards the company had its office in Daniel C. Emery's oftice. Josiah 
Pierce, Esq. was for many years its secretary. 

In 1 86 1 there was incorporated what was known as " The Gorham 
Farmers' Club.'' This company was organized for the purpose of 
insuring the property of farmers against loss by fire. 

The first effort toward forming a Lodge of Masons in Gorham. was 
made in 1815, when Rev. Reuben Nason, Col. Samuel Stephenson, 
Capt. James Codman, Seth Webb, Esq., Lieut. Timothy Bacon and 
Daniel Hunt of Gorham, together with James Woodman of Buxton, 
Benjamin Poland of Standish, .Archelaus Lewis and Nathaniel Par- 
tridge of ^^■estbrook, met at Mr. Nason's house, and after agreeing to 
petition the Grand Lodge of Mass., for a charter, chose Mr. Nason 
to draw up such a paper. Nothing further was done in this direc- 
tion until Nov., 182 1, when Reuben Nason, Samuel Stephenson, 



SECRET SOCIETIES. 363 

James Codman, Seth Webb, Daniel Hunt, Nathaniel Partridge, 
Daniel Thompson, George Small, Henry Babb, John Warren, 
Nathaniel Warren and John Bixby met at the house of Capt. Daniel 
Hunt. They there organized themselves into a Lodge, of which they 
chose Reuben Nason, Master; Daniel Thompson, Sr. Warden, and 
Samuel Stephenson, Jr. Warden, and agreed to procure Stephen 
Foster of Portland to deliver some Masonic Lectures. A petition for 
a charter was drawn up, and signed by Reuben Nason, Daniel 
Thompson, Samuel Stephenson, James Codman, Daniel Hunt, James 
Haskell, Seth Webb, Archelaus Lewis, Nathaniel Partridge. Benja- 
min Poland, Simon Cutter, Nathaniel Warren, Joshua Berry, Aaron 
Winslow, Timothy Bacon, Rufus Rich, Henry Babb, Geo. Small, 
Lewis Pease, John Bixby, Levi Towle, Luther Fitch and John War- 
ren, to be presented by Mr. Nason to the next session of the Grand 
Lodge. 

The Charter of Harmony Lodge, No. 38, was granted Jan. 22, 
1822, signed by Simon Greenleaf, Grand Master. The new Lodge 
held its first meeting, Feb. i, 1822, at the house of Capt. Daniel 
Hunt, and chose Rev. Reuben Nason, Master; Capt. Daniel Thomp- 
son, Sr. Warden; Col. Samuel Stephenson, Jr. Warden, and Seth 
Webb, Esq., Sec. The trustees of Gorham Academy having decided 
to finish the hall of the Academy, Harmony Lodge hired the use of 
it, for their meetings, at thirty dollars a year. 

In January, 1823, the State Legislature incorporated Harmony 
Lodge, and on the fifth of the following September it was consecrated 
and installed by the Grand Lodge under Simon Greenleaf. The 
public exercises were held in the Congregational church and were 
attended by a large number of people. 

At the time of the Morgan excitement, about 1830, the Gorham 
Lodge suspended its meetings, returned its Charter to the Grand 
Lodge, and ceased all operations until 1849, when the Lodge obtained 
its Charter and jewels, and proceeded to reorganize with Josiah Pierce, 
Esq., as Master. Since that tnne to the present. Harmony Lodge 
has continued to thrive and prosper. For many years the hall used 
by the Lodge for its meetings was the one owned by Daniel C. 
Emeiy, but in 1875 land was purchased on the corner of Main and 
School Sts., and the present fine Masonic block erected. 

Among the Worthy Masters of Harmony Lodge have been the 
following : — Reuben Nason, Samuel Stephenson, Josiah Pierce, 
George L. Darling, William Silla, William Burton, Merrill Thomas, 
Thomas J. Hasty, Jonathan L Stevens, Daniel C. Emery, George 



364 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Goolcl George VV. Lowell. John G. Watson, George W. Butler, Eli 
Morton, Henr^- R. Millett, Kimball Eastman, William Hasty, John 
A. Hinkley, William H. Usher, William P. Watson, Fred W. Hard- 
ing, John W. Jordan, Arthur H. Stanwood, Theodore Shackford. 
Cornelius N. Hayes, Charles H. Ridlon, Everett P. Hanson, Moses 
E. Little and Charles E. Cobb. 

Gorham Grange was chartered Nov. 2, 1874, with the following 
as members : — William Wescott, 2d., Edward D. Horton, Eli Morton, 
Zebulon Whitney, Mark Mosher, Charles A. Brackett, Rufus A. Fogg, 
Benjamin Waterhouse, James G. Larrabee, Gardner M. Parker, 
Charles W. Deering, Reuben Lowell, William E. Files, Charles F. 
Merrill, Charles Johnson, Matthew Johnson, George W. Sanborn, 
Hubbard Wilson, Charles Horton, Richard Willis, Martha A. Wescott, 
Lois H. Horton, Sarah M. Parker, Mary J. Fogg, Elizabeth Larrabee, 
Rose A. Johnson, Martha Johnson, Julia Files, Mrs. Eli Morton, 
Mrs. Charles A. Brackett. 

The Grange was organized with the following officers : — 

Master, William Wescott. Secretary, G. M. Parker. 

Overseer, Edward I). Horton. Gate Keeper, Reuben Lowell. 

Lecturer, Chas. W. Deering. Geres, Mrs. M. A. Wescott. 

Steward, Chas. A. Brackett. Pomona, Mrs. G. M. Parker. 

Asst. Steward, Chas. F. Merrill. Flora, Mrs. Martha A. Johnson. 

Chaplain, Eli Morton. Lady Asst. Steward, Lois H. Horton. 
Treasurer, Chas. Johnson. 

Dirigo Lodge, No. 21, Knights of Pythias, which is the Gorham 

Lodge, was organized Aug. 29, 1879, with thirty-six charter members 

— the largest charter membership of any Lodge organized up to that 

time. The first officers of the new Lodge were : 

P. C. Stephen P. Libby. 

C. C. Herbert G. Files. 

V. C. Stephen W. Carle. 

P. Samuel Garland. 

M. of F. Fred D. Irish. 

M. of E. Wm. F. Chadbourne. 

K. of R. & S. Chas. W. Harding. 

M. at A. Henry L. Morrill. 

I. G. Calvin Russell. 

O. G. James C. Alexander. 

Trustees. Stephen Hinkley, Sumner C. Bolton, Kimball Eastman. 

Representatives to Grand Lodge. John C. Summersides, Stephen P. Libby. 

The Knights of Pythias are not a charitable, but a beneficial 
organization. The Society agrees to pay a certain amount per week 
in case of sickness of a member, watchers are provided for sick mem- 
bers if necessary, and a funeral benefit is paid in case of death. 
Special benefits are allowed to members who are poor, and to widows 



SOCIETIES. 



365 



and orphans of deceased members. All expenses are met by a 
membership fee and yearly dues. 

Uirigo Lodge since its organization has paid out for sick and 
funeral benefits, watching and donations, fifty-five hundred dollars. 
Aid has also been rendered to members of other Lodges to a large 
amount. The present membership is one hundred. Twenty mem- 
bers have died since the Lodge was organized. 

Gorham Lodge, No. 98, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was 
chartered by the Grand Lodge of Maine. This Lodge was instituted 
Jan. 15, 1883, with all the powers and privileges of a subordinate 
lodge. Its Charter Members were : — 

Levi H. Bean, W. H. H. Bryant, Charles F. Clement, Joseph H. 
Coburn, Herbert G. Files, William Hasty, Walter Harding, Charles 
H. Lowell, L. R. Morrell, Gardner M. Parker, John G. Watson, 
William P. Watson, William H. Usher. 

The Gorham Post — John R. Adams Post No. loi — of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, belonging to the Department of Maine, was 
organized June 16, 1884. 

CHARTER MEMBERS. 
NAME. RANK IN ARMY. 

I Henry R. Millett, Commander. Lieut. Col., 5th. Maine. 

Colman Harding, S. V. " " " 9th. " 

ijolin C. Summersides, J. V. Com. ist Lieut., 5th. " 

iGeorge F. Small, Officer of the Day. ist Sergt., 17th. " 
Frank C. Harding, " " " Guard. Private, 20th. " 

" 1st. Cal. Cav 



josiah T. McLellan, Quarter Master. 

Joseph Colby, Chaplain. 

'Theodore Shackford, Adjt. 
Albert W. Lincoln, Surgeon. 
'Stephen P. Libby, Sergt. Major. 
iGeorge L. Day, Q. M. Sergt. 

Elisha Douglass. 
Andrew Kane. 

James S. Thomas. 

Thomas M. McDonough. 

John D. Spinney. 

k. A. Burnell. 

John Houston. 

H. S. Billings. 

Frank E. Demerritt. 



3. 1897-) 
Chaplain, 12th. Maine. 



Corpl., 
Private, 



Corpl., 
Private, 

Navy. 
Private, 
Corpl., 
Private, 



5th. 
28th. 
25th. 
29th. 
25th. 
1 2th. 

1 6th. 



Died May 
(Died Sept. 6, 



Card. 
(Died Mar. 13, 

Card. 



■Edward Harding. 
Henry E. Sweetsir. 
A. K. P. Marston. 
'Walter Harding. 



Corpl., 

JOINED SINCE ORGANIZATION. 

Private, 25th. Maine. 

" 31st. " 

" 20th. 



25th. " 
27th. " 

27th. " Card. 

25th. " 
ist. N. H. Battery. Card. 



1 Past Commanders of John R. Adams Post No. 101, G. A. R. 



366 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Levi S. Pierce. 
Albert Patrick. 
William IIa.sty. 
Hiram Berry. 
Geo. W. Pillsbury. 
Stillman Mall. 
'Marshall C. Sturgis. 
Lorenzo E. Ridlon. 
Joseph B. Hanson. 
George B. Gustin. 
John C. Wallace. 
John W. Sanborn. 
Daniel W. Davis. 
Geo. E. Bartlett. 
iB. F. Whitney. 
Samuel C. Hoyt. 
iM. C. Burnell. 
William E. Strout. 
Nathan Lane, Jr. 
I zFrederick Robie. 
'Henry W. Hale. 

Geo. M. Floyd. 
Lendall A. Libby. 
Actor T. McLellan. 
L. H. Winslow. 
Joseph James. 
'William Merrill. 
George H. Motley. 



(Died Nov. 3, 1887 ) 
(Died Mar. 26, 18S9.) 

(Died June jo, 1900.) 
(Died June 16, 1899.) 



50th. Me. 



1st. Lieut., 51st. U. S. C. Infantry. 
Private, 43d. Mass. 

" 1st. Maine. 

1 2th. " 
Sergt., 1 2th. " 
Private, Battery. 
Corpl., 12th. Maine. 
Private, 12th. 

30th. " 
Private, 9th. Me. 
30th. " 
5th. " 

" 25th. " 
Musician, 3d. Me., also 
ist. Lieut., loth. Me. 
Private, 9th. Me. 
Signal Corps, 9th. Me. 
Private, 17th. Me. 

" 9th. " 

Paymaster, U. S. V. 1861-1865. 
Q. M. Sergt., 2d. Mass. Cav. (Died Aug. 21, 

1897.) 
Private, 30th. Me. 

" 31st. " Card. (Died July 19, 1899). 
" 8th. Minn. 

" 1 2th. Me. 

4th. N. PL (Died May 6, 1S93). 
1st. Lieut., 5th. Me. 
Private, Unasigned Infantry. 



On Decoration Day, 1884, Mrs. Sarah E. Holden, in memory of 
her adopted brother Joseph D. Harmon, presented the John R. 
Adams Post with a beautiful silk banner having the name of the Post 
inscribed upon it. The ceremony took place in the square in front 
of the store of F. H. Emery. The presentation speech was made by 
Judge John A. Waterman, to which Col. Henry R. Millett responded 
for the Post, and handed the colors to the color bearer, Horatio S. 
Billings. Subsequently, a vote of thanks was extended to Mrs. 
Holden, and she was elected an honorary member of the Post. 

John R. Adams Relief Corps, auxiliary to the Grand Army of the 
Republic, was organized Oct. 24, 1888, with twenty-five Charter 
Members. Mrs. M. Antoinette Millett was its first president. 

It is a charitable organization, and has done much along the line 
of its special work, which is "To assist such Union Veterans as need 
their help and protection, and to extend needful aid to their widows 
and orphans." 

The Corps has been honored from time to time by the election of 
its members to Department offices. In the year 1895 Mrs. M. 
Antoinette Millett was elected to the office of president of the 



I Past rominanders of John R. Adams Post. 
> Past Department Commander, G. A. R. 1899. 



SOCIETIES. 



367 



Department of Maine, with Mrs. Jennie L. Day as secretary, and 
Miss Rose B. Burnell as treasurer. Occasionally there has been a 
member of the Corps on the Department executive board, and at the 
present time (1901) the Corps is honored by having as National 
patriotic instructor, Mrs. Jennie L. Day. Mrs. Rose B. Graham is 
for the second time Department treasurer, and Miss Jennie P. Whit- 
ney is Department patriotic instructor. 

The Thomas E. VVentworth Camp, of the Sons of the Veterans, 
was organized in 1893, with between twenty and thirty members. 
George R. Spinney was elected captain, and served for two years. 
William McDonough, George Wentworth and Charles Farr, have 
succeeded him in this office. 

The object of this association is, among other things, to keep alive 
an interest in the Veterans of the Civil War. They have a mili_tary 
organization and drill. On Decoration Day they act as escort to the 
G. A. R. and the Woman's Relief Corps. 

Pine Tree "Chapter, No. 27, Order of the Eastern Star, was insti- 
tuted March 12, 1895, ^^^ worked under a dispensation until 
September 12, 1895, when a Charter was granted by the General 
Chapter. 



CHARTER MEMBERS. 



Mrs. 


Addie J. Andrews. 
Hannah J. Bickford. 
Maria A. Brown. 


Mr 


Miss 


Rose B. Burnell. 




Mrs. 


Mary L. Cobb. 
Eliza J. Coburn. 




Miss 


Jennie M. Colby. 




Mrs. 


Percie W. Hanson. 
Emma P. Harding. 
Ruth E. Harding. 




" 


Rose C. Johnson. 


Dr. 


" 


Gertrude M. Lermond. 


Mr. 


" 


M. Antoinette Millett. 


Dr. 


" 


Ellen H. Paine. 


Mr. 


" 


Alice S. Ridlon. 


" 


" 


Mary C. Scott. 




" 


Sarah B. Shackford. 




" 


Annie A. Straw. 




" 


Sarah B. Usher. 




" 


Mary L. Wentworth. 




" 


Frances Whitney. 





Llewellyn W. Brown. 
Charles E. Cobb. 
Joseph Coburn. 
Everett P. Hanson. 
Edward Harding. 
Fred W. Harding. 
Walter Harding. 
Cornelius N. Hayes. 
Leonard J. Lermond. 
Henry R. Millett. 
Charles H. Ridlon. 
Theodore Shackford. 
O'Neil W. R. Straw. 
George H. Wentworth. 
Benjamin F. Whitney. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. 



In the month of May, 1736, Capt. John Phinney and his son 
Edmund entered the wilderness and commenced the settlement of 
what is now the town of Gorham. Twice has this event been cele- 
brated by the town : once, on the 26th of May, 1836, and again, on 
the 26th of May, 1886. On the second occasion the anniversary 
was observed under the auspices of the town, but in 1836 the affair 
was the result of the personal efforts of a few men, who thought it 
proper that the day should be fittingly noticed. The arrangements 
were placed in the hands of a committee, which committee consisted 
of Gen. James Irish, Col. Samuel Stephenson, Capt. Toppan Robie, 
Joseph M. Gerrish, Esq. and Caleb Hodgdon, Esq. These gentle- 
men selected Josiah Pierce, Esq. to deliver an oration which was to 
be the principal event of the occasion. 

The day opened at sunrise with the firing of cannon in front of 
the "Gorham House," which had formerly been the residence 
of Judge Josiah Thacher, but was at this time a hotel. Isaac Phin- 
ney served as chief gunner, assisted by Isaac Libby, and reinforced 
later by Thomas Patrick. Enough time was allowed between the 
shots, as might be necessary to permit the gunners to partake of 
" refreshments." 

The Chief Marshall of the day was Gen. Wendell P. Smith, under 
whose direction the procession formed in the main street in front of 
the residence of Gen. Irish. At its head was the Portland Military 
Band, then followed the Gorham Light Infantry under the command 
of Capt. James Whitney, and next the procession proper, made up of 
citizens, of whom a great part were old soldiers, many having served 
under Washington, and others of them both in the Revolution and 
the War of 18 12. A great crowd of people had been gathering since 
early in the morning in the open space at the head of the street, in 
front of the tavern, which has since been the store of R. G. Harding. 
The procession, having been formed, marched to the Congregational 
Church, where Mr. Pierce delivered an able historical address. After 
the exercises in the church were concluded, the company adjourned 
to the room below, where a superb dinner was served to the military 




JOSIAH PIERCE. 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. 369 

and the invited guests. After dinner the procession re-fonned and 
marched to Fort Hill, where they examined the site of the old fort, a 
few timbers of which were then still to be seen. When returning, 
they were set upon by a band of Indians at the foot of the hill, near 
where in former times the savages had killed Bryant, and a lively skir- 
mish ensued in which the Indians were finally repulsed. They, however, 
in no wise discouraged, hung upon the skirts of the procession, and 
when entering the village made a determined assault upon the whites. 
After the rush, a wild hand to hand fight ensued in which knifes and 
tomahawks flashed and muskets cracked. At length the savages 
were mastered and carried prisoners to headquarters, where then- 
chief humbly sued for peace, which was granted on condition that 
there should be no more hostilities. This fight was greatly enjoyed 
by the spectators, among whom the small boy was very much in 
evidence. 

The following account of the celebration was published in one of 
the Portland papers, printed about the middle of the month following 
the affair. 

"CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY. 

" A large number of the citizens of Gorliam, togetfier witli many citizens from 
adjoining towns, celelarated tlie first centennial anniversary of the settlement of 
the town, at Gorham Village, on Thursday last, the 26th inst., agreeable to previ- 
ous arrangement. 

" The procession was formed in front of Gen. James Irish's house, under the 
direction of Gen. Wendell P. Smith, Chief Marshall, assisted by the following 
Deputy Marshalls, viz.. Col. Edward T. Smith, Maj. Samuel T. Baker, Capt. 
Simeon C. Clement, Capt. Benjamin Mosher, Jr., Capt. Charles F. March, Capt. 
James Whitney, Capt. William B. Freeman, Capt. Charles Harding, Capt. Chris- 
topher Way, Lieut. Francis O. Irish and Lieut. Charles Paine. The procession 
was then escorted by the Gorham Light Infantry under command of Capt. James 
Whitney, and the Military Band, to the First Parish Meeting-house, where the 
services were performed in the following order: Reading of the Scriptures, Vol- 
untary by the Choir and Band, Prayer by the chaplain, Rev. Thaddeus Pomeroy, 
Hymn, Address by Hon. Josiah Pierce, Anthem, Benediction. 

•' Of the abilities and extensive acquirements of the orator, nothing need be 
said of one who is so well known to the public. All concur in the opinion that 
the address was just such an one as was wanted, admirably adapted to the occa- 
sion. The enumeration of the most important events that have transpired in 
town for an hundred years, the patriotism of our ancestors, and the happy manner 
in which their privations and sufferings, while realizing the horrors of that system 
of warfare which directs the weapon of the ruthless savage against the breast of 
the defenceless victim, were contrasted w-ith the blessings of peace, liberty and 
plenty which we enjoy, could not fail to satisfy the highest desire of all concerned, 
and to kindle a glow of gratitude in every bosom for the innumerable blessings of 



370 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

which we are the happy recipients. The services being concluded, the procession 
was re-formed and escorted through the principal streets of the village, after 
which they were amply provided for at the two public hotels in the village. 

" To add to the interest of the occasion, a company of Indians, commanded by 
their celebrated chief, in person, appeared in imitation of the Aborigines of Nar- 
raganset, No. 7, armed with muskets, tomahawks, scalping knives, etc., and 
presented themselves in all parts of the village, performing their feats in true 
Indian style. They then seemed to show a spirit of fight, by firing from behind 
fences and old buildings, till at length they attacked a company of light infantry 
that had just returned, with the military band, from a visit to the old Fort 
ground, which resulted in a " bloody fight," and they were captured and conveyed 
to headquarters, in spite of the efforts of their distinguished chief, where they 
were treated as prisoners of war; but on their promising no further hostilities, 
they were set at liberty. This added greatly to the amusement and satisfaction 
of the beholders. And thus the day was passed off with perfect good feeling and 
unanimity, and ' no one killed and no one hurt.' 

GoRHAM, May 27th, 1836." 

Immediately after the exercises, the committee requested of Mr. 
Pierce a copy of his address for publication, which he furnished ; and 
soon after, the town voted to have it printed and a copy given to each 
family in the town. In the front of the pamphlet, as published, 
there is the following : — 

The Committee of Arrangements tender their thanks to the Hon. Josiah Pierce 
for the truly able and appropriate Address delivered before the Citizens of Gor- 
ham. this day. and request a copy of the same for the press. 

James Irish, 
Samuel Stephenson, 
toppan robie, 
Joseph M. Gerrish, 
Caleb Hudgdon. 
Gorham, May 26th, 1836. 

GoRHAM, May 27th, 1836. 
Gentlemen,— I am gratified to leam, that the Address, I had the honor to 
deliver in commemoration of the first settlement of this town, was acceptable 
to my fellow citizens, and I cheerfully furnish a copy for publication. 
To Messrs. 

James Irish, 
Samuel Stephenson, 
Toppan Robie, 
Joseph M. Gerrish, 

Caleb Hodgdon. I am Gentlemen with true regard 

Your Ob't Servant, 

J()SL\H Pierce. 

The question of observing the one hundred and fiftieth anniversar)' 
of the settlement of the town was committed, at a town meeting held 
in June, 1885, to a committee consisting of Frederick Robie, John A. 
Waterman, Joseph VV. Parker, Wm. L. Larrabee, Samuel R. Clement, 



) 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. 371 

Stephen Wescott, Otis Purinton, Charles W. Deering, Stephen Hink- 
ley, George B. Emery, Mark Mosher, and Stephen L. Stephenson. 
In March of the following year the town voted to celebrate the day 
in a suitable manner, and authorized the above-named committee to 
proceed and act in the matter. In addition to five hundred dollars 
voted by the town, over six hundred dollars was raised by private 
subscription. Of the above-mentioned committee Gov. Robie was 
elected chairman, and Stephen Hinkley, Esq., secretary, and sub- 
committees were appointed to attend to the various features of the 
day's celebration. Notice was given in all the leading papers of New 
England, and a general invitation was extended to all the sons and 
daughters of Gorham, and former residents, to participate in the 
exercises. 

The morning of the day, Wednesday, May 26, 18S6, dawned 
pleasantly, and the rising sun was greeted by a salute of one hundred 
and fifty guns on Fort Hill and by the ringing of all the bells in 
town. Nearly eveiy building on the line of march of the procession 
was decorated and places of historic interest, old homes, etc., were 
marked with appropriate notices. The procession was formed on 
South St., right resting on Main St., at 9.20 A. M., under the leader- 
ship of Chief Marshall, Col. H. R. Millett, and his aids, Messrs. 
Harding, Watson, Hinkley, Feeney, and Pratt, and marched through 
the principal streets of the village to a vast tent, which had been 
placed in Gov. Robie's field, near the Portland and Rochester 
station, and in which the exercises of the forenoon and afternoon 
were held. 

The exercises in the tent opened with an " Anniversary March," 
composed by Charles R. Cressey of Gorham, which was rendered by 
Chandler's Band of Portland. After the calling of the audience 
to order by Gov. Robie, president of the day, and the ofi'ering of 
prayer by Rev. Heniy S. Huntington, Keller's " American Hymn " 
was sung by a Gorham chorus of one hundred and fifty voices led 
by Mr. W. L. Fitch. Reading of the Scriptures by Rev. F. A. 
Bragdon then followed, after which Gov. Robie delivered an eloquent 
and interesting Address of Welcome, summing up the past briefiy, 
welcoming each and all present, and expressing the hope and belief 
that the future might be even more glorious than the past. At the 
conclusion of this an Ode, composed for the occasion by Mrs. Jennie 
Bodge Johnson, was sung by the chorus, and the morning exercises 
closed with the benediction by Rev. L. Z. Ferris of Rockland, Mass. 

The assembly in the tent was again called to order by Gov. Robie 



372 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

at two o'clock in the afternoon, and after a selection by the band, 
prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Prentiss of New York, and " Green 
be your Fame " sung by the chorus. The orator of the day, Rev. 
Elijah Kellogg of Harpswell, was then introduced. Mr. Kellogg 
related many interesting events incident to the early and later history 
of the town, and paid earnest and eloquent tribute to those who 
helped lay the foundations of the privileges which we now enjoy. 
After the address an original hymn by Professor H. L. Chapman of 
Bowdoin College was sung and a number of short addresses relating 
to the history of the town were given as follows: "The Lawyers of 
Gorham," by Judge John A. Waterman ; " The Schools of ' Auld 
Lang Syne,' " by Geo. B. Emery, Esq. ; " The Business Men of Gor- 
ham," by Edward Gould, Esq. of Portland; "The Clergymen of 
Gorham," by Rev. Dr. Edward Robie of Greenland, N. H. ; " The 
Physicians of Gorham," by Dr. H. H. Hunt of Portland; "The 
Ladies of Gorham," by Rev. Dr. Geo. Lewis of So. Berwick; 
" Agriculture in Gorham," by Chas. W, Deering, Esq. The singing 
of " America " by the chorus, and the benediction by Rev. Dr. Robie 
closed the afternoon exercises at the tent. 

Another feature worthy of mention was the sham fight between a 
a band of Indians led by their chief, Presumpsaukett, (G. D. Weeks), 
and the G. A. R. Posts of Gorham and Standish. After a fierce 
conflict, in which the Indians were at first victorious, they were 
driven from the field and all either killed or taken prisoners. At 
sunset salutes were again fired and all the bells rung, [and in the 
evening a reception was tendered to all by the ladies of Gorham in 
the Academy hall, while relics of historical interest were exhibited 
in the room below. Rev. Dr. Prentiss delivered a very interesting 
address on " Recollections of Gorham Fifty Years Ago." A poem 
by Miss S. E. Perr}^ was then read ; remarks made by Mr. Dana 
Estes of Boston, and by Prof. Lucian Hunt, which with the reading 
of letters of regret from various absentees closed the celebration, a 
day long to be remembered by Gorham people. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



LISTS OF TOWN OFFICERS, ETC. 



TOWN CLERKS. 



FROM 

1764 
1770 
1772 

1773 
1776 

1778 
1804 

iSis 

■833 
1837 
1839 

1842 

1843 



1770, 
1772, 

1773. 
1776, 

I77S, 

1804, 

1815, 

1833- 
1837, 
1839, 
1842, 

1843, 

1845, 



1845 1846, 



FROM 

Amos Whitney. 1S46 

Wentworth Stuart. 1849 

Amos Whitney. 1852 

William Gorhani. 1S54 

Caleb Chase. 1855 

Austin Alden. 1858 

Josiah Alden. 1S61 

William H. Foster. 1S64 

William B. Harding. 1S67 

Eben Preble. 1871 

Russell Linnell. 1S78 

Charles C. Bangs. 1879 

Eben Preble, who died in 1881 

1844. John Wingate 1882 

finished term. 188S 
Russell Linnell. 



1849, 
1852, 
1854, 

'855- 
1858, 
1861, 
1S64, 
1867, 
1871, 
1878, 
1879, 
1881, 
1S82, 
1888, 
1902, 



William B. Harding. 
John Wingate. 
William B. Harding. 
James W. Davis. 
Samuel F. Bacon. 
Eben W. Nevens. 
M. G. Hayden. 
Charles H. Paine. 
John C. Summersides. 
John C. Card. 
David F. W'atson. 
John C. Card. 
Stephen W. Carle. 
William H. Usher. 
John C. Summersides. 



TOWN TREASURERS. 



FROM 

1764 

1772 

1774 

1775 

1779 

1803 

1816 

182^, 



1827 
1830 
1S30 
1832 
KS37 



TO 

1772, 
1774. 

1775. 
1779. 
1803, 
1816, 
1823, 
1827, 



1830, 
1830, 
1832, 
1837, 
1839, 



Edmund Phinney. 

Caleb Chase. 

James Gilkey. 

Caleb Chase. 

Samuel Whitmore 

Josiah Alden. 

Toppan Robie. 

David Harding, 3d. ; died 

in '26. Toppan 

finished term. 
John Farnham. 
Nathaniel Phinney. 
Daniel Baker. 
Thomas S. Robie. 
Daniel C. Emery. 



FROM 


TO 


1839 


1842 


1842 


1844 


1S44 


1845 


1845 


1847 


1847 


1849, 


1849 


1853, 


1853 


1854 


died 1854 


1855 


obie 1855 


,859, 


T859 


1862, 


1862 


1865 


1865 


1898 


1898 


1902 


1902 




SELECTMEN. 





Toppan Robie. 

Charles Hunt. 

Toppan Robie. 

Josiah Pierce. 

Jacob C. Baker. 

Joseph Ridlon. 

Samuel W. Lord. 

Joseph Ridlon. 

Stephen Hinkley. 

Joseph Ridlon. 

Samuel W. Lord. 

Stephen Hinkley; died in 
1898. John A. Water- 
man finished the term. 

John A. Waterman. 

Frank A. Ridlon. 



1764 Benjamin Skillings, Amos Whitney, Joseph Weston. 

1765 Benjamin Skillings, Amos Whitney, Bryant Morton. 

1766 Benjamin Skillings, Amos Whitney, Edmund Phinney. 

1767 Benjamin Skillings, Amos Whitney, Edmund Phinney. 

1768 Hugh McLellan, Edmund Phinney, Joseph Gates. 

1769 Edmund Phinney, Amos Whitney, James Gilkey. 

1770 Edmund Phinney, James Gilkey, Barnabas Bangs. 
1771 

1772 Solomon Lombard, Edmund Phinney, Nathan Whitney. 

1773 Edmund Phinney, James Gilkey, Samuel Whitmore. 

1774 Benjamin Skillings, Nathan Whitney, Prince Davis. 



374 HISTORY OF nOKHAM. 

[775 Edmund Phinney, Prince Davis, William McLellan. 

1776 William Gorham, Prince Davis, James Phinney. 

[777 James Phinney, Andrew Crockett, Samuel Harding. 

'778 ' 

1779 James Phinney, James Gilkey, Andrew C rockett. 

1780 James Gilkey, Andrew Crockett, William Cotton. 

[781 Edmund Phinney, William Gorham, Stephen Longfellow, Jr. 

[782 Edmund Phinney, Stephen Longfellow, Jr., William McLellan. 

[783 James Phinney, Prince Davis, William McLellan. 

[784 James Phinney, Stephen Longfellow, Jr., .\ustin Alden. 

[785 Stephen Longfellow, Jr., James Phinney, Cary McLellan. 

1786 Stephen Longfellow, Jr., James Phinney, Austin Alden. 

[787 Stephen Longfellow, Jr., Austin Alden, Decker Phinney. 

3 Austin Alden, Decker Phinney, Nathaniel Frost. 

J Stephen Longfellow, Jr., Samuel Elder, James Phinney. 
[790 
1791 

[792 Stephen Longfellow, Jr., James Phinney, Decker Phinney. 

'793 " " " " 

1794 Stephen Longfellow, Jr., Decker Phinney, Josiah Alden. 

1795 

[796 Lothrop Lewis, Decker Phinney, Josiah Alden. 

1797 

[798 

[799 Lothrop Lewis, Samuel Warren, Josiah Alden. 

1800 Lothrop Lewis, Samuel Prentiss, Samuel Warren. 

[801 Lothrop Lewis, Samuel Warren, Decker Phinney. 

1802 

[803 

[804 " " " " " '; 

1805 Lothrop Lewis, Samuel Warren, Edmund Phinney, Jr. 

[S06 " '• " " " " ' " 

1807 

r8o8 

[809 

[810 

[811 Lothrop Lewis, Edmund Phinney, Jr., Thomas McLellan. 

18 1 2 Lothrop Lewis, Edmund Phinney, Jr., David Harding, Jr. 

1814 " " " " " " " " 

[Si 5 Toppan Robie, William McLellan, Samuel Warren. 

18 16 Lothrop Lewis, William McLellan, Toppan Robie. 

1817 

1818 Toppan Robie, David Harding, Jr., Edmund Wescott. 

r8i9 David Harding, Jr., Toppan Robie, Matthew Johnson. 

[820 Lothrop Lewis, James Irish. William Cobb. 

182 1 Lothrop Lewis, William Cobb, Nathaniel Phinney. 

2 Lothrop Lewis, Nathaniel Phinney, Seward Merrill. 

[823 Nathaniel Phinney, Toppan Robie, Simon Elder. 

1824 Seth Webb, Toppan Robie, Simon Elder. 

[825 Edmund Mann, David Harding, Jr., Simon Elder. 

[826 Edmund Mann, Seward Merrill, Seth Webb. 

[827 Edmund Mann, Seward Merrill, Samuel Staples, Jr., 

8 Edmund Mann, Seward Merrill, Levi Hall. 

1829 Edmund Mann, vSeward Merrill, James Irish. 

1830 Edmund Mann, Joseph Hamblen, 3d., Benjamin Skillings. 
[831 Edmund Mann, Clark Swett, Robert Johnson, 3d. 

[832 Seward Merrill, William Silla, Robert Johnson, 3d. 

1833 Seward Merrill, William Silla, Daniel C. Emery. 

[834 Edmund Mann, William Silla, Toppan Robie. 

1835 Edmund Mann, William Silla, Daniel C. Emery. 



TOWN OFFICERS, ETC. 375 

1836 Daniel C. Emery, Toppan Robie, Benjamin Skillings. 

[S37 Benjamin Skillings, Josiah Swett, Jr., Josiah Pierce. 

[S38 Josiah Pierce, Joshua L. Swett, William E. Files. 

1S39 Benjamin Skillings, Simon Elder, Charles O. Libby. 

1S40 

(S41 Edward Scamman, John Sturgis, Charles O. Ijbby. 

1842 Hugh D. McLellan, Simeon C. Clement, Joseph W. Parker. 

[S43 Hugh 1). McLellan, Jacob H. Clement, Joseph W. Parker. 

1844 Edward Scamman, Daniel C. Emery, Jonathan Hanson. 

[S45 Jonathan Hanson, John Sturgis, Edward Scamman. 

1846 John Wingate, William Warren, Robert Johnson, 3d. 

[847 John Wingate, William Warren, Daniel C. Emery. 

[848 Daniel C. Emery, Merrill Thomas, Joseph M. Plummer. 

1849 Merrill Thomas, Charles Paine, Joseph M. Plummer. 

,850 

1851 Merrill Thomas, Charles Paine, Daniel Hall. 

[S52 Merrill Thomas, Charles Paine, Freeman Harding. 

1853 Freeman Harding, William Merrill, Jr., Theophilus Dame. 

1854 Edward Scamman, Daniel C. Libby, Joshua E. Hall. 
[855 Edward Scamman, Joshua E. Hall, James Phmney, Jr. 
1856 James Phinney, Jr., Charles Moulton, Zebulon WHiitney. 

'S57 '• " 

1858 Marshal] Irish, Merrill T. Files, William Burton. 

t85y Merrill T. Files, William Burton, Isaac E. McLellan. 

[860 Isaac E. McLellan, Samuel S. Waterhouse, Edwin Coburn. 

1861 '• " 

1862 Edwin Coburn, Samuel S. Waterhouse, Moses Fogg. 

1863 Joshua E. Hall, Benjamin A. Watson, George Chadbourn. 
1S64 Joseph W. Parker, Benjamin A. Watson, George Chadbourn. 

1865 Joseph W. Parker, James Phinney, Edward Files, 3d. 

1866 James Phinney, Edward Files, 3d., Charles Johnson. 

1867 James Phinney, Charles Johnson, Joel Wilson. 

1S68 loel Wilson, A. G. Bradbury, Solomon B. Cloudman. 

[869 " 

[870 Solomon B. Cloudman, Samuel F. Bacon, Lewis Libby. 

[871 Samuel F. Bacon, Lewis Libby, Samuel S. Waterhouse. 
■87- " " " " " " " 

[S73 Samuel F. Bacon, Mark Mosher, Zebulon Whitney. 

[874 Mark Mosher, Zebulon Whitney, John S. Leavitt. 

1875 John S. Leavitt, Joseph Ridlon, Kimball Eastman. 

1876 Joseph Ridlon, Jeremiah Parker, William I^. Larrabee. 
1S77 .. " " " " " " 

[878 Kimball Eastman, Roscoe G. Harding, Jeremiah Parker. 

[879 Samuel F. Bacon, Charles W. Deering, Henry Mayberry. 

[880 " " " " " " "" " " 

[881 

[882 Samuel F. Bacon, Rufus A. Fogg, William Buxton. 

[883 William Buxton, Rufus A. Fogg, George W. Lowell. 

[8S4 John S. Leavitt, Charles E. Jordan, Harvey W. Murch. 

[885 Lewis McLellan, Charles E. Jordan, Isaac L. Johnson. 

[886 " " " " " " " 

[8S7 John S. Leavitt, Isaac L. Johnson, George P. Plaisted. 

[888 Frederick D. Scamman, John S. Leavitt, George P. Plaisted. 

1889 Frederick D. Scamman, George P. Plaisted, William Buxton. 

1890 Frederick D. Scamman, Charles E. Jordan, Edward H. F. Smith. 
[891 Frederick D. Scamman, Lewis L. Files, Elbridge M. Wilson. 
1892 " " " " " " - - - 

[893 Elbridge M. Wilson, Lewis L. Files, Lewis McLellan. 
1894 ." " " " " ■' 

[895 Lewis McLellan, Carlyle W. Shaw, George R. vSpinney. 

[896 Edward H. F. Smith, Carlyle W. Shaw, George R. Spinney. 



B7() HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

1897 Lewis McLellaii, Frederick D. Scammon, Charles S. Purinton. 

1898 " '• " " " " .' 

1899 Charles S. Purinton, Frederick D. vScamman, Fred A. Giddings. 
[900 Fred A. (Jiddings, Charles S. Purinton, Frank 1. Whitney. 
1901 " " " " " " " " 

DELEGATES TO THE PKU\1.NCIAL CONGRESS. 

1774 Solomon Lombard. 

1775 Bryant Morton. 
1776 

1777 Edmund Phinney. 

1779 Solomon Lombard, to form the State Constitution. 

JUSTICES OK THE COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS OF THE PEACE. 

1762, Solomon Lombard. 
1774, William Gorham. 
1780-83, Edmund Phinney. 
1785, Josiah Tliacher. 
1795, George Lewis. 
1S02, Lothrop Lewis. 

ASSOCIATE JUSTICES OF THE COURT OF SESSIONS. 
FROM TO 

1814 1820, Lothrop Lewis. 
1828 1830, James Irish. 

JUDGES OF THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. 
FROM TO 

1776 1 78 1, Solomon Lombard. 
1784 1799, Josiah Thacher. 
1789 1804, William Gorham. 
1798 1811, Stephen Longfellow. 

JUDGES OF PROB.\TE. 
FROM TO 

1782 1805, William Gorham. 

1846 1856, Josiah Pierce. 

1863 1876, John A. Waterman. 

OTHER STATE AND COUNTY OFFICIALS. 

Frederick Robie, Governor of Maine, 1882 to 1886. 
Edmund Mann, member of Gov. Dunlap's Executive Council, 1834. 
Toppan Robie, " " " Kent's " " 1840. 

Dominicus Jordan, " " " Fairfield's " " 1843. 

Dominicus Jordan, " " " Kavenough's " " 

Frederick Robie, " " " Washburn's " " 1861. 

" " " " Davis's " " 1880. 

" •• " " " Plaisted's " " 1881 and '82. 

William Tyng, Sheriff of Cumberland County, from 1768 to 1775. 
Wendall P. Smith, " " " " " 1845 " 1854. 

Daniel C. Emery, " " " " in 1856. 

Edmund Mann, County Commissioner in 1831, '32, '^t, and '35. 
Jeremiah Parker, " " " i860, '61 and '62. 

Roscoe G. Harding " " " 1888, (appointed by the Governor. 

George P. Plaisted, " " " 1901. 



TOWN OFFICERS, ETC. 377 

John A. Waterman, County Treasurer, from 1857 to 1859. 
James Mann, " " " 1862 " 1863. 

Roscoe G. Harding, " " " 1875 " 1877. 

Lewis McLellan, " " " 1877 " 1880. 

Edward P. Weston, Superintendent of Common Schools, i860, '61 and '62. 

SENATORS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

Josiah Thacher, 1785. 
Stephen Longfellow, 1794. 
Lothrop Lewis, 180S and 1815. 
James Irish, 18 19. 

, SENATORS IN THE LEGISLATURE OF MAINE. 

Josiah Pierce, 1834, '35 and '36. President of the Senate in 1835 and '36. 
Charles Hunt, 1843 ^'^^ '44- 
James Mann, 1851 •' '53. 
Frederick Robie, 1S67 and '68. 
Edward Hardihg. 1888-9. 

REPRESENTATIVES AT THE GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

765 Solomon Lombard. 

766 None. 

767 Solomon Lombard. 
768 

769 

770 None. 

771 

772 

773 Wentworth Stuart. 

774 None. 

775 Biyant Morton. 

776 Caleb Chase. 

777 Bryant Morton. 

778 Edmund Phinney. 

779 

780 Solomon Lombard. 

781 None. 

782 Stephen Longfellow, Jr. 

783 losiah Thacher. 

784 •' 

785 " 
786 

787 ^ '• 

788 Edmund Phinney. 

789 Josiah Thacher. 
790 

791 

792 Stephen Longfellow and Josiah Thacher. 

793 Stephen Longfellow. 
794 

795 Josiah Thacher. 

796 Stephen Longfellow^ 

797 Josiah Thacher. 

798 Stephen Longfellow. 

799 
800 



378 HISTORY OK GORIIAM. 

1801 Lothrop Lewis. 
1802 

1803 " " (Chosen unanimously.) 

1804 " 
1805 

1806 
1807 

1808 Lothrop Lewis and David Harding, Jr. 

1809 Uavid Harding, Jr., and Dudley Folsoni. 

iSio Lotlirop Lewis. David Harding, Jr., and Dudley Folsom. 
181 1 •• *• '■■ '■ " '■ " 

1S12 ■• •• •• 

181 3 lames Codnian, David Harding, Jr., and Toppan Robie. 

1814 ' " " •• " ■• '■ 

18 1 5 " " " " " " 

1S16 Samuel .Stephenson, David Harding, Jr., and Toppan Robie. 

18 1 7 David Harding, |r. 

1818 " " ~ " 

18 19 Lothrop Lewis, Toppan Robie and loseph Adams. 

REPRESENTATIVES TO THE LEGISL.ATURE OF M.-MNE. 

1820 lames Irish, David Harding, Jr. and Toppan Robie. 
1S21 ' " " " " " " 

1822 Lothrop Lewis. 

1823 ,Seward Merrill. 
1824 

1825 Samuel Stephenson. 

1826 Clark Dyer. 

1827 '• '• 
1828 

1829 Edward Mann. 

1830 " " 

[831 Joseph Hamblen, 3d. 

1832 Josiah Pierce. 

1833 ' " 

1834 William E. Files. 

1835 " " " 

1836 Charles Hunt. 

1837 

1838 Caleb Hodgdon. 

1839 

1840 Robert Johnson, Jr. 

1841 Robert Motley. 

1842 Jeremiah Parker. 

1843 Daniel C. F^mery. 
1844 

184s Jeremiah Parker. 

1846 Hugh D. McLellan. 

1S47 " " " Speaker of the House in 1847 and 1848. 

1848 

1849 James Mann. 

1S50 

1851 Jonathan Hanson. 

1852 No election, as the summer sessions were changed to winter ones. 

1853 Charles Paine. 
1854 

1855 Jacob C. Paker. 
1856 

1857 Joshua E. Hall. 

1858 " " 



TOWN OFFICERS, ETC. 379 

1859 Frederick Robie. 
i860 " " 

1861 lames Pliinney. 

1862 " " " 

1863 Joseph W. Parker. 
1S64 " " " 

1865 Edward P. Weston. 

1866 Benjamin R. Sturgis. 

1867 Albion P. Files. 

1868 " " " 

1869 James M. Buzzell. 

1870 Roscoe G. Harding. 

187 1 Frederick Robie. 

1872 " " Speaker of the House in 1872 and 1876. 

1873 Merrill T. Files. 

1874 » " " 

1875 Kimball Eastman. 

1876 Frederick Robie. 
1877 

1878 

1879 William Giiptill. 

1880 Elias S. Cioff. 

1 88 1 Alpheus Boothby. 
1883 Stephen H ink ley. 
1885 Edward Harding. 
18S7 

i88g Frederick Robie. 

1 89 1 C. Eugene Wescott. 

1893 " " 

1895 Henry R. Millett. 

1897 Elbridge M. Wilson. 

1899 

1901 Charles S. Purinton. 

VOTES IN GORHAM FOR GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

1780 John Hancock, 55 ; James Bowdoin, 2. 

1 78 1 John Hancock, 26. 

1782 John Hancock, 15. 

1783 John Hancock, ;^^; Benjamin Lincoln, 20; James Bowdoin, i. 
17S4 John Hancock, 44. 

1785 Thomas Gushing, 53; Benjamin Eincoln, r. 

1786 James Bowdoin, 27 ; Thomas Gushing, 19. 

1787 John Hancock, 103; James Bowdoin, 6. 

1788 John Hancock, 94. 

1789 John Hancock, 116. 

1790 John Hancock, 90. 

1791 John Hancock, 98. 

1792 John Hancock, 81. 

1793 John Hancock, 87. 

1794 Samuel Adams, 92; William Gushing, 3; Elbridge Gerry, i. 

1795 Samuel Adams, 85; Elbridge Gerry, 4; William Gushing, i. 

1796 Samuel Adams, 88; Increase Sumner, 14; Elbridge Gerry, 6. 

1797 Moses Gill, 48; Increase Sumner, 20; Elbridge Gerry, i. 

1798 Increase vSumner, 81 ; Moses Gill, i. 

1799 Increase Sumner, 89; Moses Gill, i. 

1800 Caleb Strong, 46; Moses Gill, 41 ; Elbridge Gerry, 41. 

1801 Caleb Strong, 102 ; Elbridge Gerry, 41 ; Gary McLellan, i. 

1802 Caleb Strong, 105; Elbridge Gerry, 27; Nathaniel Frost, Jr., i. 

1803 Caleb Strong, 137. 



380 HISTORY OF GO K HAM. 

1804 Caleb Strong, 162; James Sullivan, 63; Edward II. Robbins, 3; Nathl 

(iould, 2. 

1805 Caleb Strong, 164; James Sullivan, 90. 
[806 Caleb Strong, 194; James Sullivan, 99. 

1807 Caleb Strong, 158; James Sullivan. 126. 

1808 Christopher Gore, 257; James Sullivan. 58. 
[809 Christopher Gore, 230; Levi Lincoln, 90. 
1810 Christopher Gore, 244; Elbridge Gerry, 114. 
[811 Christopher Gore, 176; Elbridge Gerry, 99. 
[812 Caleb Strong, 284; Elbridge Gerry, 115. 

1813 Caleb Strong, 291 ; Joseph B. Vatnum, 88. 

1814 Caleb Strong, 311; Samuel De.xter, 92. 
[815 Caleb Strong, 259; Samuel Dexter, 139. 
1816 John Brooks, 257; Samuel Dexter, 112. 
r8i7 John Brooks, 203; Henry Dearborn, 79. 

1818 John Brooks, 173; Benjamin Crowningshield, 99. 

r8i9 John Brooks, 191; B. W. Crowningshield, 116. 

VOTES IN GORHAM FOR GOVERNOR OF MAINE. 

1820 William King, 223; Scattering, 10. 

1821 Ezekiel Whitman, 138; Albion K. Pans, 92. 

1822 Ezekiel Whitman, 87; Albion K. Paris, 71. 

1823 Albion K. Paris, 108. 

1824 Albion K. Paris, 129. 

1825 Albion K. Paris, 137; Enoch Lincoln, 11. 

1826 Enoch Lincoln, 275; Scattering, i. 

1827 Enoch Lincoln, 135. 

1828 Enoch Lincoln, 357; Scattering, 16. 

1829 Samuel E. Smith, 218; Jonathan G. Hunton, 211. 

1830 Jonathan G. Hunton, 283; Samuel E. Smith, 269. 

1831 Samuel E. Smith, 256; Daniel Goodenow, 254. 

1832 Samuel E. Smith. 279; Daniel Goodenow, 272. 

1833 Robert P. Dunlap, 257; Daniel Goodenow, 256. 

1834 Robert P. Dunlap, 298; Peleg Sprague, 281. 

1835 Robert P. Dunlap, 252; William King, 200. 

1836 Robert P. Dunlap, 256; Edward Kent, 201. 

1837 Edward Kent, 291 ; Gorham Parks, 268. 

1838 Edward Kent, 343; John Fairfield, 297. 

1839 Edward Kent, 308: John Fairfield, 308. 

1840 Edward Kent, 356; John Fairfield, 287. 

1841 Edward Kent, ; John Fairfield, 2S5. 

1842 John Fairfield, 276; Edward Robinson, 240. 

1843 Hugh J. Anderson, 238; Edward Robinson, 129; James Appleton, 31. 

1844 Hugh J. Anderson, 298; Edward Robinson, 272. 

1845 Hugh I. Anderson, 214; Freeman II. Morse, 146; Samuel Fessenden, 42. 

1846 John W. Dana. 225; David Bronson, 166; Samuel Fessenden, 60. 

1847 John W. Dana, 167; David Bronson, 108; Samuel Fessenden, 27. 

1848 John W. Dana, 222; E. L. Hamlin, 164; Samuel Fessenden, 124. 

1849 John Hubbard, 22cS; E. L. Hamlin, 140 ; G. F. Talbott, 104. 

1850 John Hubbard, 23S; Wilham G. Crosby, 204; G. F. Talbott, 86. 

1851 No election. 

iSs^ John Hubbard, 243; A. G. Chandler, 168; William G. Crosby, 150. 

1853 Albert Pillsbury, 190; William G. Crosby, 189; A. P. Morrill, 92 ; E. 

Holmes, 73. 

1854 A. P. Morrill, 255; A. K. Paris, 241 ; Isaac Reed, 47. 

1855 A. P. Morrill. 339; Samuel Wells, 329; Isaac Reed, 20. 

1856 Hannibal Hamlin, 41 5 ; Samuel Wells, 291 ; George F. Patten, 23. 

1857 Lot M. Morrill, 366; Manassah H. Smith, 247; George F. Patten, i. 

1858 Lot M. Morrill, 383; Manassah H. Smith, 310. 

1859 Lot M. Morrill, 383; Manassah H. Smith, 255. 



y TOWN OFFICERS, ETC. 381 

iS6o Israel Washburn, Jr., 438; Ephraim K. Smart, 315; Phinehas Barnes, 5. 

1S61 Israel Washburn, Jr., 381 ; John W. Dana, 187; Charles D. Jameson, 56. 

1862 Abner Coburn, 325; Bion Bradbury, 242; Charles D. Jameson, 18. 

1863 Samuel Cony, 408; Bion Bradbury, 28C. 
[864 Samuel Cony, 397; Joseph Howard, 293. 

1865 Samuel Cony, 288; Joseph Howard, 233. 

1866 Joshua L. Chamberlain, 421 ; Eben F. Pillsbury, 264. 

1867 Joshua L. Chamberlain, 321 ; Eben F. Pillsbury, 229. 

1868 Joshua L. Chamberlain, 459; Eben F. Pillsbury, 323. 

1869 Joshua L. Chamberlain, 3S0 ; Franklin Smith, 291; Nathan G. Hichborn, 

17- 

1570 Sidney Perham, 356; Charles W. Roberts, 240. 

1571 Sidney Perham, 325; Charles P. Kimball, 253. 

1872 Sidney Perham, 3^7 ; Charles P. Kimball, 324. 

1873 Nelson Dingley, Jr., 225; Joseph Titcomb, 182. 

1574 Nelson Dmgley, Jr., 355; Joseph Titcomb, 292. 

1875 Selden Connor, 424; Charles W. Roberts, 377. 

1876 Selden Connor, 433; John C. Talbott, 355. 

1877 Selden Connor, 368; Joseph H. Williams, 316; James H. Williams, i. 

1575 Selden Connor, 367; Alonzo Garcelon, 228; Joseph L. Smith, 179. 

1879 Daniel F. Davis, 410 ; Alonzo Garcelon, 230; Joseph L. Smith, i86;-S. D. 

Greenleaf, 13. 

1880 Harris M. Plaisted, 442: Daniel F. Davis, '417; Joshua L. Nye, 8. 

1882 Frederick Robie, 43S ; Harris M. Plaisted, 403 ; Solon Chase, 7 ; W. H. 

Vinton, 3. 
1884 Frederick Robie, 477 ; John B. Redman, 353 ; Wm. T. Eustis, 12; Hosea 

B. Eaton, 11. 

1886 Joseph R. Bodwell, 381 ; Clark S. Edwards, 320; Aaron Clark, 27. 
1888 Edwin C. Burleigh, 424; Wm. L. Putnam, 380; Volney B. Gushing, 23. 
1890 Edwin C. Burleigh, 375; Wm. P. Thompson, 2S3 ; Aaron Clark, 11. 
1892 Henry B. Cleaves, 364 ; Charles F. Johnson, 285 ; Timothy B. Huzzey, 23 ; 

Luther C. Bateman, 3; Edgar F. Knowlton, i. 
1894 Henry B. Cleaves, 326; Chas. F. Johnson, 226; Ira G. Hersey, 18. 
1896 Llewellyn Powers, 367; Melvin P. Frank, 143; Ammi S. Ladd, 6; Luther 

C. Pateman, 4; William Henry Clifford, 2. 

1898 Llewellyn Powers, 205; Samuel L. Lord, 141 ; Ammi S. Ladd, 11. 
1900 John F. Hill, 279; Samuel L. Lord, 125; Grant Rogers, 35. 



GENEALOGY. 



ADAMS. 

Benjamin Adams was the son of John Adams of Fahnouth. He 
married Miriam (Watson ?). They had a son Benjamin Watson 
Adams born in Fahiiouth, Mar. 9, 1778. Mrs. Adams died shortly 
after the birth of this child, and Mr. Adams married, Nov. 26, 1778, 
Elizabeth, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Frost of Gorham. At 
this time he was of Falmouth. In 1783 he purchased of Silas Chad- 
bourn an acre and three-quarters of land in Gorham, on the north 
side of Main St., east of Daniel Whitmore's land. This, with the 
buildings thereon, he sold in 1 791, to Moses Clark. This is the lot on 
which the Hinkley house and tannery stand. Mr. Adams resided 
in the Storer (S. B. Guthrie) house. An addition has been made 
to it since Mr. Adams's time. Mr. i\dams died in Portland, in June, 
1805, and his widow married, Jan. 19, i8ri, Charles Patrick of Gor- 
ham. She died at the house of Benjamin Mosher, Mar. 2, 1841, 
aged 90. 

William iVdanis and his brother Stephen came from Wells about 
1770. Stephen seLtled in Buxton, and William in Gorham. The 
latter married, Dec. 3, 1772, Susanna Brown, probably a daughter 
of Joseph and Susanna Brown. Children : 

Joseph, b. Sept. 21, 1774, m. Mercy, dau. of Jonathan f^lwell, Apr. 12, 1802. 

Ch: Polly, d. Dec. 25, iSiS, ag. 16; Susan, d. unm. Mar. 13, 1S59, ag. 

55; Harriet, d. Dec. 21, 1818, ag. 8; John, d. at the house of Wm. B. 

Freeman, unm. Apr. 14, 1873, ^S- 57! Elizabeth, d. y. Mrs. Adams, d. 

July 28, 1820, ag. 42; Mr. Adams m. Dolly, dau. of Nathaniel Warren. 

By her he had two sons, Stephen and Warren. Mr. Adams I'd on a 

farm on the two-rod road, which then ran west from the Fort Hill road, 

near David Freeman's. He moved to Hiram. 
William, b. Sept. 3, 1776. 
Dorcas, b. Feb. 16, 1779. 
John, b. Jan. 3r, 1780. 
Edmund, b. Feb. 4, 1782. 

About 1782 Mr. Adams moved to Buxton, where his wife died, 
Dec. 21, 1785. He married, Dec. 13, 1786, Rebecca, daughter of 
Jonathan Elwell of Gorham. There was a large family of children by 
this marriage, all born in Buxton. William Adams died Dec. 24, 
1826, and his wife, Sept. 14, 1840. 



384 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Joshua Adams lived on the Flaggy Meadow road, about opposite 

to where the house of the late Samuel Murch stands. June 7, 1781, 

he bought of Zephaniah Harding one-fourth of the hundred acre lot 

62. This lot his widow Hannah sold in 1792 to Decker Phinney, 

and he. on the same day conveyed it to Allen Davis. Mr. Adams 

probably married for his first wife, Feb. 3, 1775, Hannah, daughter 

of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Frost. He married, second, (pub. July 

26. 1777.) Mrs. Hannah (Whitney) Brown, widow of Joseph Brown, 

and daughter of Isaac Whitney. Children : 

Lucy. b. June 25, 1778. 

Joseph Crosby, b. Aug 10. 17S0. 

Jf^^.^' . I b. May 23. 17S3. 
Benjamin, \ j ^ ' j 

James, b. June 29, 1787. 

Hannah, b. May 2, 1790. 

Joshua Adams died before 1792. The family moved into the 

eastern part of the State. Some of the descendants are now in 

the State of New York. 

AKERS. 

The name of Moses Akers appears Feb. 11, 1777, as signing a 
petition for a call for a proprietors' meeting, and this is the only time 
the name of Akers appears on the old records. Moses bought the 
thirty acre lot No. 4 of Daniel Mosher, Nov. 9, 1762. In the year 
1763 and up to 1780 he is a tax-payer, and no other Akers on the 
books. In an old assessment made December, 1764, the right No. 4 
is asses.sed to Daniel Mosher; and in 1765, when a draft is made for 
the third division, being the seventy acre lots. No. 4 is put down to 
Moses Akers. and drew lot 49. Notwithstanding all this, there might 
have been others of the name in town. In an old diary of Mr. Alden 
are a number of marriages not in the regular town records. One was 
a Mrs. Akers to Jonathan Melvin, May 4, 1773. They were not 
published in Gorham, nor does it appear by whom they were married. 
At that time there was a family of Melvins in town. There are but 
two families of Akers recorded in Gorham, evidently father and son. 
The first is — 

Moses Akers, spoken of above, who married in December, 1753, 

Hannah B., daughter of Daniel and Jenny Mosher. Children : 

Jenny M., b. Aug. 13, i75f>. m. James Brackett of Falmouth, Mar. 17, 1785. 

Daniel M.. b Aug. 17. 1760. 

John, b. Aug. 25, 1763, m. Eunice Newbegin, Nov. 6, 1783. 

Hannah Barker, b. Apr. 25, 1766. 

Rebecca, b. Oct. 12, 1768, m. Aaron Hanscom of Gorham, May 10, 1800. 

Susanna B., b. Oct. 17, 1775. 



GENEALOGY. 385 

Moses Akers probably married a second wife, Mary Clark, Dec. 7, 
1780. In his publishment to his first wife, Miss Mosher, he is named 
as of Falmouth. These were the great-grandparents of the sculptors, 
Charles and Paul Akers. 

(2) John Akers, son of Moses, lived near Little Falls. His house 

was near where Mr. Bragdon has since lived. He married Eunice 

Newbegin. Her father was a blacksmith, and worked in a shop that 

was occupied by Morris Clark before him, and which stood near the 

corner made by the Great Falls road and the road to Little Falls, 

near where Capt. Joshua Brackett lived. Mr. Newbegin moved to 

Parsonfield. Children of John and Eunice Akers : 

Hannah, b. Sept. 13, 1785, m. Fitzgerald, and 2d, Fannegan. 

Thomas, b. Feb. 9, 1787, m. Pelina Gammon, Sept. 25, 1806. 

Mary, b. Oct. 2, 1789, m. Massey Barter. 

Benjamin, b. May 13, 1791, m. a Miss Fry, and moved to Falmouth. 

Moses, b. Feb. 26, 1792, d. aged 22 mos. 

John, b. Oct. 5, 1798, d. young. 

Nancy, b. Mar. 2, 1800, m. Morrill. 

William, b. Apr. 20, 1802, m. Sally, dau. of Jeremiah and Hannah (Hamblen) 
Jones; 2d, Jane Foss ; I'd in Westbrook. 

ALDEN. 

Austin Alden was born in Marshfield, Mass., March 25, 1729. He 
married, in Gorham, Nov. 25, 1756, Salome, the daughter of Rev. 
Solomon Lombard of Gorham ; Mr. Lombard performing the cere- 
mony. Mr. Alden came to Gorham from the town of Truro, Mass., 
about the year 1755, and settled on the farm now owned and occu- 
pied by his great-great-grandson, Chas. G. Alden. This farm, which 
has been held in a direct line through five generations, is situated 
about one-half mile west of the church, on the new road to Standish, 
being the thirty acre lots, Nos. 35 and 36. He was in the French 
and Lidian wars previous to the year 1761 as a soldier, but where, 
and what part he performed we are not able to state, excepting that 
we know he served as Sergeant in 1757 in Capt. Joseph Woodman's 
company in the Northern Army. In June, 1761, he was drafted, 
under orders from the Home Government, with others of the colo- 
nists (making several companies) for the purpose of building the 
fortifications at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He left home on the 17th day 
of June, 1761, in company with several others from Gorham as sol- 
diers in said expedition, and marched to Portsmouth, N. H., where 
they took passage for Boston, from thence to Castle William, now 
Fort Independence, where they were put on board transports for 
Halifax. When they arrived there they were divided into parties 



386 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

of artificers, laborers, and for what each was best fitted. As for Mr. 
Alden, being a warrant officer, or orderly, his place was comparatively 
easy and pleasant. As it was, however, he suffered as much from 
sickness and exposure as the others did from ,hard usage. Such usage 
as these men had to endure would hardly be suffered at this day. 
(See Chapter VI. ) Record is often made of such and such an one 
being before a court martial, and .sentenced to from twenty to even 
one hundred lashes. These men remained at Halifax till Februar)^ 
1762. Mr. Alden arrived home Jan. 4, 1762. 

Mr. Alden joined the army of the Revolution, enlisting at the first 
outbreak of hostilities as a private in Capt. Wentworth Stuart's com- 
pany. He was appointed Second Lieut, the following year, in Capt. 
John Rice's company, in Col. Phinney's i8th Continental regiment. 
He then joined as First Lieut. Capt. Nathan Watkins company. Col. 
Brewer's 12th Mass. regiment, most of which company was raised in 
Massachusetts. There were but two or three men in it from (}orham. 
Mr. Alden and his company were with the Northern Army, at and 
about Albany, N. Y., in 1777, and were at the capture of Burgoyne. 
He was in the army over a year at this time, but his family and farm 
requiring his time and attention, he came home about the latter part 
of 1777. He was chosen town clerk as early as the year 1778, which 
office he held till 1804, and his records are among the most correct 
of any made from that time up to this day. 

Mr. Alden was a large, powerful man. over six feet in height, mus- 
cular and strong, well fitted to make a new country, and make it bud 
and blossom, and at an early day his farm showed that it was in the 
hands of a master. To see him, tall, staid, and circumspect in all his 
movements, one would at once suppose him to be of the Pilgrim 
.stock, and such was the case; he was a descendant of John and 
Priscilla Alden, who landed from the ship Mayflower at Plymouth, 
in December, 1620 : being of the fourth generation from the pilgrim. 
The Sabbath was with him a strictly religious day — he never let it 
pass otherwise. Attendance on religious services was with him a 
duty that he w-ould suffer nothing to interfere with : the necessity 
must be very great that would cause any deviation from this rule. 
He was early made a deacon of the Congregational church in Gor- 
ham. Remarkably correct, prompt and systematic in his affairs, with 
a good education for the times in which he lived, he was much 
employed by the town and by his townsmen, individually, and in 
everything was found to be an honest, straight-forward man. To his 
wife Mr. Alden was much devoted. They were well adapted to 



GENEALOGY. 387 

each other. Both remarkably pious, their path was that of unity. 
Mrs. Alden was much devoted to what she thought to be her duty; a 
good and loving wife and mother, a kind neighbor and fast friend — 
she was a woman much beloved and respected by all who knew her. 

Mr. Alden 's father, Jonathan, came from Massachusetts to live 
with his son, Nov. i8, 1766, and remained with him until his death, 
which occurred on the loth day of July, 1770, when he was 84 years 
and 4 months old. 

Children of Austin and Salome Alden : 

Elizabeth, b. Oct. 31, 1757, m. Jesse Harding, Mar. 27, 1777. 

Josiah, b. Mar. 31, 1760, m. Sarah Robinson, Feb. 23, 1783. 

Humphrey, b. Jan. 21, 1763, went to Mass. 

Anner, b. Apr. 14, 1765, m. Warren Nickerson of New Plantation, Nov. 22, 17S5. 

Hezekiah, b. July 15, 1767, d. Nov. 27, 176S. 

Mrs. Salome Alden died in Gorham, May 18, 1780, at the age of 
45, and Mr. Alden married, Nov. 25, 1781, Hannah Battles of Cape 
Elizabeth. She died May 25, 17S4. It is probable that Dea. Alden 
had been married before coming to Gorham, for after recoiding the 
death of his wife Hannah in his diary, he adds the following, " This 
is the third bosom companion that I have laid in the grave." Dea. 
Austin Alden died March 23, 1804, aged 75. 

(2) Josiah Alden, son of Austin, was elected town clerk of Gorham 

on the decease of his father, and was annually re-elected until 1815. 

He was also town treasurer from 1806 to 18 15. He married Sarah 

Robinson of Cape Elizabeth. Children : 

Austin, b. Nov. 3, 1784, m. Anna Lord, Apr. 12, 1814 ; went to I'ownal. 
Salome, b. Nov. 12, 1786, m. Solomon Davis, p. Apr. 20, 1805. 
Charles, b. Jan. 20, 1789,01. Nancy Quinby, d. June 6, 1S66; she, in 1873. 
Hannah, b. Jan. 20, 1791,01. Jotham Sedgley of Limerick, p. Jan. 18, 18 12. 
Nancy, b. Feb. 13, 1793, ni. Samuel Parker of Bu.xton, Jan. 21, 1821 ; 2d, 

Warren Nickerson ; 3d, a Mr. Cobb. 
Gardner, b. Jan. 13, 1795, ^- Martha Chick, p. Apr. 25, 1822. 
Lucy, b. Apr. 9, 1797, m. Samuel Goodwin of Buxton, p. Dec. 27, 1823. 

Josiah Alden died Nov. 8, 1834, aged 75. Mrs. Alden died Aug. 
2 1, 1820, aged 63. 

(3) Gardner Alden, son of Josiah, married Martha Chick of Ber- 
wick. Children : 

Henry, b. May 20, 1823, m. Rachel Ann, dau. of George and Eunice (Watts) 
Carll of Buxton, June 18, 1853. Ch : Charles G., b. Sept. (5, 1854, m. 
Emma Larrabee, Sept. 4, 1881 ; Mary E , b. Nov. 30, 1855, teacher in 
Mass.; John F., b. Sept. 3, 1857, d. June 29, 1865; George, b. Jan. 21, 
1864, m. Ada Douglass, Nov., 1887. Henry Alden d. Sept. 30, 187 1 ; 
Mrs. Alden d. Jan. 31, 1S88, ag. 58. 

Clarissa, b. May 20, 1S23, d. Sept. 13, 1853. 

Gardner Alden died Sept. 8, 183 1, aged 36, and his wife, Feb. 11, 
1849, aged 64. 



388 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

ALLEN. 

Samuel Allen, who was the son of Jacob Allen of Scarborough, 

came to Gorham about 1829. He married, May 6, 1829, Mary C, 

daughter of William and Mehitable McLellan. At that time he lived 

where Daniel Baker now lives, but afterwards moved on to the farm 

now owned by his son George, where he died Sept. 21, 1869, aged 

66. Mrs. Allen died Nov. 14, 1893, aged 84. Children: 

Alexander McL. b. Dec. 15, 1830, m. Mary W. McLellan, June 19, 185CS. 

John McL., b. June 15, 1833, m. Amanda Small of Gorham. 

Almira E., b. Apr. 7, 1836, d. Oct. 3, 1855. 

William M., b. |uly 13, 1839, m. M. Decker; 2d, Mattie McKemiey; d. Feb. 12, 

1896. 
George B., b. July 8, 1847, d. Aug. 7, 1848. 
George A., b. Jan. 22, 1850, m. Eva Paine. 
Eunice S., b. , 1854, d. Sept. i. 1856. 

BACON. 

The family of Bacon came from Barnstable, Mass., where they 
were numerous. From thence they came to Scarborough quite early. 

About the year 1768 Nathaniel Bacon with his wife Apphia and a 

family of three sons came to Gorham. The three sons were 

Nathaniel, b. about. 1757, m. Betty Dyer, May 13, 1782. 
Timothy, b. about 1762, m. Mary Irish, Eeb. 19, 1789. 

Josiah, b. Sept. 24, 1766, m. Lucy Hopkins, Mar. 27, 178S; 2d, Hannah Ham- 
blen. 

After Mr. and Mrs. Bacon came here they had a daughter born — 

Martha, b. May 15, 1769, m. Charles Hopkins, Mar. 7, 1793; ^'^ '" Buxton. 

If there were any other members of the family, we have no record 
of them. Mr. Bacon first settled on the seventy acre lot T14, which 
he purchased of David Gorham. In 1780 he sgld the northeast 
half of this to Ithiel Blake. 

(2) Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., son of Nathaniel, married Betty Dyer of 

Cape Elizabeth. He lived on his father's place. Children : 

Thomas, b. Apr. 21, 1783, m. Sally Burton, Dec. i, 1803. 
Polly, b. Sept. 5, 1784, m. Joseph Hanscom, June 3, 1798. 
Nathaniel, b. Mar. 18, 1786, m. Nicy Emery, Nov. 9, 1809. 
Martha, b. Mar. 24, 1790, m. Samuel Dyer, Dec. i, 1808. 

Betsey, b. , m. William Snow, Jr., p. July 8, 1815. 

Levi, b. , m. Stevens. 

George, b. . 

P^unice, b. , m. Hugh M. Smith, Apr. 7, 181 1. 

Mary, b. , m. Seth Blake of Limington, Aug. 26, 1821. 

Fanny, b. , m. Francis Young of Bridgton, Mar. 20, 1822. 

Nathaniel Bacon died Nov. 22, 1843, aged 86 years; his wife, 

Mrs. Betty Bacon, died May 4, 1843, aged 83. 



GENEALOGY. 389 

(2) Timothy Bacon, son of Nathaniel, was a soldier in the Revo- 
lutionary army, and enlisted when but sixteen years of age. He was 
in Lieut. Col. Sprout's regiment, Patterson's brigade ; was with Gen. 
Green in the Carolinas, and at the surrender of Cornwallis ; and 
served through the war. Mr. Bacon held a lieutenant's commission, 
and served with honor, in the War of 1812. He was an honorable 
man, and one of strict integrity. In his latter days he received a 
pension from the General Government, for his services in the 
Revolution. His home was on the hundred acre lot 86, near West 
Gorham. He married Mary, daughter of James and Mary Gorham 
(Phinney) Irish, and granddaughter of Capt. John Phinney, the first 
settler of Gorham. Children : 

Stephen, b. May 19, 17S9, unm. ; went to Georgia. 

Sarah, b. Jan. 12, 1791, m. James S. Thompson, Oct. 3, 1810; I'd in Athens. 
James, b. Jan. 11, 1793. 

Timothy, b. Dec. 31, 1794, m. Elizabeth Fogg, p. Nov. 30, rSi6. 
Martha, b. Dec. 5, 1796, m. Ephraim Silla, Mar. 19, 1820. 

Nancy, b. Jan. 6, 1799,01. Wm. Wentworth of Atliens, Feb. i, 1S29; I'd in 
Skowhegan. 

John, b. , d. about 1881-2, unm. 

Gardner, b. Dec. 14, 1S04, m. Jane W. Plummer; moved to Westbrook. 
Catherine, b. . 

Lieut. Bacon died Oct. 24, 1849; ^^""s. Bacon died Mar. 6, 1846, 
aged 79. 

(2) Josiah Bacon, son of Nathaniel, lived in Gorham near the 
Buxton line, where Edmund Flood now lives. He married Lucy 
Hopkins of Standish. Children: 

Apphia, b. Aug. 31, 17S9, m. Edward Blake of Brownfield (2d wife), Tulv -o, 
1818. / J / > 

Rebecca, b. Aug. 31, 1791, m. Edward Blake of Brownfield, June 30, 1S08. 

Fanny, b. Apr. 2, 1794, m. Amaziah Goodwin, Oct. 5, 1820. 

Miriam, b. Mar. 2, 1796,01. Lot Davis of West Bu.xton ; 2d, Benj. McCorrison of 

Standish. 
Richard, b. Jan. 20, 1798, m. Lucy Ayers, June 28, 1822. 

Josiah, b. , m. Harriet Libby, Nov. 8, 1828; I'd in Bridgton. 

Hannah, b. , m. Walter Berry, Jr., of Standish, Jan. 24, 1828 ; d. in Saco. 

Lewis, b. 1804, d. Feb. 14, 1821. 

Marshall, b. , m. Amy Libby of Bridgton, Dec. 25, 1829; I'd in Bridgton. 

Leonard, b. 1810, m. Elizabeth Gates, Nov. 29, 1S35; 2d, Abby Edgecomb ; 3d, 
Amanda , and 4th, ; d. in Gorham, Feb. 26, 1S74. 

Mrs. Lucy Bacon died Mar. i, 1836, aged 70, and Mr. Bacon 
married. Mar. 11, 1838, Mrs. Hannah Hamblen of Standish. He 
died Dec. 24, 1845. 

(3) Thomas Bacon, son of Nathaniel, Jr.. married Sally, daughter 
of William and Mary Burton. Children : 

Rebecca, b. Aug. 20, 1804, m. Daniel Emery of Bu.xton, Tan 25, 1824; d. July 
30, 1853. 



890 HISTORY OF C.OKHAM. 

John, b. June 26, 1S06, m. Eunice Pennell ; d. in Windham. 
Caroline, b. July S, 180S, d. Mar., 1812. 

William, b. Mar. i, 181 1, m. Jane W. xMarston of N. Yarmouth, Oct. 12, 1S34; 
d. in Windham in 1892. 

Thomas Bacon died Mar. 17, 18 16, and his widow married, Aug. 

22, 1822, Jessee Cloudman. 

(3) Nathaniel Bacon, son of Nathaniel, Jr.. married Nicy Emery of 

Buxton. Children : 

Benjamin E., b. July i, 181 o, d. Oct. 19. 1833. 

Caroline, b. Aug. 29, 1812, d. Uec. 30, iS3() 

David !•"., b. Mar. 29, i8i5,rd in Stillwater. 

Thomas, b, Sept. 16, 18 17, d. y., owing to an accident. 

Lucinda, b. Feb. 6, 1820, m. Stillman Bard of Hartford, Nov. 14, 1842. 

Isaac E., b. Mar. 14, 1823, m. Miriam II. Bacon, 1843; ^- J"^y l^- i^74- 

James L., b. Apr. 11, 1825, d. in Lowell, Mass., Sept. 9, 1847. 

Mrs. Nicy Bacon died Feb. 23, 1844, aged 55, and Mr. Bacon 
married, Nov. 30, 1845, Mrs. Lucy (Norton) Libby, daughter of 
Joseph and Nancy (Whitmore) Norton of Standish, and widow of 
Zachariah Libby. Mr. Bacon sold his farm to Ithiel, son of Timothy 
Blake, and died at West Gorham with his son Isaac Sept. 7, 187 1, 
aged 65 years. 

(3) Timothy Bacon, son of Timothy, married Elizabeth, daughter 

of Daniel and Eunice (March) Fogg. They had one child : 

Samuel F., b. about 1817, m. Cornelia, dau. of Edmund Lombard; was town 
clerk for three years, and selectman for eight; d. in Standish, Dec. 10, 
18S3, aged 66. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Bacon died before 18 19, for after her death, her 
child Samuel was presented for baptism, June 29, 18 19, by his grand- 
parents, Lieut. Timothy and Mary Bacon ; and was brought up by 
them. Timothy Bacon, Jr. moved to Calais and married a second 
wife. He died about 1S74. 

(3) Richard Bacon, son of Josiah, married Lucy Ayers. Children : 

Miriam H., b. 1823, m. Isaac E. Bacon, 1S43; d. Nov. j8, 1890. 

Josiah, b. , m. Rebecca Small ; I'd in Buxton. 

Richard O., b. , d. young. 

M. Jane, b. Feb. 17, 1829, m. Melville C. Kimball, Oct. 8, 1854. 
Emeline, b. Nov. 2^, 1833, m. Robert Gilpatrick of N. H. 
Lucy A., b. May 17, 1838, m. Charles B. Harding. 
Elizabeth A., b. Dec. 9, 1840, m. Oneas Huff of Lyman. 
Nancy S., b. Jan. 7, 1843, m. William Huff of Lyman. 

Richard Bacon moved to Buxton about 1847 or 1848, and died 

there. 

Mrs. Miriam Bacon, a widow, came to Gorham from Barnstable, 
with her two daughters Miriam and Annah. Her husband, Joseph 
Bacon, was probably a cousin to Nathaniel Bacon who came to 



GENEALOGY. 391 

Gorham in 1768. She was a niece of Mrs. John Phinney, and a 
sister of Mrs. Prince Davis. They were Cohiians, and of a very 
worthy family. Nicholas Harding married the two daughters for his 
iirst and second wives. Mrs. Bacon died at the house of her son-in- 
law Harding, Jan. 31, 1812, aged about 85. 

BAILEY. 

Samuel Bailey was the son of Benjamin Bailey, and was born in 
Westbrook, Feb. 21, 1792, from which town he moved to Gorham. 
When he first came here he lived in a house which stood just west 
of the King (now Stephen Hinkley) house. This house was after- 
wards moved on to the Fort Hill road above the old seminary, and is 
occupied by Mrs. Eli Clay. In May, 1828, a few months after coming 
here, he bought the place on High St., where his children now live. 
Mr. Bailey was a captain in the Westbrook miUtia. He was a wagon- 
maker by trade, and carried on his business in the shop which stands 
in the yard, near his house. He married Jane Small by whom he had 
three children, the two eldest of whom were born in Westbrook, and 
the youngest in Gorham. 

Jane Warren, m. George H Bradbury, Nov. 4, 1851 ; d. Sept. 2, 1S85. 
Elizabeth Valentine, lives with her brother. 
Alfred Augustus, lives in Gorham. 

Capt. Samuel Bailey died June 18, 1859, aged 67, and his wife 
Jane, Aug. 8, 1886, aged 84 years and 9 mos. 

Alfred A. Bailey has quite a curiosity above the old seminary, in 
the shape of an orchard numbering three hundred and sixty-five 
trees, raised from seed planted by himself in 1862. He has since 
grafted these trees, and now has one of the finest orchards in town. 

BAKER. 

Daniel Baker was a native of Somersworth, N. H. After coming 
to Gorham he lived on Fort Hill on the farm afterwards owned by 
his son, Jacob C. Baker. He was at one time town treasurer. He 
married Betsey Clement, probably a sister of Jacob H. Clement. 
Their children were : 

Irab. Sept. 23, 1796, m. Betsey, dau. of John Hanscom, Oct. 23, 1825. Ch: 
Daniel H., b. May 16, 1826, m. Sarah M. Hall, p. Nov. i, 1846; John H. 
C, b. Aug. 26, 1831, d. in California. Mrs. Baker d. Apr. 3, [840, aged 
45, and Mr. B. m. Dec. 20, 1842, Cynthia Towie, by whom he had Frances 
E., b. Feb. 22, 1846, m. ist, John Wescott. 2d, Chas. Gallison. Ira Baker 
I'd in the south part of the town on the farm where his son Dan'l H. 
Baker now lives. He d. July 8, 1861 ; his wife Cynthia d., Oct. 18, 1884, 
aged 78. 



392 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Sally C, b. May 4. 1800, d. Oct. 25, 1820. 

John C, b. Sept. 12, 1804, m. Eliza Roberts of Westbrook ; I'd in Kennebunk. 

Jacob C, b. June 19, 1S08, in. Mrs. Ruth (Elder) Banciofi ; no ch ; d. I"eb. 3, 

1888. 
Betsey C, b. Aug. i, 1S15, m. .\lnion L. Ilobson, Nov. 26, 1840; d. in Portland. 

Daniel Baker died at his home June 9, 1856, aged 90. Mrs. 
Baker died Aug. 17, 1859, aged 83. 

Mose-s Baker of Somersworth, N. H., twin brother to Daniel above, 
married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Thomes of Gorham. Three of 
their daughters married and lived in Gorham — Christiana, who married 
Moses Fogg, and lived on Fort Hill, Mary Ann, who married The- 
ophilus Dame of West Gorham, and Sarah C., who married Jacob 
Hanson C'lement of West (jorham. Moses Baker died at the house 
of his son-in-law, Hanson Clement, at West Gorham, Mar. 25, 1847, 
aged 81, and his wife Sarah at the house of her daughter, Adeline 
Plummer, in Milton, N. H., Mar. i, 1853, aged 71. 

BANGS. 

Barnabas Bangs was the son of Ebenezer and Anna (Sears) 
Bangs, and was born at Harwich, now Brewster, Mass., Mar. 11, 
1728, and came to Gorham, probably from Barnstable, about 1750. 
He married at Falmouth, Sept. 14, 1751, Loruhama Elwell. When 
the Lexington alarm was given in April, 1775, he started to march to 
Boston. May 15, 1775, Mr. Bangs enlisted in the Revolutionary 
army, as a private in Capt. Hart Williams' company, Col. Phinney's 
regiment. He is credited with eight months honorable service. He 
was also a member of Capt. Bryant Morton's company, stationed at 
Scarboro and Cape Elizabeth. He was one of the selectmen of 
Gorham in 1770 and '71 ; and was a man of considerable influence 
in town affairs. Children : 

James, b. Sept. 14, 1752, m. Deborah Gates, p. July 23, 1774; 2d, Elizabeth 

Estes. 
Barnabas, b. Dec. i, 1754, m. Katherine Stevens, Nov. 20, 1777; 2d, Betty 

Cloudman. 

Emma, b. 175^'. m- Jonathan Holmes; d. with the Shakers, Aug. 3, 1804. 

Thomas, b. Apr. 17, 1757, ni. Hannah Lakeman, p. Sept. 20, 1777. 

Anna, b. Mar. 14, 1760, m. Stephen Irish, Apr. i, 1779. 

Sarah, b. July 21, 1762, m. Joseph Brackett, p. Mar. 30, 1781. 

Ebenezer, b. Oct. 22, 1765, m. Polly Cobb, Dec. 30, 1787. 

Mehitable, b. Oct. 22, 1768, m. Jonathan Parsons, Mar. 25, 1790. 

Benjamin, b. Aug. 6, 1771, m. Elizabeth Rand, p. Dec. 21, 1793. Ch : John 

and Benjamin, twins, b. July 6, 1794; Sophia, b. Feb. 3, 1796. 
Jonathan, b. , m. Deborah Andrews ; 2d, Mrs. Rebecca Babb. 

Barnabas Jiangs died in Gorham, with the Shakers, Jan. 29, 1808, 
and his wife Loruhama, Apr. 19, 1795. 



GENEALOGY. 393 

(2) James Bangs, son of Barnabas, was a member of the Society 
of Friends in Gorham. He lived on what is now known as the Ansel 
Stone place. He married Deborah, daughter of Elder Joseph Cates. 
Children : 

Edmund, b. Oct. 21, 1775, ) These, with their brother James, were drowned 

Thomas, b. July i, 1777, ) off Bangs Island, about 1822. 

John, b. Dec. 1 1, 177S. 

James, b. Sept. 30, 1780, m. Betsey Lakeman, Sept. 10, 1809. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 26, 17S2, m. John Hamblen, Jr., p. Jan. 12, 1804. 

Allen, b. Apr. 8, 1784, was brought up by his uncle, Barnabas, Jr.; joined the 

Shakers; d. at Poland, Feb. 26, 1858. 
Esther, b. May 26, 17S6, m. Joseph Hamblen, Jr., p. Nov. 28, 1807. 

We have not the date of the death of Mrs. Deborah Bangs, but Mr. 
Bangs married Nov. 26, 1789, Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Estes of 
Berwick. Children : 

Robert, b. Sept. 15, 1790, m. Elizabeth Huzzey of Falmouth, Jan. i, 182! ; I'd 

in Phillips. 
Cyrus, b. Apr. 26, 1792, I'd in Dover, N. H. 
Solomon, b. Sept. 22, 1793, left home and not heard from. 
Joshua, b. Jan. 19, 1795, ^'^ i'^ Gardiner; left home and never heard from. 

Amos, b. , m. Catherine Sinclair. 

Mary, b. , m. James Torrey, Jr.. of Westbrook, Nov. 30, 1S20; d. July 10, 

1S53, aged 56. 
Sarah, b. , m. Josiah Knight ; d. in Deering, aged about 85. 

After the death of James Bangs, his widow married, Jan. 28, 1807, 
John Horton. 

(2) Barnabas Bangs, Jr., son of Barnabas, took up four hundred 
acres of land in what is now known as the Shaker neighborhood. 
.He was a soldier in the Revolution. He married Katherine, daugh- 
ter of Benjamin and Sarah Stevens. Children : 

Sarah, b. June 5, 1778, m. Nathan Bangs, July 15, 1798. 
Susanna, b. May 8, 1780, d. young. 

George, b. Aug. 22, 1782, d. with the Shakers, Mar. 29, 1831. 
Ruth, b. Aug., 1786. 

Mr. Bangs married Nov. i, 1789, Betty, daughter of Timothy and 
Katy Cloudman. Children : 

Susanna, b. May 19, 1790, d. with the Shakers, Mar. 21, 1879. 

Anna, b. May 16, 1793, ^- ^^'^'^ ^^^ Shakers, May 29, 1827. 

Katherine, b. Dec. 27, 1795, d- about 1817. 

Mary Ann, b. June 20, 1798. 

Dorcas, b. , d. with the Shakers, May 28, 1832. 

Barnabas Bangs, Jr., with his family joined the Shakers in Gorham, 
and made over his property to the Community. He became an 
Elder, and when the Family removed to Poland, accompanied them. 
He died May 25, 1838. Mrs. Betty Bangs died Nov. 27, 1849, 
aged 82. 



894 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

(2) Thomas Bangs, son of Barnabas, was a drummer in Capt. 

Hart Williams' company, in the Revolutionary army. He married 

Hannah, daughter of William and Hannah Lakeman, and together 

with her, at the same time as his brother Barnabas, joined the 

Shakers ; afterwards going with the Family to Poland, where he 

became an I'^lder. Children : 

Polly, b. Oct. 2, 1778, m. Joseph Bangs, Apr. 30, 1795. 

William, b. Jan. 17, 1781, was a sailor; d. unm. in a foreign port, of yellow 

fever. 
Bethiah, b. May 25, 1783, ran away from the Shakers, m. David Freeman. July 

14, 1806. 
Josiah, b. July 27, 1786, d. aged 5 mos. 
Nancy, b Nov. 22, 1787, ran away from the Shakers, m. Capt. Benj. Rolfe, 

Oct. 20, 1816. 
Eunice, b. Apr. 20, 1790, I'd with the Shakers ; d. at I'oland, Aug. 7, 1847. 
Josiah, b. Mar. 8, 1793, was a leading Elder in the Shakers; d. Oct. 20, 1877. 
Mehitable, b. Mar. 23, 1797- 

Thomas Bangs and his wife both died with the Shakers, he, Aug. 

12, 1824, and she, Nov. i, 1827. 

(2) Ebenezer Bangs, son of Barnabas, married Polly, daughter of 

Jedediah and Reliance Cobb. Children : 

Daniel, b. P^eb. 11, 1790, d. young. 

Sylvanus, b. June 8, 1793, m. Almira Higgins, '" Gorham, May 6, 1817 ; 2d. 

Hannah E. Bean ; 3d, Mrs. Rebecca Kezar ; d. in Limerick, Mar. 28. 1879. 
Ruhama, b. Feb. 16, 1795, ^ Daniel Bean, Apr. 29, 18 13. 
William Cobb, b. May 29, 1797, m. Mary Ann Spring; I'd in Brownfield, d. 

July 31, 1840. 
Elizabeth C, b. Nov. 26,1799, ™- Nathaniel C. Bean ; d. in Limerick, July, 

1846. 

Ebenezer Bangs died Jan. 10, 1807, and his widow married, Dec. 
10, 1808, Andrew Cobb of Limiiigton. 

(3) James Bangs, son of James, married Betsey, daughter of 

Josiah and Esther Lakeman. Children : 

Louisa, m. Obadiah H. Whitney of Standish, Feb. 14, 1836; d. in 1852. 

James, m. in Philadelphia; d. there. 

Esther L., m. Col. Lemuel Rich of Standish, Dec. 2, 1831. 

Mary Ann, m. Solomon L. Libby, May 21, 1843; d. in 1874. 

Elizabeth, m. Samuel E. vStone, Nov. 25, 1841. 

William, d. at sea. 

James Bangs lived on Bangs Island, in Portland Harbor, and was 

drowned with his brothers, Thomas and Edmund, when near the 

island, by the upsetting of a boat, about 1822. 

Heman Bangs, baptized at Harwich, Mass., Apr. 3, 1748, was the 
son of Joseph Bangs. He came to Gorham, and married, Jan. i, 
1770, Molly, the daughter of William and Hannah Wood. Some 
claim that her name was Lakeman. She might possibly have been 
a widow, but we think not. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 395 

Joseph, b. Dec. 7, 1770, m. Mary Bangs, Apr. 30, 1795. 

Mary, b. Oct. i, 1772, m. Nathaniel Phinney, Apr. 30, 1792. 

Hannah, b. Apr. 19, 1775, m. Wilham Whitney of Limington, Oct. 11, 1792. 

Nathan, b. Mar. 9, 1777, m. Sarah Bangs, July 15, 1798; moved to Farmington 

about [815 or 1820. 
Heman, b. May 9, 17S2, I'd in Portland. 

Mrs. Mary Bangs died Oct. i, 1829, aged 84. 

(2) Joseph Bangs, son of Heman, by their records of 1794 was a 

member of the Society of Friends. He married Mary, daughter of 

Thomas and Hannah Bangs. The ceremony was performed by 

Edmund Phinney, Esq. Cliildren : 

Thomas, b. Jan. i, 1797, d. unm., May, 17, 1832. 

Lemuel, b. Oct. 19, 1798, d. Feb 19, 1800. 

Lemuel, b. May 25, 1800, m. Sarah Haley. 

William, b. Mar. 28, 1802, m. Martha Preble of Portland, Apr. 17, 1S25. 

Josiah, b. Feb. 19. 1804, d. Oct. 15, 1805. 

Zilpha, b. Feb. 26, 1806, m. Bryant Morton, Dec. 26, 1S25. 

Lydia, b. Mar. 9, iSoS, m. Frederick Gilkey, p. Nov. 7, 1829. 

Heman, b. Nov. 29, 1809, d. Oct. 25, t8io. 

Nathan, b. Aug. 5, 181 1, m. Statira Whitney, p. Apr. 19, 1S35. 

Lucy A., b. Jan. 9, 1814, m. J. Noyes Libby, Apr. 13, 1834. 

Bethiah, b. May i, 18 16, m. Fbenezer Files, May 28, 183V ; 2d. Wm. S. Elder. 

Reuben, j 1 ,, c q i d. Apr. 22, 1818. 

c^-u ■ b. Apr. I, 1818, ' J . '^ 00 

Stillman, \ ^ ' ' ( d. Apr. 24, 18 18. 

Reuben M., b. Aug. 11, 1820. m. Elizabeth M. Harmon, p. Apr. 22, 1849; d. 

Apr. 26, 1893. 

Joseph Bangs died Mar. i8, 1853. Mrs. Polly Bangs died Oct. 5, 
1857, aged 79. 

(3) Charles C. Bangs, son of Nathan and Sarah, lived at Gorham 
village. He was town clerk in 1842. He married Emily A., daugh- 
ter of Ebenezer and Elizabeth Hatch. Children : 

EHzabeth A., b. Apr. 14, 1839, m. L^r. William Merrill. 
Clarissa, b. Nov. i, 1845, "^- Wm. L. Shedd. 
Ahce B., b. June 22, 1S4S, d. Sept. 5, 1849. 

Charles C. Bangs died Feb. 17, 1869. Mrs. Emily Bangs died 
Mar. 23, 1899, agscl S^. 

BARBOUR. 

Joseph Barbour, born in 1776, was the son of Joseph Bean Bar- 
bour, and a descendant of John, who came from Ireland to York 
and afterwards to Falmouth. He was for many years a well known 
merchant in Portland, from which place he came to Gorham, prob- 
ably about 1824, and Hved on the place once owned by Hart Williams, 
until 1845, when he moved to the village. He married first, Lucy 
Potter of Kensington, N. H., by whom he had : 

Caroline, b. about 180S, d. Sept. 6, 1832, ag. 24. 

Francis, b. about 181 1, d. Mar. i, 1839, ag. 28; a graduate of Bowdoin, 1830; 
was a poet and artist. 



89G HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

Henry, bapt. in 1819, m. Harriet D. Merrill. 

Andrew, bapt. in 1819, d. in Mineral Point, Wis. about 1S44. 

Mrs. Lucy Barbour died in 18 18, and Mr. Barbour married Judith 
Stevens of Portland. Child : 

Lucy E., b. May 10, 1S23, d. Dec. 14, iSSo. 

Mrs. Judith Barbour died in (}orham, Apr. 18, 1842, aged 62, and 
Mr. Barbour married. May 15, 1849, Mrs. Agnes (Archer) Preble, 
widow of Eben Preble. She died Feb. 25, 1889. Mr. Barbour died 
in Gorham, May 30. 1S54. 

DR. JEREMIAH BARKER. 

Dr. Barker was for some time a citizen of Gorham, both in his early 
and latter days. He was born in Scituate, Mass., about the year 
1 751; was educated by the Rev. Mr. Cutter, the Congregational 
minister of that town, and received a thorough classical education, 
although he never entered college. Before the Revolutionary war he 
went to Cambridge, and studied medicine and surgery under Dr. 
Lincoln of that town, a man then eminent in his profession. After 
completing his studies Dr. Barker went into the practice of medicine 
in Barnstable, where he married Miss Abigail Gorham, daughter of 
David Gorham, Esq., Oct. 12, 1775. She was the sister of the Hon. 
Judge William Gorham, of Gorham, Me. 

During the Revolutionary struggle he joined the American army as 
a surgeon ; some times on board of our armed ships. Dr. Lincoln 
and his pupil, Dr. Barker, were both in the famous Bagaduce expedi- 
tion. Dr. Barker was on board one of the ships that retreated up the 
river. He landed and made his way home through the woods with 
others, undergoing great hardships. At the close of the war, his 
brother-in-law, William Gorham, having settled in Gorham, the Doctor 
was induced to join him in the new town, which at that time was a 
place of great interest to the Gorham family. Though the Doctor 
while in the army had to administer to the wants of the sick and 
dying, still he did not neglect the main chance for his own living, 
and it was said that he accumulated quite a sum of money while in 
the service. We have no record showing the time of his coming into 
town. He owned an acre of land in the south corner of the thirty 
acre lot. No. 112, on the north side of the Portland road, and 
bounded east by the Horse Beef road (called the Black Brook road). 
Here he built a large two story house. This house was the next 
house westerly from that of Judge Gorham, and nearly opposite 
the house of the late Rufus Mosher. About the year 1790, when the 



GENEALOCY. 397 

Doctor and his wife were visiting at his brother Gorham's, his house 
took fire and was consumed. While the house was burning, Dr. 
Barker remarked to his wife, that the money they had saved in the 
war was going up pretty fast. Though he lost his house, he was not 
discouraged. He immediately rebuilt on the same spot, and around 
the old chimney. After the new house was completed, it was found 
that business did not settle in his part of the town, as he supposed it 
would, but Gorham corjier took the lead, and he was rather out of 
its range. This induced him to sell out and move to Portland, which 
he did somewhere about the year 1792. The house was purchased 
by Mr. Gammon, and hauled across the fields to the cross road. It 
was afterwards known as the David Elder house. 

Dr. Barker was a well known man in his profession — had a good 
practice, and carried on a large correspondence with the eminent 
practitioners in his own country, among them the celebrated Dr. 
Rush, and Dr. William Prentiss of Philadelphia, (the latter having 
married his wife's sister), as well as having several correspondents 
among the learned physicians of England. He was ingenious in his 
profession, and a man of deep thought. Many things which he 
labored hard to establish, but which were then thought not practicable, 
have since come in vogue and are now believed to be the true 
principles. And we can only conclude that he was a little ahead of 
his time. 

Dr. Barker was a strict observer of the Sabbath, and was early in 
the temperance cause. Strict in doing his duty, soon after his return 
to Gorham from Portland he was chosen tithing-man. One Sunday 
morning, when coming up to meeting, he met a man from the 
country, his team loaded with produce, travelling toward Portland. 
He promptly ordered him to stop, and return to the village, and put 
up till Monday, as he would not be allowed to travel on the Sabbath. 
The man remonstrated, telling the Doctor he had no money where- 
with to pay his tavern bill. This made no difference; back he had 
to go. The Doctor carried him to David Cobb's tavern (the old 
Gary McLellan house, where R. G. Harding lately traded). The 
traveller notified Cobb that if he put him up he could receive nothing, 
as he had nothing with which to pay. The man staid till Monday 
morning, took his team, and went on to Portland. Cobb made out 
his bill against the Doctor for keeping man and horse over the 
Sabbath, one dollar and fifty cents, then the usual price, carried it 
into the otilice of J. S. Smith, Esq., and ordered it collected. A 
letter from the lawyer soon brought the Doctor to the spot. He was 



398 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

compelled to pay the bill, and it was said that he did not meddle 

much with Sunday travel, after that. The Doctor was a member of 

the famous old "Sixty-nine" Society, in the days of the Rev. Asa 

Rand, probably about the year 1816, when all the stores in town 

were forbidden to sell intoxicating liquors to be drank on the 

premises. (See Chapter XVIII.) 

In 1799 Doctor Barker bought land in Stroudwater, and built a 

large two story house, which is still standing. His children were : 

Jeremiah C, b. about 1778, lost at sea, Dec. 19, iSic, aged 32. 

Mary G, b. Aug. 20, 1781, m. at Stroudwater, Oct. 13, 18.00, Daniel Johnson 

of Portland. 
David, b. Mar. 7, 1784, m. Deborah Jos.slyn of Pembroke; was a physician; I'd 

in Durham and Sedgwick ; d. in Sedgwick. 
Elizabeth, b. Jan. 29, 1787, m Rev. Samuel Clarke. 
Abigail, b. , m, John Johnson of Providence, R. I., May 19, 1817. 

Mrs. Abigail Barker died in Falmouth, June 29, 1790, aged 40, 
and Dr. Barker married Dec. 17, 1790, Susanna Garrett, sister to 
Mrs. Judge Gorham. She died June 3, 1794, aged 25, and he 
married third, Eunice Riggs, daughter of Jeremiah Riggs of Capisic. 
Mrs. Eunice Barker died Nov. 10, 1799, aged 29. July 2, 1802 we 
find the Doctor published to Mary Williams of Gorham, but can find 
no record of any marriage. Dr. Barker's brother-in-law. William 
Gorham, died in 1805, and on the 17th of March, 1808, he married 
Mrs. Temperance Gorham, Judge Gorham's widow, and moved back 
to Gorham and occupied the old Gorham homestead, where he died 
Oct. 3, 1834, aged 84. His widow after his death moved to Provi- 
dence, R. I., where she made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Abby 
Gorham (Barker) Johnson, and where she died about the year 1840. 

BARTLETT. 

Samuel Bartlett came to Gorham from Cambridge, Mass. He was 

the son of Samuel Bartlett, Esq., Register of Probate, of Cambridge, 

and his sister Mary married Willard Buttrick, the clothier at Fort 

Hill. He married, Aug. 21, 1804, Sally C, daughter of Capt. Josiah 

Jenkins. Children : 

Benjamin, b. Sept. 5, 181.4, went to sea, and was lost. 

Willard B , b. May 26, 1817, was a Methodist minister; d. at Mechanic Falls, 
June, 1898. 

BAXTER. 

Doctor Elihu Baxter was born in Norwich, Vt., Apr. 10, 1781. 
He was the son of Elihu and Tryphena (Taylor) Baxter. His father 
was one of the first of those patriotic men who responded to the call 



GENEALOGY. 399 

for volunteers to repel the invasion of the British at the beginning of 
the war of the Revolution, and enlisted, April 4, 1776, in Capt. James 
Osgood's company, attached to the regiment of Col. Bedell of New- 
Hampshire. 

Itlihu Baxter, Jr. received his medical education at Hanover, and 
immediately after his graduation commenced to practice at Lemington, 
Yt. Remaining there but a short time, he moved to Alna, Me., then 
to Wayne, and thence to Gorham where he remained till 1831. In 
that year he removed to Orono, and for nine years practiced succes- 
sively there and in Levant and China, in all of which places he was 
considerably interested in real estate. Desiring a broader field for 
the exercise of his talents, in the spring of 1840 he moved to Portland, 
where he at once entered upon an active practice, which he continued 
to pursue through the remainder of his life. He was married, in 
February, 1806, to Clarissa Sims of Lemington, Vt., who was drowned 
six weeks later while crossing the ice on horseback. Aug. 17, 1807 
he married Sarah Cone, a descendant of Daniel Cone, one of the 
Puritan founders of East Haddam, Conn. The children of Elihu and 
Sarah Baxter were : 

Hiram, b. Aug. 17, 1S08, was a physician in Orono; d. June 28, 1894. 
Hartley W., b. July 15, 181 1. d. in 1S40. 

Elizabeth, b. Nov. 17, 1813, m. Henry Gooding; d. Sept. 20, 1S42. 
\Vm. Henry, b. Jan. 14, 181 7, m. Mary A. Jackson, d-Aug. 3, 1888. 
Sarah A., b. Oct. 9, 1820, m. Joseph M. Barry of Worcester; 2d, Mr. Raddin. 
James P., b. Mar. 23, 1831, m. Sarah Lewis; 2d, Mrs. Mehitable (Proctor) 
Perkins. 

Dr. Baxter was a man of splendid physique, and possessed a most 
retentive memory, and powers unimpaired to the time of his death. 
He died of a sudden congestion, Jan. 23, 1863, aged 82 ; his wife 
died June 27, 1873. 

James Phinney Baxter, the youngest son of Dr. Elihu Baxter, is a 
prominent and influential citizen of Portland. He has filled the office 
of Mayor of that city with much acceptance. To him the city is 
indebted for the beautiful building containing the Public Library. 

BECK. 

Thomas Beck, Jr. was a sea captain. He came to Gorham from 
Portland about the year 1813, and lived at what is now called 
Winship's corner, in the house now occupied by his great-grand- 
daughter, Mrs. Walter Mayberry. He married Jane Loring of 
Gorham, (pub. Nov, 19, 1808,) Nov. 19, 1808. Children: 

James, b. Sept. 24, 1809, m. Mary Crockett, Nov. 30, 183 1 ; I'd in Portland. 
Betsey J., b. Feb. 19, 18 12, m. Geo. Dam of Portland. 



400 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Mary J., b. Jan. i, 1814, m. John Sanborn, Mar. 2, 1S31. 

Nancy, b. Oct. 18, 1S15. m. John Swett of Westbrook. 

Harriet, b. Feb. 4, 1817, m. Wm. B. I.ibby, Aug. 2, 1S37; 2d, Thos. Ilampson, 

Mar. 12, 1861; I'd in Biddeford. 
Thomas, b. Dec. 21, 1S18, went to sea; d. iinm. 

Capt. Beck died Aug. 18, 1S18, aged 31. and his widow married 

Geo. W. Decker, July i, 1827, by whom she had one child, Lucy E., 

b. Oct. 4, 1828, m. Alphonso Dam of Cal. Mr. Decker died May i, 

1828, from an accidental explosion of powder. Mrs. Decker died 

Aug. 21, 1868. 

BENSON. 

James Benson, who was born in Devonshire, England, in 1772, and 
landed in Boston in 1800, was a weaver by trade. He taught school 
in Gorham at one time in the Mosher District. He married Abigail 
Dow of Standish, daughter of Capt. Dow who served for seven years 
in the Revolutionary army. Arthur M. Ben.son, son of James and 
Abigail (Dow) Benson, was born in Limington, Sept. 21, 182 1, and 
came to Gorham from that place, Feb. 10, 1839. He learned the 
tanner's trade with Mr. Hinkley, and worked thirty years as journey- 
man. He then formed a partnership with Seward Bucknam, under 
the firm name of " Bucknam and Benson," for carrying on the cur- 
rier's business. The firm built, for a currier's shop, the house on 
Water St., lately occupied by Daniel Carll. Later Mr. Benson moved 
to Portland, where he remained four years, in the firm of J. S. Ricker 
and Co. He afterwards returned to Gorham, and became a member 
of the firm of Hinkley and Co. He married, December i, 1844, 
Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen and Wealthy (Sawyer) Lowell. Chil- 
dren : 

Sarah E , b. Mar. 27, 18)7, m. Chas. Usher, Jan. 30, 1879. 
Laura I., b. Oct. 3, 1849, d. Oct. 8, 1850. 
Arthur J., b. Feb. 15, 1858. 

Mary Benson, daughter of James and Abigail, born Nov. 11, 

181 1, lived for many years in Gorham, and died at her brother's, Oct. 

21, 1882. James Benson died May 10, 1832. His wife Abigail died 

in Gorham, June 9, 1852, aged 68. 

BERRY. 

Joshua Berry, son of Obadiah, and grandson of George Berry, was 
born in Falmouth, June 8, 1767. He came to Gorham from Poland, 
in 18 19, when he exchanged his Poland property with the Shakers in 
Gorham for that farm where the Shaker Family had lived, since 
owned by the late Nelson Merrill. On this farm Mr. Berry settled. 



GENEALOGY. 401 

and made his home. July 28, 1794, he married Olive Wilson of Fal- 
mouth, and their children were : 

Mary, b. Dec. 9, 1794, m. William Burton, June 11, 1S23. 

Ann, b. July 24, 179S, m. Stephen H. Thomes, Feb. 10, 1839; 2d, Robert Files 

in 1 85 1. 
Alfred, b. Ian. 18, 1801, m. lane M. Todd; was a house builder; d. Nov. 10, 

185'. 

Henry, b. Feb. 7, 1803, d. in Windham, Mar. 18, 1S47. 

Louisa,' b. Nov. 7, 1804, m. Col. Edward Anderson, Nov. 30, 1830. 

Nath'l W., b. Dec. 4, 1S06, m. Lydia, dau. of Edward and Olive Anderson of 
Windham, Jan. 15, 1833. t'h: Louisa A., b. June 14, 1835, d. unm. 
Jan. 4, 1890; Robert P., b. Nov. 5, 1837, d. Oct. 7, 1842 ; Mary Ann and 
Frances H., b. Jan. 11, 1840, both d. y. ; Charles J., b. Oct. 22, 1842, m. 
Sarah Crockett, d. in 1900 ; Olive J., b. Mar. 8, 1846, m. Gorham Nor- 
wood. Mr. Berry I'd near Little Falls; he d. Feb. 17, 1871, and his wife 
d. Aug. 7, 1891, ag. 81. 

Emily, b. Aug. 20, 1809, d. young. 

Robert P., b. Jan. 14, 18 12, m. Mary Ann Thurston. 

Mrs. Olive Berry died in Portland, in i8i5,andMr. Berry married. 
Mar. 2, 181 7, Hannah W. Chipman of Falmouth, who died in 
November, 1835, and he married, Oct. 3, 1838, Elizabeth Kelly of 
Saccarappa. He died in Windham, Oct. 15, 1842, aged 75 ; his 
wife Elizabeth died Aug. 17, i860. 

BETTIS. 

Jacob P. Bettis came to Gorham from New Hampshire when quite 
a young man. He was a farmer, and had been a school teacher. He 
lived at White Rock, near where the Maine Central Railroad station 
is now located, where Edmund Brown now lives. In 18 12 he was 
Captain of a Gorham coiupany of militia, belonging to Col. Burbank's 
regiment, and marched to the defence of Portland in 18 14. He 
married, in 1807, Hannah, daughter of Capt. Ephraim Smith, by 
whom he had the following children : 

Frances, b. June 30, 1808, d. Apr. 30, 1831. 

Fisher Ames, b. Aug. 5, 1813, m. Abigail Rounds of Boston, 1837. Ch : 
Hannah; Sarah J.; Charles F. ; George; Mary A.; and William, who 
was born in Portland. About 1850 Mr. Bettis moved from Gorham to 
Saccarappa. Mrs. Bettis d. Aug. 25, 1862, ag. 45 ; and Mr. Bettis m. 
2d, Margaret, dau. of Joseph Babb of Westbrook. Ch : Joseph A., d. 
y., and Lester. 

Chas. Harding, b. May 22, 181 5, d. Apr. i r, 1S38. 

Capt. Bettis died in Lynn, Mass., May 10, 1854, aged 79 ; his wife 
died Nov. 18, 1837, aged 53. 

BLAIR. 

Peter Blair was a native of Muirhouse, Scotland, and came over to 
America at the same time with the Mcintosh family. He lived on 
the farm next above the place where the late Reuben Bangs lived, 



402 HISTOKV OF GOKHAM. 

toward Standish. He married Ann Wood, (pub. Feb. 6, 1813). One 

child : 

John, b. in Baldwin, Jan. 26, 1816, m. Abigail M. Elder, p. Sept. 9. 1S38 ; d. 
Nov. 27, 1848 ; she, Aug. 31, 1854. 

Peter Blair died March 6, 1848, aged 85. 

BLAKE. 

Ithiel, Nathaniel, Joseph, John and Iienjaniin Blake were the .sons 
of Ithiel and Susanna (?) (Martin) Blake. These brothers all came 
early to town. They had sisters ; one of whom, Mehitable, married 
Benjamin Elwell, (pub. Dec. 27, 1788). Probably Elizabeth, who 
married, Apr. 11, 1776, Samuel Larrabee of Scarborough, Lydia, 
who married Jeremiah Rand, and perhaps Polly who married Jonathan 
Whitney of Buxton (pub. Nov. 24, 1781), were also sisters. The 
family is said to have come from Cape Cod. 

(i) Ithiel Blake was in town before 1770. He bought his farm 

of Nathaniel Bacon. This was the northeast half of the seventy acre 

lot No. 114. The deed is dated June 3, 1780, and says " the division 

line to be the same as now fixed and settled ; said lot is same on 

which I now live, and the said Blake also." Henry Carll lately lived 

on the place. Ithiel Blake married, July 13, 1769, Apphia Higgins. 

She came from Cape Cod to Gorham with the Bacon family, when 

she was quite young. Children : 

Apphia, b. July 23, 1770, m. Thomas Thomes of Buxton, Feb. 4, 1790. 
Betty, b. Dec. 15, 1772, m. Caleb P. Philbrlck of Standish, p. Mar. 26, 1794. 
Martha, b. Feb. 19, 1775, m. Samuel Irish, July 8, 1792. 
Mary, b. Feb. 14, 1778, m. Jonathan Shaw of Standish, p. Jan. i, 1800. 
Nathaniel, b. Oct. i, 1780, m. Rebecca Higgins, Nov. 26, 1801. 

Lydia, b , m. (probably) Samuel Bryant of Saco, May 18, 1800. 

Freeman, b. July 25, 1786, m. Mary Whitney, p. Aug. 12, 1803. 
Timothy, b. May 26, 1789, m. Susan Higgins, Nov. 29, 18 to. 

Fanny, b. , 1793, ^- ^ai'l C. Higgins, Mar. 25, 1816. 

Israel, b. , m. Mary Blake of Limington, p. Nov. i6, 1822. 

(i) Nathaniel Blake lived in what is called the Blake neighbor- 
hood, above VVe.st Gorham, on the Samuel vStone farm. He was a 
soldier in the Revolution, and received a pension from Government 
for his services. He married, Sept. 25, 1777, Mary Fogg of Scar- 
boro. Children : 

Seth, b. Apr. 26, 1778, m. .\bigail I.arrabee, Aug. 2, 1799. 

Ithiel, b. Mar. 6, 1780, m. Eunice Phinney, Sept. 9, 1802. 

Ruth, b. June 2, 1781, m. John B. Rand, July 15, 1799. 

Benjamin, b. May 31, 1783. 

Elias, b. Sept. 7, 1785. 

Molly, b. Dec. 5, 1786. 

Leah,b. Mar. 23, 1787. 

Ephraim, b. June 26, 1789, m. Desire Parker Higgins. Dec, 1813. 

Elizabeth, b. Feb. 7, 1791, m. Elisha Douglass of Limington, Mar. 3, 1814. 



GENEALOGY. 403 

Mr. Blake married second, Mar. 7, 1793, Hannah \\'ood. He died 
Feb. 28, 1843, aged 90. His wife Hannah died Feb. 24, 1849, aged 
90. 

(i) Joseph Blake lived at West Gorham on the farm since owned 
by Edward Douglass and Chas. B. Cotton. The buildings occupied 
by him are now gone. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
and received a pension for his services. He married Hannah Hop- 
kins, (pub. Jan. 6, 1781). He and his wife at that time are recorded 
as being both of Pearsonstown, but they probably moved at once to 
Gorham. Children : 

Adriel, b. Apr. 5, 17S2. 

Phebe, b. Dec. 7, 17S3, m. .Samuel Boynton, Sept. 26, 1804. 

Hannah, b. Sept. 3, 1785, ni. Joseph Sturgis. 

Eunice, b. Sept. 8, 1787, m. Richard Paine, Dec. 19, 1813. 

Lydia, b. Aug. 21, 1790, m. Thomas Paine, Dec. i, 1808. 

Lucy, b. May 9, 1793, "^- Nathaniel Phinney, Jr., p. Aug. 26, 181 5. 

Charles, b. Nov. 6, 1800, m. Rebecca Moody of Limington, p. Dec. z-j , 1823; d. 

in Portland. 
Joseph, b. Apr. 15, 1S03, m. Elizabeth Moody of Limington, p. Aug. 6, 1825; 

d. July 13, 1835. 

Joseph Blake died Jan. 28, 1840, aged 83. His wife died Jan. 27, 
1842, aged 78. 

(i) John Blake probably came to Gorham about 1780. He 
lived where John Dunn lately lived, above West Gorham. He mar- 
ried Deborah Tuckerman of Boston, and their children, all born in 
Gorham, but Sally, who was born in Boston, were : 

Sally, b. Jan. 13, 1782, m. Nathan Hanson, June 7, 1804. 

Polly, b. Feb. 18, 1784, m. Ephraim Libby, Jan. 26, 1S07. 

Daniel, b. June 20, 1786, m. Thankful Davis, Dec. 16, 1813. 

Samuel, b. July 31, 1788, I'd and d. in Brovvnfield. 

John, b. Nov. 10, 1792, d. unm. July 15, 18 t8. 

Thankful, b. Nov. 16, 1794, m. Peter White of Buxton, July 27, 1814; I'd in 
Sebago. 

James b. June 7, 1796, m. Eliza Thorn, May 28, 1829. 

George W., b. Jan. 10, 1798, m. Eleanor Lombard, dau. of Daniel Murch of 
Bu.xton, and widow of Samuel Lombard, Jan. 11, 1825; I'd at West 
Gorham; d. in May, 1871 ; Mrs. Blake d. May 22, 1874, aged 85. Ch : 
Geo. T., m. Eliza Douglass, 2d, Martha Place of Saco ; Charles H., m. 
Abba Rand, Jan. i, 1859 ; Harriet, m. Lorenzo D. Rand of Standish, p. 
Oct. 6, 1859 ; Ingalls. 

John Blake was a Revolutionary pensioner. He died Mar. 21, 
1826, aged 66 ; his wife died June 15, 1850, aged 91. 

(i) Benjamin Blake's name appears on a Gorham tax bill for 
1777. He lived above West Gorham on the John Dunn farm, where 
his brother John afterwards lived. He married, Oct. 20, 1785, 
Phebe, daughter of Jedediah and Susan (Dorsett; Lombard. Children : 



404 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Jedediah, b. Mar. 14, 1786. 

Edward, b. May 11,1789, m. Rebecca Bacon, June 30, 1S08 : 2d, Apphia Bacon, 

July 20, 1818. (Dau's of Josiah Bacon of Gorham.) 
John, b. Oct. 13, 1791, d. yoimg. 
John, b. Mar. 15, 1793- 
Joseph, b. June 5, 1795. 
WilHam, b. May 23, 1797. 
Sylvan us, b. Feb. 13, 1800. 

Benjamin Blake exchanged farms with John Dunn of Brownfield, 
and with his family moved to that town. 

(2) Timothy Blake, son of Ithiel, married Susan Higgins, and 

their children were : 

Miriam F., b. Ian. 4, 1812, m. Mark Newcomb of Harrison, p. Apr. 21, 1832. 
Ebenezer H., b. Dec. 27, 18 13, m. Mehitable, dau. of Dan'l Irish, Oct 30, 1836 ; 

one son, Franklin, b. Mar. 16, 1844, was a member of the nth U. S. 

Infantry, and d. in the Civil War at Spottsylvania, Va., May 9, 1864. 

Mrs. Blake d. July 7, 1873, aged 57, and Capt. Blake m. Mrs. Sarah 

(Bangs) Tutnam; he d. Jan. 2. 1879, and his widow m. Frank A. 

Hamblen. 
Ithiel, b. Jan. 30, 1816, m. Esther Files, Nov. 29, 1.S38 ; d. Sept. 1S80. 
Apphia H., b. May 21, 1818, m. William K. Files, Jr., Nov. 1837. 
Adeline, b. Feb. 21, 1822, m. John Carsley of Harrison, 1842. 
Fanny II., b. Jan. 24, 1824, m. Francis Hamblen of Buxton, p. Dec. 1845. 

Timothy Blake died at the old homestead, Jan. 7, 1883, aged 93. 
Mrs. Blake died Apr. 12, 1862. aged 73. 

(2) Daniel Blake, son of John, lived for many years in Buxton, 
He spent the latter years of his life in Gorham on the farm once 
owned by Lieut. Ebenezer Murch. He was in the War of 18 12, serv- 
ing at Portland in Lieut. Leighton's troop of cavalry. He married 
Thankful Davis, daughter of John, of Buxton, and granddaughter of 
Jo.siah Davis of Gorham. She was born Oct. 23, 1792. Children : 

Marshall, b. Dec. i, 1S15, m. Lydia Wiggins of Boston. 
Sewell, b. May 11, 1817, m. Eliza McLellan of Newfield. 
Mary, b. July 9, 1819, m. John Stokes of Corham. 

Martha, b. Mar. 21, 1828, m. M. G. Hayden of Durham, N. H. Mr. Hayden 
■was a trader in Gorham, and town clerk from 1861 to 1864. 

Mr. Blake died Aug. 30, 1870, aged 84. 

BOLTON. 

Mary McLellan came from the north of L'eland, and was the sister 
of Hugh McLellan of Gorham and James McLellan of Saco. She 
married in Ireland a man by the name of Craige, much older than 
herself. Craige had a son John by a former wife. I'he family left 
Ireland for America somewhere about the year 1729 to 1730, and 
landed first in Boston, Mass. On the voyage over Craige died, 
leaving his widow with two children, Jane, or Jenny as she was 



GENEALOGY. 405 

called, and Hugh, with the son John by his first wife. Hugh was 
probably born about the year 1723 ; Jenny was older. 

Thomas Bolton came over in the same vessel. He was said to 
have been an old bachelor, and from the same town as the Craiges. 
In Boston he married the widow Craige, and soon after came with 
his family to Portland, where he remained a while, and had some 
property ; he then exchanged his property for lands in Windham, 
and moved in. This was before the year 1747. The son, John 
Craige, remained in Boston, and we lose sight of him. Hugh was 
about six years old when the family left Ireland. The daughter, 
Jenny Craige, married John iMiller of Falmouth (Portland) Aug. 27, 
1738. He was a tailor, and carried on quite a business, and was a 
man of some property. I do not know of their leaving any children 
or descendants. At one time Hugh McLellan was living on a farm 
at Back Cove, and was driven in by fear of the Indians. He says he 
lived a while in the house with his niece Jenny Miller. This was 
before Hugh purchased his farm in Gorham, in 1738. Mrs. Miller 
outlived her husband many years, and died Nov.' 4, 1760. 

Hugh Craige married Elizabeth Warren in Falmouth, Nov. 11, 
1749, and soon after purchased land in the town of Windham, and 
moved on to it. Of the exact time we have no date, but it was in the 
early days of Windham. He owned, as early as 1750, the two home 
lots, Nos. 50 and 51. He was one of the selectmen of the town in 
1770 and 1774, and on the Committee of Correspondence in 1773. 
He is said to have been a good citizen, and has many descendants 
now living in town. He died Mar. 19, 1777, aged 54, and his wife, 
Elizabeth Craige, died in 18 10, aged 83. 

We have not the date of Thomas Bolton and Mary (McLellan) 
Craige's marriage, but after their marriage they lived several years in 
Falmouth, where their son William was born, Apr. 13, 1731. They 
also had two daughters, Martha, who married Richard Mayberry of 
Windham, Feb. 21, 1756, and died at the age of 90, and Mary, who 
was born in 1733, and married Robert Millions of Windham in 1760. 

Thomas Bolton settled in Windham, probably on what was called 
Home Lot, No. 52, for here he had a garrison-house in the time of 
the Indian war. At the time of his death he was about 90 years old. 
His wife died in Gorham, aged 89, about the year 1788, which was 
soon after the death of her husband. She was buried in the orchard 
opposite the McLellan brick house, on the road leading to Fort Hill, 
it not being possible to get her body to Windham on account of the 
roads, and there being no bridge on the river above Saccarappa. 



406 HISTORY OF GOKHAiM. 

Several years after her death, her body was taken up by her grand- 
sons and taken to Windham, and deposited in the old Anderson 
burying ground, by the side of her husband. There was a curious 
story told in relation to her death, which is perhaps rather tinctured 
with superstition, but we will give it as it was told us. While on a 
visit to her sister-in-law, Mrs. Elizabeth McLellan, in Gorham, they 
were sitting and talking in the southeast front room of the brick 
house, (now standing) when an old rooster came into the front entry, 
and commenced to crow most lustily. Mrs. Bolton immediately said 
to Mrs. McLellan, " Elizabeth, there will be a death in this house in 
less than a fortnight. That rooster's crowing in the door is a sure 
sign." "Well," says Mrs. McLellan, "we will make the sign come 
true, and the old rooster shall be the victim, and we will eat him for 
dinner." Calling the old fellow up to her, she caught him, and 
wrung his neck in the room where they were. Notwithstanding this 
sudden death, it appears not to have been the one predicted by the 
rooster. Mrs. Bolton was taken next day with a severe attack of 
dysentery, and cholera-morbus, and died in two days after, and was 
buried as I have before said. 

(2) William Bolton, son of Thomas, lived and died on his father's 
old farm. In 1747, Aug. 27, the Indians made an assault, and 
attempted to capture him and William Maxfield. The family tradi- 
tion is that William Bolton was out hunting for the cattle at the time. 
Bolton having discharged his gun at the enemy, was rushed on and 
captured before he could reload. Maxfield being more fortunate in 
loading, retreated backward toward the fort, with his gun pointed at 
the Indians, till he was relieved by a body of men coming to his aid. 
Bolton was marched through the woods into Canada, suffering many 
hardships, and sold to a French officer, and put on board a French 
frigate. This frigate soon after was captured by an English vessel, 
and Bolton was carried into Boston, where he became the servant of 
a Lieut. Wallace, on board of an English frigate, but was soon set at 
liberty, and returned to his friends in Windham. There is a story 
told, and probably it is true, that some years afterwards Bolton met 
his old master, Lieut. Wallace, in Portland, poor and destitute. He 
took him home to Windnam, where he kept him in comfort and 
respectability till his death. When Lieut. Wallace died he was 80 
years of age. 

William J^olton married, March 17, 1757, Rachel, daughter of 
Thomas Haskell. Children : 



GENEALOGV. 407 

Thomas, b. Feb. 25, 1758, m. Hannah Crockett, Jan. 24, 1782. 

William, b. Jan. i, 1760, m. Ann Webb, Jan. 5, r786. 

Sarah, b. June iS, 1761, m. Edward Webb of Gorham, May 10, 1787. 

John, b. Oct. 2, 1762, if m., left no children; d. June 17, 181 2. 

Peter, b. June 2, 1764, m. Rebecca Cobb, Mar. 19, 1787 ; I'd in Windham. 

Ann, b. May i, 1766, d. unm., Dec. 25, 1830. 

James, b. July 23, 1768, m. Elizabeth Pettengal, Mar. to, 1796; went to N. Y. 

Mary, b. Aug. 14, 1770, m. Daniel Haskell of Windham, Apr. 10, 1794. 

Rachel, b. Nov. 16, 1772, d. Feb. 14, 1786. 

Elizabeth, b. Apr. 4, 1775, ^- Levi Estes. 

Solomon, b. Mar. 9, 1778, d. Mar. 14, 1793. 

William Bolton died Oct. 12, 1787, aged 56. His wife Rachel, 
who was born July 12, 1730, died Nov. 25, 18 12. 

(3) Thomas Bolton, son of William, lived on the farm now (1878) 
owned and occupied by Daniel Mayberry. He married Hannah, 
daughter of Lieut. Joshua and Hannah Crockett of Gorham. Chil- 
dren : 

William, b. Dec. 23, 1782, m. Eunice Nason, Oct. 15, 1S03. 

Joshua, b. Oct. 8, 1784, d. unm. 

Benjamin, b. Apr. i, 1787, m. in St. Andrews, N. B. 

Ann, b. , 1791, m. William Webb, Apr. 29, 1821. 

Thomas, b. May 16. 1793, "^- Martha Noble of Portland. Ch: Thomas, b. 1817, 

d. in 1830; Eliza Ann, b. 1S19, d. y. ; Elbridge G., b. June 24, 1822, m. 

Lydia K. Jordan, May 22, 1845; Charles, b. Mar. 29, 1824, m. Ellen S. 

Crockett; Harris, b. Apr. 19, 1826, m. Christiana , in Te.xas; 

Sumner C, b. Nov. 15, 1828, m. Lauretta Lane, 1850, 2d, Lottie Shorey, 

Sept. 15, 1891, was a clothier, and for many years I'd at Gorham 

village, d. in 1899; Thomas J., b. Dec. i, 1830, lost at sea; Eliza, m. 

John M. Howe; John b. . Mr. Thomas Bolton m. in 1848 Mrs. 

Mary Eaton, and I'd in Portland. 

Thomas Bolton, Sen. died in Gorham near Sapling Hill, on his farm, 
June 18, 1793. His widow married, July 11, 1795, Joseph Lombard, 
and died Dec. 28, 1843, aged 87,. 

(3) William Bolton, son of William, married Ann, daughter of Eli 

and Sarah Webb, and lived in Gorham on the farm lately owned and 

occupied by Otis Emery. Children : 

Rachel, b. Dec. 16, 1786, m. John Morton, May lo, 1S07. 

Sally, b. Dec. 22, 1788, d. young. 

Sally, b. May 24, 1790, m. James Emery of Windham, Sept. 5, 181 1. 

Martha, b. July 16, 1792, m. Caleb Hodgdon, Oct. 5, 1834. 

William Bolton died July 18, 1793. His widow married. Mar. 30, 
1797, William I,ibby, Jr., and died in Gorham, Dec. 28, 1855, aged 93. 

(4) William Bolton, son of Thomas, married Eunice Nason. ' He 

lived on his father's farm, near Gambo, at Sapling Hill, near what 

is now called Pleasant Ridge. Children : 

Abigail, b. Feb. 15, 1804, d. unm., Jan. 14, 1872. 

Hannah, b. Nov. 29, 1805, m. James Strout of Raymond, Oct. 26, 1S33. 
Eleanor, b. Aug. 26, 1807, m. Edmund Green of Portland, p Mar. 19, 1S33. 
Anna, b. Aug. 5, 1810, m. Samuel S. Waterhouse, June 3, 1838. 



408 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Rachel, b. , 1S12. 

Thomas, b. Jan 17, 1815, m. Mary Ann Moody of Standish, Dec. 17, 1845; ^'^ 

near Gambo. Ch : William M., b. Sept. 3, 1846, m. Carrie Gray; 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 8, 1850, m. Walter Buxton. Mr. Bolton d. Aug. 29, 

1851. 
Sabine, b. Apr. 26, 1S16, m. Ann Thomas; d. in Biddeford ; his widow ni. 

Thomas Randall. 

William Bolton died July 10, 1856. Mrs. Eunice Bolton died Apr. 
8, 1862, aged 77. 

BOWMAN. 

Dr. Nathaniel Bowman was the third physician who settled in 
Gorham. He was a graduate of Harv^ard College, class of 1786, 
and practiced here for some years. He married Sally Johnson of 
Andover, Mass., to whom he w^as published July 10, 1789. Children : 

Samuel Gardner, b. Oct. 9, 1790. 
Sally, b. Nov. 19, 1792. 
Joshua, b. Oct. 24, 1795. 

Dr. Bowman died in Gorham on the 8th day of June, 1797. He 
was engaged, with others, in raising the frame of the Congregational 
meeting house, when through some cause a part of the rigging, by 
which they were raising one of the broad-sides, gave way, and he was 
struck by some of the falling timbers and instantly killed. A young 
man, by the name of James Tryon, was so injured that he died the 
next day. James Irish was taken up for dead, but proved to be 
unharmed. Several others were injured, but none badly. This was 
at a day when the raising of a church was the signal for a general 
meeting of all the population for miles around the country. This 
was the case here, Gorham was one of the largest villages in the 
region, the church was to be a large one, added to which there was to 
have been a ball in the evening as a closing service to the raising. 
All this, as said, caused a general gathering of all, both young and 
old, who felt a great interest in the new church. At the time the 
accident happened there must have been more than a thousand 
persons about and within a very short distance of the frame, and to 
those present it appeared almost a miracle that no more were hurt. 

DV. Bowman was a good physician, and an enterprising man, with 
his whole soul in his work. He was a great loss to the town, and his 
death cast a gloom over the village that was not soon forgotten. 
After the death of Dr. Bowman the family left town. His widow died 
about i860. The family while living in Gorham, occupied the house 
where the late Stephen Hinkley, Jr. lived. 



GENEALOGV. 409 



BRACKETT. 



Anthony and Thomas Brackett came to Fahiiouth, from Ports- 
mouth, N. H., about 1662. Mr. Willis says that they were sons of 
Anthony of Portsmouth. Anthony, the son, married first, Ann, 
daughter of Michael Mitton, and second, Susannah Drake, of Hamp- 
ton, N. H. Thomas, the other son, married Mary Mitton, sister to Ann. 
Both the brothers were killed by the Indians; Thomas, near his 
dwelling house, in 1676, and Anthony, on his farm at Back Cove, in 
1689. 

Anthony Brackett, son of Joshua, and grandson of Thomas, was 
born in Greenland, N. H., in 1707. He married, Feb. 14, 1733, 
Sarah Knight, and second, in 1756, his cousin, Mrs. Kerenhappuch 
Hicks, daughter of Samuel and Susanna (Brackett) Proctor, and 
widow of Joseph Hicks. It does not appear that Anthony Brackett 
was ever a citizen of Gorham, but we find that on May 21, 1739, ^e 
bought of Shubael Gorham, lot 58, being the thirty acre lot directly 
north of Phinney's homestead. Mar. 16, 1740, he sold this land to 
Capt. Phinney. Mr. Brackett had ten children, John, Thomas, 
James, Mary, Joshua, Elizabeth, Keziah, Samuel, Nathaniel and 
Sarah. Of these, James, Mary, Joshua and Nathaniel, probably 
settled in Gorham. Anthony Brackett died Sept. 10, 1784, aged 77. 
His widow Kerenhappuch died in Gorham, Mar. 21, 182 1, at the age 
of 93, at the house of her grandson, James Smith, who then lived in 
the old Samuel Staples house. Smith was the son of her daughter 
Mary. Mary's first husband was a Halliday, whom she married May 
22, 1783. She married second, James Smith, about the year 1785 ; 
and third, Isaiah Thomas, in 1800. 

(2) James Brackett, son of Anthony, was born June 13, 1745. 
He was a farmer. His farm joined the old David Harding farm, on 
the south. His house stood on the knoll, near the road, before that 
part of the road running from Little Falls to \\'hite Rock, had been 
altered and straightened. The house has been gone for many years. 
Dec. 20, 1770, he married Mehitable Fab/an of Portland, and prob- 
ably came to Gorham about the time of his marriage. The children 
of James and Mehitable Brackett were : 

Rufus, b. Nov. 16, 1 77 1, d. Aug. 17, 1795. 

Fabyan, b. May 30, 1774, d. Aug. 30, 1775. 

Olive, b. Oct. 17, [776, d. Apr. 3, 1795. 

Betsey, b. Apr. 30, 1779, m. Capt. Thos. Libby of Scarboro, Nov. 14, 1822 ; d. 

Jan. 6, 1825. 
Mary, b. June 17, 17S1, d. Oct. 23, 17S3. 
Keziah, b. Sept. i, 1783, m. Daniel Brackett, Aug. 15, 1S12; I'd in Naples. 



410 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Meliitable, b. Oct. 14, 1785, m. Wm. Harmon of Scarboro, Mar. 23, 1833; I'd in 

Standish. 
Sally, b. Aug. 15, 178S, m. Moses Fogg of Scarboro, p. July 14, iSio. 
Joseph F., b. Sept. 30, 1790, m. Catherine Emery, Dec. 5, 1819; I'd in Bidde- 

ford; d. Feb. 13, 1857. 
Patience, b. Aug. i, 1794, m. Wm. Haggett of Portland, Dec. 4, 1817; d. Sept. 

17, 1871. 
Isabella, b. May 18, 1796, d. Sept. 6, 1799. 

James Brackett died Jan. 11, 1803. His wife Mehitable died July 
I, 1832, aged 80. 

(2) Joshua Brackett, son of Anthony, lived at Little Falls, in the 

corner where the road running past the town farm joins the road 

to White Rock. He married Abigail Kendrick. Children : 

Jeremiah, m. Elizabeth Cloudman, Mar. 24, 1816. 

Alfred, m. Priscilla Bramhall, May 19, 1816. 

Lewis, m. Mary Ward of Windham, Feb. 26, 1824; d. in Gorham ; his widow 

m. Mr. Walker in 1839. 
John, d. May 24, 1832, aged 27. 

Capt. Joshua Brackett died Aug. 20, 1826, aged 64. 

(2) Nathaniel Brackett, son of Anthony, was a sea captain, and 
lived in Portland as long as he followed the sea. About 1800 he 
moved to Gorham and bought the farm since owned by Levi Estes, 
and which is about a half mile east of the towm farm. He married 
Elizabeth Lewis of Portland. Children : 

Samuel, b. , m. Louisa Ingram of Portland, p. Feb. 19, 1820; I'd in Lew- 

iston ; d. about 1875. 

Patience, b. , m. Wm. Lovitt of Windham, Mar. 6, 1820; d. in Otisfield. 

Mary, b. Aug. 14, 1S02, m. Rev. Jonas Tracy; 2d, Holmes Thomas; d. in 

Wales. 

Eliza, b. , m. Chas. Gardiner; d. in Portland, about 1S68. 

Jane, b. July 29, 1805, m. Rev. David Newell of Durham, Aug. 27, 1825. 
Martha, b. July 20, 1807, d. unm. in Gorham, in 1S62-3. 
Margaret, b. July 20, 181 1, m. Wm. Dunn; d. in S. Paris, about 1S83. 
William, b. June 4, 1812, m. Susan Green of Otisfield; d. in O. about 1872. 
Frederick, b. Mar. 4, 1814, m. Mary Knight of Otisfield; d. in O. in Nov. 1896. 

Capt. Brackett sold his farm in Gorham, and took up a farm in 
Otisfield, where he and his wife died. 

(3) John Brackett, son of John and grandson of Anthony, was 

born in Falmouth in 1770* He married Jane, daughter of John and 

Jane Warren of Falmouth, and lived for a time in Gorham on the old 

Rice place. Children : 

George, b. Feb. 13, 1796. 
Mary, b. Apr. 28, 1798. 
John, b. Feb. 23, 1800. 
William W., b. Sept. 22, 1S03. 

Shortly after the birth of this last child, Mr. Brackett removed to 
Parsonsfield. 



GENEALOGY. 411 

(3) Alfred Brackett, son of Capt. Joshua, married Priscilla, 

daughter of Cornelius Bramhall. Soon after their marriage Mr. and 

Mrs. Brackett moved to Dixfield, where their children were born. 

About 1843 the family returned to (jorham, and lived on Capt. 

Joshua's old homestead. Children : 

Leonard, ni. Mary in N. H.; d. in Cal. 

Sarah J., m. Freeman Paine. 

Abbie, m. William Riviniiis. 

Ellen, m. Albion Stiles of Westbiook. 

Lewis, m. Drusilla Woodbury, Jan. 17, iSs7. 

Martha, m. George Sanborn of N. H. ; 2d, Chas. Stanyan of N. H. 

Mary, m. Winslow Burnham of Biddeford. 

Frances, m. Wm. Moore of Biddeford. 

Alfred Brackett died about 1S75--6. Mrs. Brackett died in 1878. 

Joseph Brackett was born in old Falmouth May 17, 1758. He was 
a soldier in the Revolution. He was in Gorham as early as 1780. 
He married Sarah, daughter of Barnabas and Loruhama Bangs 
(pub. Mar. 30, 1781). There is no perfect record of their children, 
but there were : 

Jerusha. b. in Gorham, July 19, 17S3, d. with the Shakers in Poland. 

Barnabas, I'd and d. at Denmark, where he kept a hotel. 

Benjamin, joined the Gorham Shakers. 

Comfort, d. in Gorham with the Shakers. 

Zachariah Bangs, I'd on Brackett St., Westbrook. 

Isaac, b. in Cumberland, May 18, 1792, d. with the Shakers in Alfred, May 22, 

1836. 
Sarah, b. in Gorham, May, 1795, d. with the Shakers in Alfred, Apr. 9, 1819. 
Elisha, b. in Cumberland, May, 6, 1797, joined the Shakers; changed his name 

to Joseph ; became an Elder and head of the Me. Societies ; d. in New 

Gloucester in 1882. 

This family joined the Shakers, with whom Joseph Brackett died 
in Poland. 

Joshua Brackett, a descendant of Anthony, born in Falmouth, July 
21, 1762, served in the Revolutionaiy army. He moved to Limington 
about 1784. His grandson Charles A. Brackett, son of Robert and 
Apphia Brackett, lives in Gorham on the old John Hanscom place. 
He married Frances W., daughter of David S. and Martha (Small) 
Libby. One child : 

Edward E., m. Lizzie Faulkner. 



BRAMHALL. 

Cornelius Brimhall had a proprietor's right in Narragansett, No. 
7, which he purchased of Shubael Gorham, May 23, 1739 ; but we 
think he never came to Gorham to live. 



412 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Sylvanus Brimhall came from Plymouth, Mass., and was styled a 

clothier. In 1766 he purchased of Moses Akers the seventy acre lot, 

49. July 30, 1770, he purchased of Enoch Freeman, for ^^^13-6-8, 

the house and lot formerly owned by Rev. Ebenezer Townsend, 

which was situated on the west side of the Fort Hill road, north of 

where the house of Mr. Isaac Dyer now stands. Sylvanus Brimhall 

was a private in Capt. Richard Mayberry's company, nth Mass. 

regiment, in the war of the Revolution. He had a sister Sarah, who 

married Jonathan El well. The hill at West Gorham, on which 

George Elwell, son of Jonathan, lately lived is still known as Bram- 

hall's hill. The children of Sylvanus Brimhall and Esther his wife 

were : 

Cornelius, b. Apr. 6, 1768, m. Meribah McDonald, Feb. 28, 178S. 

Martha, b. Aug. 28, 1769. 

Betty, b. Nov. 4, 1771, m. James Goodwin, Oct. 23, 1794. 

John B., b. Sept. 5, 1773. 

Sylvanus, b. Aug. 5, 1775. 

Polly, b. Oct. 7, 1779, m. Abraham Edwards, Jan. i, 1805. 

Esther, b. Aug. 25, 1782. 

(2) Cornelius Bramhall, son of Sylvanus, at one time lived on his 

father's place, the thirty acre lot. No. 8. He married Meribah, 

daughter of Charles and Priscilla McDonald. Children : 

Charles, b. Dec. 3, 17S8. 

Martha, b. Mar. 24, 1791- 

Priscilla, b. June 29, 1793, m. Alfred Brackett, May 19, 1816. 

Esther, b. Aug. 4, 1796, m. William H. Smith, Oct. 27, 1823. 

Almira, b. Mar. 20, 1800, m. John Dean, Oct. 27, 1823. (?) 

BRIGGS. 

Abiel l^riggs was in Gorham as early as 1780. In 1792 he ptn- 
chased of Benjamin Weeks a house and farm of twenty-four acres in 
the south part of the town, being the same deeded by John Dyer 
to his son-in-law William Weeks. Mr. Briggs was a musician, as well 
as farmer. Gen. Irish relates in his diary, that in 1790 he and some 
of his young friends hired Mr. Briggs to keep a singing school in his 
(Irish's) father's house, and " paid him in corn and pork." " Cash 
was not to be had, but by a few persons." Abiel Briggs married, 
Aug. 26, 1786, Lucy, daughter of John and Lois Perkins. She died 
June 10, 1788, aged 18, and he married, Jan. 20, 1791, Polly, daugh- 
ter of Nathaniel and Mercy Dunn. Children : 

John Perkins, b. Sept. 4, 1791, was a physician in Portland. 
Lucy Perkins, b. Mar. 4, 1794. 

About 1800 Mr. Briggs removed to Portland, where he died a few 
years later ; his wife survived him. 



GENEALOGY. 413 

BROWN. 

grandmotiip:r cole, and the browns. 
Timothy Cole was one of the original grantees of Narragansett, No. 
7, or Gorhamtown. His eldest son was Timothy. The number of 
Cole's right was 41. This lot was on the northerly side of the old 
Buxton road, being the first lot easterly from the house of Samuel 
Cressey (1878), and is called the Brown lot. By reference to a deed 
given by Joseph Brown and his wife Susanna to Zephaniah Harding 
in 1764, wherein they convey the seventy acre lot to which No. 41 
would be entitled in the lotting-out of the then common lands in 
town, they say they own this in consequence of having purchased the 
Proprietary right of Timothy Cole, by his deed to them dated Oct. 
23, 1 751; recorded in the York County Records. We know the 
Browns lived on this lot in 1797, for Edmund Brown, a grandson of 
Joseph and Susanna, married Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Skillings, 
Aug. 6, 1797, and took her home to a house on 41. They lived in 
what for many years was known as the Brown house, which stood in 
the tield opposite the house of Seth Hersey on the old Buxton road, 
and which has been torn down for many years. The land is now 
owned by Mr. Cressey. Edmund Brown was a sea-faring man, and 
died away from home at sea, not many years after his marriage. It 
is said that his clothes, instruments and telescope came home to his 
widow, but she could never obtain any clear account of where or how 
he died. He left no children. His widow married John Pride of 
Westbrook, and died leaving no children. 

Timothy Cole was an Eastham man, and one of the Proprietors of 
Gorham ; Joseph Harding was an Eastham man, and a Proprietor ; 
his number was 39; Geo. Brown was also of Eastham, and a Propri- 
etor, his number being 44. Thus far we cannot lind Timothy Cole 
in the town of Gorham, but in early times there was an old lady here 
whose name was Cole. She was known as " Grandmother Cole," 
and from what little we can learn, think she was in some way con- 
nected with the Hardings and Browns. The last we know of her, 
she lived at Gorham corner, nearly in, or where, the road is now 
travelled in front of the brick house and store owned by Lewis 
McLellan ; and the old well found some years ago several feet under 
the sidewalk, was the well used by her, near where her house stood. 
She was alive at the time of the burning of Portland, during the Rev- 
olution, when becoming frightened, thinking the British would come 
up to Gorham and steal everything they could find, she dropped her 
ox-chains into this same well to hide them. 



414 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

Several families of the name of Brown came to Gorham from East- 
ham, Mass., among whom were those of Joseph, Samuel and Sylva- 
nus. 

Samuel Brown lived at W'est Gorham. He was a cordwainer by 
trade. In April, 1770, be bought of Barnabas Harding fifty acres 

from the hundred acre lot, 89. His wife was Barbara . She 

was the first convert in (iorham to the Shaker doctrine. She and 
her husband both joined the Shaker family. Children, the two old- 
est born in Eastham : 

Lydia, b. Nov. i, 1765. 

Samuel, b. Oct. 27, 1767, d. with the Shakers at Alfred. Jan. 15, 1S14. 

Joseph, b. .\iig. 8, 1770, m. Hannah Elder, Oct. 28, 179S. 

Bethiah, b. Feb. 11, 1775, d. with the Shakers at Alfred, May 2, 1807. 

Barbara, b. Mar. 25, 1777. 

Lucy, b. May 10, 1782. 

Samuel Brown was drowned at sea Oct. 12, 1798, aged 53. Bar- 
bara, his wife, died with the Shakers at Alfred, June 11, 1825, aged 
79 years, 10 months. 

Sylvanus Brown was a brother to Samuel, above. They had a sis- 
ter Martha, who married Capt. Samuel Harding of Eastham, and 
lived in Gorham ; also a sister Bethiah H., who married Simeon Tryon. 

Sylvanus Brown was a cordwainer. His wife was Eear . He 

probably married her in Eastham, before coming here, and their first 
child was probably born there. Children : 

Fear, b. July 10, 1767, m. John Poland, Apr. 26, 1791. 

Daughter, b. July 2, 1769, d. young. 

Hezekiah, b. May 28, 1771, m. Abiah Moody. July 3, 1794. 

Martha, b. Aug. 30, 1773, '^- i" Alfred with the Shakers, Oct. 20, 1863. 

Sylvanus, b. Mar. i, 1775, d. young. 

Sylvanus, b. lulv 5, 1776, m. Hannah Harding, p. Nov. 21, 1801. 

Heman Merrick', b. Feb. 13, 1778, m. Elizabeth Hicks, Dec. 20, 1802. 

Sylvanus Brown lived at West Gorham. He bought of Barnabas 
Harding, Jan. 18, 1769, a part of the hundred acre lot 89. This 
was probably about the time of his coming to Gorham. He died 
about 1786. 

(2) Hezekiah Brown, son of Sylvanus, was a hatter, and carried 
on his business in a small shop which stood on the same lot with his 
house, but nearer West Gorham village. His house which is still 
known as the " Brown house," is yet standing at West Gorham. It 
is the house lately occupied by J. Hanson Clement. Mr. Brown mar- 
ried Abiah Moody of Standish. Children : 

Betsey, b. July 9, 1795. ^- Eben Harmon of Buxton, Nov. 20, 1817. 
James M, b. Apr. 24, 1797, m. Ruth Wentwoith, Apr. 6, 1821; I'd in Brown- 
field. 
Eliza, b. May 26, 1799, rn. Abram Linscott of Brownfield. 



GENEALOGY. 415 

Mary L., b. Nov. ii, i8oi, m Gerry of Brewer. 

Hepsibeth, b. Oct., 1804, m. .\bram Berry of Buxton, May 7, 1826; d. Feb. 26, 

1867. 
Sylvanus, b. Sept. 9. 1S06, m. Aurelia Keiinison , I'd in Brownfield ; d. in 

Buxton. 
Samuel M., b. June 15, 1810, m. Sally Linscott of Brownfield. 
Martha A. II., b .\ug. 4, 1816, d. young, unm. 

Mr. Brown sold his Gorham property in 181 7, and shortly after 
moved to Brownfield, where both he and his wife died. 

Joseph Brown probably came to Gorham about 1751 or '52. He 
purchased of David Gorham the hundred acre lot 64, and May 3, 
1758, sold fifteen acres off the east corner to Zephaniah Harding. 
As previously stated Joseph Brown probably lived on the thirty acre 

lot 41 which he bought in 1751. His wife was Susanna . 

We find no complete record of the family. Several of the children 
were doubtless born before their parents came to Gorham. 

Joseph, b. about 1747, m. Hannah Whitney, Oct. 19, 1769. 

Benjamin, b. , ni. Sarah Phinney. 

Simeon, b. May 9, 1753, "^- Elizabeth Emery, p. June 22, 1776. 
Susanna, b. July 26, 1756, m. William Adams, Dec. 3, 1772. 

(2) Joseph Brown, Jr., son of Joseph, married Hannah, daughter of 

Isaac and Sarah Whitney. He lived on the Flaggy Meadow road 

on the western part of the hundred acre lot 64. Children : 

Timothy, b. Nov. 3, 1769. 

Sarah, b. June 19, 1772, m. Benjamin Bolter of Standish, Nov. i, 17S8. (.'') 

Susanna, b. Jan. 15, 1775. 

Joseph, b. . 

Joseph Brown died before 1777, and his widow married (pub. July 
26, 1777) Joshua Adams. 

(2) Benjamin Brown, son of Joseph, lived on the old Buxton road. 

He owned the thirty acre lot 44 which had belonged to Geo. Brown, 

of Eastham. He married Sarah, daughter of Col. Edmund and Betty 

Phinney. Children : 

Edmund, b. Sept. 22, 1772, m. Elizabeth Skillings, Aug. 6. 1797; no children. 

Joseph, b. July 22, 1774. 

Betty, b. Sept. 24, 1776, m. Simon Davis McDonald, July 16, 1800. 

Isaac Cole, b. Nov. 25, 1778. 

John, h. May 20, 1780. 

Nancy, b. Dec. 20. 17S3. 

Hannah, b. Jan. 20, 1786. 

Polly, b. July 29, 1788. 

Patience, b. Aug. 10, 1791. 

Sally, b. July 23, 1795. 

(2) Siineon Brown, son of Joseph, served in the army during the 
Revolution. He lived on the eastern part of the hundred acre lot 64 
till he sold this homestead in 1787 to his brother Benjamin, and 



416 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

moved to the farm afterwards occupied by his son Samuel. He mar- 
ried Elizabeth, daughter of James and Mary (Bean) Emery. Children : 

James, b. July 3, 1777, lost at sea. 

Mercy, b. Jan. 22, 1779, d. Nov., 1784. 

Samuel, b. Nov. 4, 17S2, m. Mercy Strout. 

Simeon, b. Jan. 17, 1785, d. unm. 

Levi, b. Mar. 23, 17S7, m. Betsey Ridlon of Buxton, Mar. 25, 1812. Ch : Ebe- 
nezer, d. y. ; Samuel; Isaac, m. Harriet Penfield; Martha m. Mr. 
Leavitt of Portland ; Hannah, Elizabeth and Jane. Mr. Brown lived on 
the new Buxton road, near the railroad crossing. The house is now gone. 
He d. in Gorham, Jan. 29, 1838. 

Sally, b. Mar. 27, 17S9, m. Capt. \Vm. Chandler of -Saco. 

Charles, b. .Mar. i, 1792, m. Lydia Noble. 

Solomon, b. Mar. 5, 1795, m. Sarah Elizabeth Rumery of Biddeford, Oct. 17, 
1S13; 2d, Sarah P. Shurliiie of Gorham, Oct. 11, 1824, d. Jan. 22, 1S52; 
3d, Julia Plimpton, of Walpole, Mass., 1854 d. Mar. 16, 1875. Ch : by 
1st w. : Elizabeth E., b. 1817, m. Jabez Nickerson, and 2d, Thos. J. Cole 
of Vt., d. ill Defiance, O., Nov. 11, 1883, no ch. ; Priscilla, b. May 18, 
1823, d. Nov. 17, 1S64, m. Nov. 25, 1843, Stanwood .Alexander of Rich- 
mond, had three ch., of whom I)e Alva Stanwood, a Representative in 
Congress from Buffalo, N. Y., survived her. Ch : by 2d w. : Margaret, b. 
Sept. 15, 1827, d. Mar. i, 1869, m. 1847. Israel Preble of Richmond ; had 
fourch., of whom Sarah L. and Horace W. survived her ; Edward Payson, 
b. Sept. 15, 1828, d. Nov 12, 1855, m. 1849, Margaret, dau. of Gen. John 
Scott of Terre Haute, Ind., one child, Ida Scott, survived her. Solomon 
was one of the incorporators and trustees and first treasurer of Pitch- 
field Academy. He d. in Defiance, O., July 19, 1875. 

Polly, b. Feb. 28, 1797, d. Aug. i, 1798. 

Simeon Brown died Mar. 13, 182 1. 

(3) Samuel Brown, son of Simeon, lived for many years on the 

farm opposite the old McDougall place, not far from the Buxton line. 

The place is now occupied by Mr. Ridgeway. He married Mercy 

Strout. Children : 

Sarah, b. May 20, 1817, d. unm at Cumberland Mills, Feb., 1890. 

Solomon, b. Dec. 10, 1819, m. Eleanor Gerry, Feb. 14, 1847 ! d. Feb, 1890. Mrs. 

B. d. Apr. 12, 1880. Ch : Mary E., m. Wm. B. Dole; George. 
Elizabeth, b. Apr. 24, 1822, m. Sylvester Bachelder. 
Phebe, b. Aug. 19, 1824, m. Appleton Emery, Aug. 22, 184S. 
.Samuel, b. Apr. 20, 1827, d. young. 
William, b. June 26, 1828, d. young. 
Freeman, b. May 10, 1830, ni. Lydia E. Brown ; d. .\pr. 21, 1865 ; child, Appleton 

E., b. July 28, 1863. 
Mary L., b. July 6, 1832, m. Lorenzo Thompson. 
Ann, b. Nov. 10, 1833, d. Mar. 15, 1835. 
Samuel, b. May 20, 1836, d. Nov. 15, 1838. 
John F., b. July 18, 1840, d. Sept. 2, 1844. 

Samuel Brown died in Gorham, Nov. i, 1859. Mrs. Mercy Brown 
died Nov. 29, 1867, aged 72. 

(3) Charles Brown, son of Simeon, was a brick mason by trade. 
He married Lydia Noble of Baldwin, and lived for a time in that 
town, and afterwards in Gorham. He finally moved to Buxton, and 
lived on the old Jonathan Emery place. Children : 




SOLOMON BROWN. 

SON OF SIMEON AND ELIZAliElH BKOWN. 



GENEALOGY. 417 

Simeon, b. July 6, 1S15, m. Abigail D. Babb, May, 1843; ^- Nov. 21, 1861 ; was 
a brick-mason, also a teacher. Ch : Lydia E., m. Freeman Brown, 2d, 
Edmund F. Mayo; James ^Ym., Mary J. and Arthur Willard. 

Joanna, b. Aug. 31, 1S17, m. Samuel Harding, 1846. 

Martha, b. , d. young, 

Lydia, b. Aug. 29, 1820, d. Feb. 27, 1836. 

Martha J., b. Feb. 18, 1823, d. young. 

James N., b. Feb. 9, 1828, m. Eliza A. Taylor; 2d, Sarah M. Lamprey; 3d, 
Mary F. Lamprey. 

Chas. Wesley, b. Dec. 18, 1S30, perished Feb. 16, 1SS5 in a snow storm, not far 
from his home in Buxton. 

George K., b. Oct. 29, 1834, d. young. 

Charles Brown died Sept. 17, 1869, and his wife, July, 1878. 

Joshua L. Brown was the son of Ezra and Sarah (Lowell) Brown, 
and was born in Gorham, Oct. 27, 1803. He kept a grain store at 
Great Falls which, together with a farm, he exchanged with Alfred 
Libby for Libby's farm at the North part of the town, and there he 
lived for some years. About i860 he removed to a place near Little 
Falls, where he lived till his death. He married, Dec. 14, 1827, 
Betsey Hawkes of Windham. Children : 

Lendall, b. Oct. 17, 1830, m. Evelyn C. Hamblen, Aug. 2, 1862; d. June 2;^, 
1893. 

Daniel S., b. May 16, 1832, m. Ellen Burnham. 

Rebecca H., b. Oct. 11, 1834, m. Dr. Nathan R. Morse of Salem, Mass, Dec. 7, 
1864. 

Charles R., b. May 26, 1S36, m. Mrs. Maggie McDavitte, Oct. 30, 1877; physi- 
cian in Lynn, Mass. 

Joshua L. Brown died Mar. 28, 1882, and his wife, Oct. 23, 1879, 
aged 76. 

Elijah R. Brown was the son of John l^rown of Windham. He 

bought the old Murch farm, where Caleb Murch lately lived, and 

lived there for a time. He then moved to the John Walker place. 

He married Harriet N. Hawkes. Children : 

Almira, b. Jan. 30, 1836, m. Edmund Green. 

Ann M.,b. Jan. 10, 1838, m. Frank Irish. 

Edward H., b. Mar. i, 1840, d. July 3, 1842. 

James B., b. Mar. 16, 1842, d. Aug. i, 1865 ; member of Co. I, 17th Me. Vol. 

Eliza P., b. Mar. 24, 1846, m. Edward P. M. Bragdon. 

Frank H., b. Apr. 16, 1848, m. Ellen Anderson of Portsmouth, N. H. 

George W., b. Aug. 6, 1850, I's in Conn. 

EHjah Brown died Nov. 8, 1852, aged 43. His wife died Feb. 19, 
1875, aged 58. 

Darius Brown and his brother Edward were natives of Windham, 
sons of John Brown, and brothers to Elijah R. Brown, above. They 
both lived in Gorham for some years ; Darius owned and ran the mill 
at Fort Hill. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Charles and Abigail 
McDonald of Windham, in which town their children were born. 



418 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Their daughter, Abbie, married Augustus Black, and died in Gorham 
in Oct., 1897. Darius Brown and family moved back to Windham. 
Edward Brown married Mary McDonald, a sister to Elizabeth, and 
had a family of children. This family moved to Bradford, Me. 

BRYANT. 

We find the name of Samuel Bryant of Barnstable on the list of 
the grantees of Narragansett No. 7. The number of his right was 
54. Whether William Bryant was descended from him, we have 
been unable to learn. William was the tirst whom we know to have 
settled on the thirty acre lot No. 5. He, having moved in with his 
family, built a house ; and having performed the duties enjoined by 
the General Court Act of Settlement, received from Shubael Gorham, 
Aug. 10, 1739, his deed, which is on record. Mr. Bryant, with four 
of his children, was killed by the Indians on the 19th of April, 1746. 
His son James alone made his escape. John Motley of Portland 
settled the Bryant estate in July, 1746, and was guardian to the son, 
June 5, 1766, James Bryant of Ealmouth, presumably the son above 
mentioned, sold the thirty acre lot No. 5 to Benjamin Frost of 
Gorham. 

Mrs. Sarah Bryant, after the killing of her husband and children, 
was taken prisoner by the Indians, and finally carried to Quebec. 
From a journal kept by William Pote, Jr., a fellow prisoner, we learn 
that she arrived there, Sept. 30, 1746. She was married in the fort- 
ress, Nov. 20, 1746, to Leonard Liddle, also a prisoner, and died 
May 8, 1747. 

BUKER. 

Livy Buker, the only one of the name who has ever settled in 

Gorham, came here about the year 18 14, and soon after married 

Ann, daughter of Edward and Sarah Webb of Gorham. The Webb 

family then owned the land and the falls on the Gorham side of the 

river at Gambo. Here Mr. Buker in 1816 built a mill for carding 

wool. He lived in the house which stands on the sand hill. Children : 

Sarah W., b. Apr. 16, 1815, m. Carlisle Whipple of Boston, May 24, 1835. 

Edward W., b. Aug. 28, 18 16. 

James, b. July 23, 181 8, d. in Savannah, Ga. 

George, b. Feb. 20, 1821, d. at sea, Aug. 11, 1S42. 

Anna M., b. Feb. 28, 1823, d. in Savannah, (Ja., about 1839; was a teacher. 

Solomon, b. Mar. 5, 1825. 

Caroline F., b. Mar., 1827, d. Sept. 29, 1829. 

Mary, b. Apr. 28, 1829, d. Aug. 2, 1832. 

Mary, b. about 1833, m. Nichols; I's in Savannah, Ga. 

Mrs. Ann Buker died May 2, 1845, aged 54. 



GENEALOGY. 419 

BURNELL. 

There appears to have been a John Burnell in town as early as 

1763. His wife was Elizabeth . They had nine children, all 

born in (jorham. 

Mary, b. Dec. 17, 1763, m. Thomas Skillings, p. Nov. 24. 1781. 

John, b. Feb. 14, 1766, m. Jane Holbiook, Jan. 25, 1787. 

Benjamin, b. Feb. 27, 1768, m. Dorca.s Carsley, Dec. 28, 17S8. 

Samuel, b. July 17, 1770, m. Amy Irish, Sept. 18, 1791, who d. about 1861, 

aged 91. 
Elizabeth, b. Sept. 21, 1772, m. William Nason, Sept. 8, 1791. 
Stephen, b. Apr. 22, 1775. 
Jonathan, b. Aug. 14, 1778. 
Nabby, b. June 11, 17S1. 
Sally, b. October, 17S4. 

It also seems probable that this same John was here as early as 
1755' foi' \\'e find that the new fort in Pearsonstown (now Standish) 
was built about that time, and eight men assigned to keep it ; and 
amongst these eight names we find John Meserve, Clement Meserve, 
Jr., Wentworth Stuart, Timothy Crocker, Israel Thorn, Joseph Me- 
serve, that we know were of Gorham ; John Burnell we believe to 
have been, and Elijah Dunham of whom we find no other record. 
John Burnell of Gorham, whom we believe to have been the same 
John, by his deed, Feb. 20, 1767, conveys to Ebenezer Shaw of 
Pearsonstown a five acre lot of land, being the five acre lot. No. 2, 
the same lying about twenty rods southeasterly from where the fort 
formerly stood, and where the meeting house now stands. The same 
John Burnell sells to Daniel Cram the thirty acre lot. No. 39, in said 
Pearsonstown. He also bought of Jonathan Freeman and Jonathan 
Freeman, Jr.. of Gorham, June 10, i'768, the westerly half of the 100 
acre lot 7. This family of Burnells must have left town about the 
year 1779, and moved to Elintstown, now Baldwin, for we find none 
of the name on the tax list from that date till 1787, when there 
appear John Burnell and John Burnell, Jr. 

This John Burnell. who appears in 17S7, is probably the one who 
married, July 3, 1776, Lydia, daughter of Abel and Mary Whitney. 
We think he originated in York, or Wells. He was a caulker by 
trade, and worked at Stroudwater for a number of years, where some 
of his children were born. We have no perfect record of his children, 
but there were 

John, b. prob'y in York, 1766, m. Martha Libby, dau. of Matthew of Scarboro, 

Nov. 27, 178S ; d. June 3, 1843. 
Joseph, b. in Falmouth, Nov. 22, 1769. 

Mary, b. in Boothbay, Jan. 15, 1771, m. William T. Riggs, Apr. 13, 1794. 
Jenney, b. in Boothbay, Jan. 15, 1775, d- in Scarboro, Aug. 15, 1849. 
Samuel, b. in Gorham, Sept. 22, 1778. 



420 HISTORY OK GOkHAM. 

Sally, b. in Gorham, Jan. 23, 1785. 

David, b. in Gorham, Aug. 16, 1787, m. Hannah Riggs, p. Aug. 15, 1818. 

Eunice, b. in Gorham, Mar. 15, 1790, m. Andrew Meserve, .Sept. 23, 1810. 

John Burnell when he first came to (]orham lived on the south- 
easterly corner of the thirty acre lot, 17. The entrance to his house 
was by the two rod road running easterly between the land of Daniel 
Whittier and John Simmons on South St. Some years after, he pur- 
chased the northerly half of the thirty acre lot, No. 20. His house 
stood nearly on the spot where Mr. Simmons now lives on South St. 
Mr. and Mrs. Burnell, though not rich, were valuable members of 
society. She understood well the use of roots and herbs, which were 
much used in her day ; was a good nurse, and kind to those in sick- 
ness and distress. He was a good grave-digger, and helped deposit 
more bodies in the old cemetery at the village than any other man 
since the yard was first opened. He died Jan. 13, 1822, agedSo, and 
his wife, Oct. 29, 1834, aged 89. 

BURTON. 

William Burton was a native of Gloucester Co., Virginia ; being 
born at Little York, in 1759. His father being dead, he was brought 
to Maine, while still a young lad, by a Captain Doane in his coasting 
vessel, who had promised Mrs. Burton to keep her boy but a year 
and then return him to her, but failed to keep his word. At the age 
of seventeen Burton enlisted in the Revolutionary army and saw 
much service, among other engagements being in the battle of White 
Plains. After the close of the war he went to Virginia to visit his 
mother, but finding that she had married again, returned to Gorham 
where he lived with Capt. Alexander Ross, who resided on the Col. 
Tyng place. William Burton was one of the first members of the 
Society of Friends in Gorham, and a leading man among them — an 
honored and honorable man. To the day of his death he wore 
the peculiar dress of the Sect — a broad-brimmed hat, a coat with 
full, ample skirts, and drab-colored breeches. In 1804 he was a 
member of the committee chosen to look after the building of the 
Friends' meeting house in Gorham. Apr. 26, 1781, he married Mary, 
daughter of James and Hannah Ross, and niece of Capt. Alexander 
Ross, and lived on the place where Frank Hopkinson now lives. 
Children : 

Rebecca, b. Sept. 25, 1784, m. Stephen Hopkinson of Buxton, Nov. 27, 1810. 
Sarah, b. Dec. 3, 1786, m. Thos. Bacon, Dec. i, 1803; 2d, Jessee Cloudman. 
Elizabeth, b. Dec. 18, 1791, m. Amos Hamblen of New Portland, i8ti. 



GENEALOGY. 421 

Mary, b. Jan. 19, 1794, m. Joseph Hamblen, 3d, p. July 18, 181 2. 

William, b. Jan. 7, 1796, d. young. 

William, b. Jan. 13, 179S, m. Mary Berry, June 11, 1823. 

Mildred F",, b. , m. Ja.sper Johnson of Pownal, Apr. 24, 1821. 

William Burton died Sept. 2;^, 1841, aged 82, and his wife Mary, 
Apr. II, 1830, aged 72. 

(2) William Burton, son of William, married Mary, daughter of 
Joshua Berry. After his marriage he lived for some years in the 
house which once formed a part of the Shaker village and stands 
nearly opposite to the house of the late Nelson Merrill. The last 
years of his life he lived on the cross road running east from the old 
Shaker neighborhood. He was one of the selectmen of the town in 
1858 and 1859. Children : 

Alfred M., b. Mar. 9, 1824, m. Martha J. Larrabee, Nov. 20, 1851 ; was cashier 

of the Maine Savings Bank in Portland; d. in Portland. 
p]d\vin M., 1). Feb. 14, 1826, m. Lucy Ford of Gray ; d. Dec. 3, 1855. 

William Burton died June 9, 1882. Mrs. Burton died Mar. 23, 1876. 

BUTTRICK. 

The Buttrick family came from Kingston-on-Thames, in Surrey, 
England, in 1635. William Buttrick was one of the first settlers of 
Concord, Mass. 

Willard Buttrick, son of Willard and Esther (Blood) Buttrick, born 
in Concord, Mass., Sept. 10, 1772, was a clothier and fuller, and 
located first at Dracut, Mass. ; then removed to Gorham and bought 
of James Tyler his part of the lot, 122, (Blenham lot), with the privi- 
leges and all the buildings. He had his principal mill near the 
bridge, with his fulling-mill and dye-house on the Blenham falls 
below. Mr. Buttrick carried on the business for many years at the 
same places till his fulling-mill and dye-house were burned, Aug. 29, 
1813. After the fire he abandoned the Blenham falls, and moved 
all his machinery into his other mill, near the bridge. He lived in a 
house, since removed, at the top of the hill, on the east side of the 
Fort Hill road, above the mill on Little river. He married, Apr. 28, 
1799, Mary Bartlett of Cambridge. Children : 

Samuel B., b. Oct. 16, i8oi,m. Ann Merritt. 

John P., b. May 5, 1804, m. Mary , d. Nov. 20. 1870. 

Mary A., b. Apr. 23. 1806, m. Oliver Abbott; d. Dec. 29, 1861. 
Esther, b. Oct. 14, 1S08, m. Eben Hay ward, d. Dec. 13,^ 1861. 
Elizabeth, b. Oct. 6, 1810, m. Samuel Rice; d. July 9, 1869. 
Susanna E., b. Dec. 2, 1813, m. Isaac P. Bacon; d. Oct. 28, 1887. 
Harriet, b. Mar. 31, 1816, d. unm. Apr. 6, 1861. 
Sarah C, b. Apr. 19, 1818, d. unm. June 27, 1840. 
Willard, b. July 14, 1822, m. twice. 



4"22 HISTORY OF GORHy\M. 

Mr. Buttrick remained here in town until he sold out to Peter 
Whitney, and in 1817 bought a farm in Bedford, Mass., and removed 
to that place, where his two youngest children, Sarah and Willard, 
were born. He died in Bedford, July 25, 1849. ^^^ widow died in 
Salem, Mass., July 23, 1859. 

Willard Buttrick, son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Wooley) But- 
trick, born in Concord, Mass., Nov. 11, 1746, father of Willard 
Buttrick above, lived with his son in Gorham, and died at his house, 
Jan. 3, 1813, aged 66. 

Willard Buttrick's uncle, Major, afterwards Colonel, Buttrick, gave 
the command to tire on the British at the Concord fight. 

CANNELL. 

Philip Cannell, with his wife Jane, came from the Isle of Man to 

America before the Revolution, and settled first in Falmouth, and 

about 1770 removed to Pearsonstown (Standish). Thomas Cannell, 

son of Philip, married Margaret, daughter of Uriah and Abigail 

(Knight) Nason of Gorham, (pub. June 30, 1797 ). The records give 

him as being then of Standish. Shortly after their marriage Mr. and 

Mrs. Cannell moved to Gorham, and settled in what is now called the 

Nason district. Children : 

Hannah, b. Mar. 28, 1798, m. Ebenezer Oilman, p. July 22, 1820. 

William, b. June 2, 1799, m. Ann Plaisted of Standish, Nov. i, 1832. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 28, 1801, m. Temperance Sturgis, Apr. 29, 182 1, d. Oct. 22, 

1873; she, Dec. 26, 1887. 
Wyer, b. Feb. 23, 1803, m. Francis Plaisted, 1831 ; 2d, Sarah Harmon of 

Scarboro ; d. Mar. 8, 1848. 
Lot, b. Feb. 13, 1805, went to Bangor when young; d. in California. 
Jane, b. Oct. 23, 1806, m. Daniel Nason of Sebago, Sept. 21, 1828. 
Margaret, b. Aug. i, 1808, m. John Bennett of New York; d. May 13, 1882. 
Huldah, b. Jan. 26, iSii, d. June 10, 1821. 
Esther, b. Jan. 27, 1813, m. John Rhodes (or Rowe). 
Clark, b. Jan. 28, i8i5,m. Sarah A. Harmon, Mar. 15, 1840; 2d, Dorcas M. 

Plaisted, 1846; 3d, Elsie Wood; d. Feb. 1900. 
Barnabas, b. Nov. 28, 1816, m. Lorana Manchester, May 16, 1847; d. Mar. 

1900. 
Heman, b. Mar. 5, 1821, m. Lucy A. Oilman. 

Thomas Cannell died at Great Falls (North Gorham) Mar. 12, 

1854, aged 86 ; his wife died Dec. 28, 1855, aged 78. 

CARD. 

John C. Card, son of Peter Card, was born in Lyman. When 
about fourteen years of age he came to Gorham, and learned the 
trade of a mason of William B. Harding, at which trade, however, he 
never worked. After having been employed for some years as clerk 



GENEALOGY. 423 

in the Robie store in 1848, he entered into partnership with his brother- 
in-law, Joseph Ridlon, which partnership lasted till 1879, when Mr. 
Card went into business by himself. For nine years Mr. Card was 
town clerk. He married Dorcas Maria, daughter of Abijah Usher, Jr. 
of HoUis. He died Oct. 5, 1885, aged 69, and his wife, August, 1893. 
They have two sons living, John H., a lawyer, and Horatio S., a 
physician. 

CARSLEY. 

This name was formerly quite numerous in town. John Carsley^ — 
the first we find — and soon after him, Ebenezer, came here probably 
about the year 1760. We find John taxed a poll tax in 1763. They 
were then young men, and came from Barnstable, Mass., and it is 
supposed were the sons of John and Dorcas (Hamblin) Carsley. 

John Carsley married, Apr. 5, 1764, Mercy, daughter of John 'and 
Bethiah Freeman, and their children were : 

Mary, b. Feb. 10, 1765, m. James Watson, Feb. 23, 1792. 

John, b. Aug. 19, 1766, m. Martha Crockett, Apr. 16, 1790. 

Nathan, b. Apr. 6, 1768, m. Susanna Cotton, Mar. 2, 1792. 

Ebenezer, b. April 9, 1770. 

Bethiah, b. Feb. 6, 1772, d. Feb. 26, 1772. 

Isaac, b. Feb. 17, 1773, m. Jenny Mosher, June iS, 1797. 

Sarah, b. Oct. 12, 1774, m. John Blanchard, June 4, 1792. 

Benjamin, b. Dec. 17, 1776, in. Eunice Moody, Sept. 23, 1799. 

Dorcas, b. Jan. 26, 1781, d. May, 1781. 

Seth, b. July i8, 1782,111. Susanna Whitney, Jan. 22, 1809. 

Eunice, 1j. Apr. 30, 1784, m. Dennis Hamblen, Apr. 7, 1805. 

John Carsley lived on the road leading from Fort Hill to West 
Gorham, near where the late Stephen Files lived. He and most of 
his family moved to Harrison, in the spring of 1793. 

Ebenezer Carsley, brother of John, married, Nov. 25, 1766, 

Patience, daughter of Col. Edmund and Betsey Phinney. Their 

children were : 

Dorcas, b. Aug. 5, 1768, m. Benjamin Burnell, Dec. 28, 1788. 
Patience, b. , m. Philemon Rand, Mar. 20, 1796. 

Mrs. Patience Carsley died July 19, 1769. Her husband, Ebenezer, 
outlived her many years, and died about 1794, aged 50. 

(2) Isaac Carsley, son of John, married Jenny, daughter of James 

and Abigail Mosher. Children : 

James M., h. Jan. 28, 1798, m. May 8, 1822, Eliza B., dau. of Royal Lincoln. 
Ch: Abigail P., b. June 11, 1823, m. Thos. S. Furman, Feb. 7, 1854, d. 
in Columbus, N. J., Feb. 28, 1895; W'illiam L., b. March 4, 1825, 
d. y. ; Royal L., b. Jan. 16, 1828, d. unm., killed by a fall in Boston, 
Aug. 20, 1862; Eliza Jane, b. Aug. 9, 1831, m. Geo. H. Everett, Jan. 
26, 1853; Woodbury, b. April 18, 1833, m. Mary C. Greely, Sept. 22, 



424 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

1659; James H., b. Mar. 21, 1835, d. July 19, 1836. This family moved 
to Hoston, where Mr. Carsley died Dec. 27, 1866, and Mr.-;. C., Aug. 20, 
1872. 

Louisa, b. Mar. 13, 1801, m. Chas. Davis; d. Peb. 15, 1880. 

Jane, b. Aug. 3, 1806, m. Sylvanus Davis; d. May 2, 1883. 

Isaac, b. Apr. 1808, m. Julia A. Chandler; d. June 27, 1S50. 

Mary Ann, b. , d. young. 

Mary Ann. b. June 3, 181 5, m. John McLain. 

Benjamin F., b. 1819, d. young. 

Isaac Carsley died in Wilton, Jan. 22, 1S51, aged 78, and his wife 
in Farmington, Oct. 20, 1858, aged 82. 

(2) Benjamin Carsley, son of John, married Eunice Moody. 

Children : 

Harriet C, b. Dec. 28, 1800, I'd in Portland. 

(ieorge, b. Nov. 8, 1802. 

Freeman, b. Mar. 18, 1805, m. Martha H. Phinney, Aug. 31, 1834. 

Mark, b. Aug. 7, 1807. 

Charles, b. Sept. 19, 1810. 

Mary, b. Aug. 11, 1812. 

Lorenzo, b. Sept. 5. 18 14, m. Betsey Bishop, 1838. 

Mercy, b. Aug. 7, 18 16, m. in Portland. 

CATES. 

Joseph Cates came from Greenwich, England, when quite a young 
man. Of his birth or parentage we know nothing. He was a 
resident of Falmouth (now Cape Elizabeth) as early as 1745- Apr. 
8, 1745, he was published to Deborah Cobb. She was the youngest 
daughter of Joshua, Jr. and Elizabeth (Vaughn) Cobb of Falmouth, 
and was born in Falmouth, Aug. 14, 1725. 

In 1748 Joseph Cates purchased a lot of land in Cape Elizabeth, 
on the road leading from the ferry to the meeting house, where he 
probably lived. May 11, 1772, he sold this lot to Jonathan Strout, 
Jr. At this time Mr. Cates lived in Gorham, to which town he prob- 
ably moved in 1756, and we find him a tax-payer with two ratable 
poll taxes in 1763. By this it is probable that he had a son who was 
over sixteen years of age. This .son must have been James, who 
was born in 1746. Mr. Cates with his wife Deborah reared a family 
of ten children, only three of whom were born in Gorham ; viz., 
Andrew, Ebenezer and Lydia. In 1768 Mr. Cates was one of the 
selectmen of Gorham. For many years he was a deacon and ruling 
elder in the Congregational church ; of which denomination he was 
a staunch and influential member. A man of good abilities, he held 
many important offices in town, and was much beloved and respected 
by his fellow-citizens. We have no perfect record of the births of 
his children, but give them as nearly as our means will allow : 



GENEALOGY. 425 

James, b. 1746, m. Esther Perkins, Sept. 20, 1768. 

Abigail, 1). , 111. Ephraiin Hunt, Oct. 6, 1769. 

Uenjamin, b. •, m. Anna Skillings, Aug. 18, 1774. 

Joseph, b. , ni. Mary Sinclair, Jan. 13, 1774. 

Deborah, b. , m. James Bangs, p. July 23, 1774. 

Elizabeth, b. , m. Joel Rich, May 16, 1779. 

Sarah, b. -, m. Philip Horr of Waterford, Dec. 17, 1786. Mr. Horr had 

formerly been a citizen of Gorham, from which town he had enlisted in 
the Continental army. He afterward received a pension from the Gov- 
ernment for his services. After his marriage he returned to Gorham, 
and settled in the (Quaker neighborhood, on the farm recently owned by 
Reuben Elder. Pie and his wife both died in (jorham. 

Andrew, b. Aug., 1763, m. Comfort, dau. of Thomas Thomes, Oct. 6, 1785. 

Ebenezer, b. Aug. 24, 1768, m. Anna Cobb, Jan. 5, 1794. 

Lydia, b. June 24, 1770, m. William Cobb, Jan. i, 1792. 

Elder Joseph Gates died in Gorham on the farm which he had 
owned and occupied for many years in the Quaker neighborhood, so 
called, and which was lately owned and occupied by Richard Willis, 
one of his descendants. He died Mar. 15, 1810, aged 89, and his 
wife Deborah, Sept. 24, 18 13, aged 88. 

(2) Benjamin Gates, son of Joseph, lived on his father's farm, the 

hundred acre lot 52. He married Anna, daughter of Benjamin and 

Mary Skillings. Their children were : 

James, b. Feb. 2, 1775, m. Betsey Whitney, Dec. 10, 1797. 

Thomas, b. Sept. 28, 1776. 

John, b. Jane 12, 1779. 

Deborah, b. Mar. 10, 1781. 

Ebenezer, b. Oct. 25, 1783. 

Joseph, b. . 

(2) Ebenezer Gates, son of Joseph, lived on the old Gates place. 
He married Anna, daughter of Jedediah and Reliance Gobb. Their 
children, all born in Gorham, were : 

William, b. Oct. 21, 1794, d. Mar. 2. 1796. 

Edmund, b. Aug. 31, 1796, m. Aim Bunker; I'd and d. in Vassalboro. 

Jedediah C, b. Mar. 2, 1801, m. Mary Brown of Gorham, Mar. 4, 1824. Ch : 
the last three b. in Thorndike ; Willis, b. Apr. 5, 1828, d. unm. in Thorn- 
dike, when a young man; Abigail A., b. Apr. 13, 1830, m. Samuel 
Johnson, d. in Jackson, Me., Feb. 17, 1855; Mary, b. Aug. 18, 1832, 
m. Chas. Ames of Bangor, d. June 23, 1858; Jedediah C, b. Is'ov. 25, 
1835, m. Amelia Ale.xander, d. July 17, 1895; James, b. Apr. 23, 1839, 
m. Irene Edwards, d. Aug. 12, 1899; Lydia E., b. Sept. 16, 1842, m. 
Major Morton, d. Nov. 9, 1868. Mr. Gates I'd while in Gorham, opposite 
to where his father I'd. He moved to Thorndike. Both he and his 
wife d. in Jackson, Me., he, Apr. 18, 1881, and she. Mar. 18, 1885. 

Phebe, b. June 4, 1804, m. Ebenezer Willis, Dec. 29, 1829 ; 2d, Robt. Meserve. 

William C, b. Feb. 25, 1806, m. Jan. 6, 1831, Elizabeth Willis, sister of Ebenezer 
and Richard Willis. Ch: Henry, b. Oct. 25, 1S31 ; William, b. Jan. 5, 
1833. Mr. Gates was a carpenter. He d. Nov. 11, 1832, and his widow 
married in 1835, Leonard Bacon. 

Lydia, b. June 4, iSoS, m. Richard Willis, Apr. 13, 1834. 

James P., b. Jan. 17, 1811, m. Sept. 25, 1834, Margaret J., dau. of Jonathan and 
Abigail Libby. Ch : Mary E., b. Aug. 9, 1835, d. July 21, 1S43; James 



426 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

D., b. Oct. 19. 1837. Mr. Gates was a carpenter. He d. Sept. 22, 1838, 
and his widow married David Krost. 
Henry, b. June 28. 1813. d. Oct. 10, 1829. 

Ebenezer Gates died Mar. 29, 1829. 



CHADBOURNE. 

Silas Chadbourne and his brother James were the sons of Humphrey 
and Phebe (Hobbs) Chadbourne. They were descended from 
Anthony Chadbourne, who was of English origin. 

Silas Chadbourne was born in Berwick, Aug. 8, 1752, and by the 
old Berwick church records was baptized the following day. He 
came to Gorham when a young man, before the Revolution. He 
was a tailor by trade. When the Revolution broke out he enlisted 
and went to Cambridge under Col. Edmund Phinney. In the following 
year, 1776, he was a Sergeant in Capt. Bryant Morton's company of 
Coast Guards, stationed at Cape Elizabeth, at Fort Hancock, which 
was a battery located on the site now occupied by Fort Preble. Mr. 
Chadbourne was appointed first lieutenant, Jan. i, 1777, in Capt. 
Richard Mayberry's company, nth Mass. regiment, Gen. Patterson's 
brigade, and with his company participated in the battles of Hub- 
bardton, Saratoga and Stillwater; was at the surrender of Burgoyne, 
and at Valley Forge, and took part in the battle of Monmouth. After 
this, his regiment served in Connecticut and was at West Point. 
June ID, 1779, he was appointed Quartermaster. A diary, kept by 
him at this time while in the army, is still in existence. Lieut. 
Chadbourne was a good officer, and served with honor. When the 
first Pension Act was passed he received a pension from the govern- 
ment, and continued to do so until his death. After his return from 
the army he purchased a lot of land on the south side of Main St., 
joining the Frost lot: here he made his home. This lot is now 
included in the New Cemetery. His house is the one now occupied 
by Cyrus Libby, having been moved to its present location many 
years ago. After Mr. Chadbourne's death this house was occupied 
by Benjamin Hamblen and then by Stephen Rounds. He married, 
Apr. 23, 1775, Abigail, daughter of Samuel and Priscilla Crockett. 
Children : 

Isaac, b. Jan. 22, 1776, prob. d. young. 

Rebecca, b. Apr. 9, 1780, m. James Irisli, Sept. 2, 179S. 

Aljigail, b. Mar. 3, 17S2, m. John Edmunds, p. Feb. 21, 1807 ; I'd in Portland. 

Nahum, b. Apr. 25, 1784, m. Desire Watson, May 30, 1806. 

Samuel, b. Apr. 23, 17S6, m. Jane Wood of No. Yarmouth. 

Martha, b. Apr. 13, 1788, m. Richard Edwards, Jr. of Otisfield, July, 1810. 



GENEALOGY. 427 

Polly, b. July 31, 1790, m. David Loring of No. Yarmouth, p. Nov. 23, i8ii ; 2d 

Mr. Batchelder; d. in Cambridge. 
Betsey, b. July 17, 1793, d. in Portland, unm. 
Priscilla, b. Oct. 25, 1795, m. Cyrus Washburn of Portland. 
Nancy P., b. Jan. i, 1798, m. Cyrus Washburn (2d wife), Oct. 22, 1828. 

Mrs. Abigail Chadbourne died Aug. 17, 18 13, aged 55, and Mr. 

Chadbourne married, June 24, 18 19, Mrs. Lucy (Seiver) Crockett, 

widow of Peletiah Crockett. Lieut. Chadbourne died Jan. 14, 1823, 

aged 70. His widow Lucy married Richard Edwards. 

(2) Nahum Chadbourne, son of Silas, was for many years a deacon 
of the Congregational church ; a man of exemplary piety ; honored 
and respected by those who knew him. He was a saddler by trade, 
and owned and worked in the building which stood on the parish lot, 
where the new chapel now stands. He married Desire, daughter of 
John and Tabitha Watson. Children : 

Sophia, b. Dec. 11, 1807, m. Stevens Smith, Oct. 30, 1831. 

Emeline, b. May 22, iSio, m. Humphrey Pike, June 13, 1832; d. May 4, 1835. 

Charles, b. Oct. 27, 1812, m. Adela 11. Haskell of Portland, May, 1845; -d, 
June, i860, Charlotte Nutting of Otisfield; 3d, in Dec, 1879, Mrs. 
Nancy (Oilman) Eveleth of Augusta; d. in Roxbury, Mass., Nov. 7, 1897. 

Samuel L., b. Nov. 2, 1818, d. May r, 1829. 

George, b. Dec. 3, 1820, m. Harriet O. Boynton, Feb. 2, 1847. Ch : Samuel, b. 
Dec. 13, 1847, ni. Esther Fogg of Limerick; George E., b. May 19, 
1849, d. y.; Augustus, b. Jan. 19, 1852, d. y. ; Emma F., b. Sept. 28, 
1854, m. Rev. Chas. W. Bradlee; Leander, b. July 28, 1856, m. Gertie 
Walker of Saco ; Horace A., b. May 31, 1858, m. Fannie Ridlon of 
Kennebunk ; Helen S., b. Apr. 28, 1861, m. Charles L. Brackett 
of Winthrop ; Milton W., b. Aug. 28, 1864, m. Lizzie Riggs of Charlotte- 
town, P. E. L Mrs. Harriet Chadbourne d. Apr. 30, iSg'i, aged 65; and 
Mr. C. m. Oct. 27, 1897, Miss P. Cordelia Edwards. 

Frederick, b. Dec. 25, 1825, d. young. 

Frederick, b. Mar. 9, 1828, d. young. 

Dea. Chadbourne died Aug. 6, 1857, and his wife, Aug. 11, 1858, 
aged 69. 

James H. Chadbourne was a native of Berwick, and a brother of 

Lieut. Silas Chadbourne. He was baptized Mar. 13, 1766. It is 

probable that he came to Gorham from Falmouth, where his first 

child, Samuel, was born. He lived on Main St., in the house lately 

owned by Edwin Gamman. He married, Jan. 4, 1789, Dorcas, 

daughter of Samuel and Mary Whitmore of Gorham. Children : 

Samuel, b. June 28, 1790. 

Phebe, b. June 14, 1791. 

Charlotte, b. Sept. 4, 1793, ^- Lyman Nutting of Otisfield. 

James, b. Jan. 23, 1796. 

Rufus, b. June 20, 179S. 

Gardner, b. Oct. 23, 1800, d. young. 

Gardner, b. July 17, 1802. 

William, b. May 26, 1805. 

Simeon, b. 



428 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

About iSio the family moved to Harrison. After leaving town, 
they had other children born — Humphrey, Dorcas and Samuel. 

CHASE. 

Caleb Chase came from Newburyport, Mass. to Gorham. He was 
born in Newbury, Mass., Feb. 28, 1746; and was graduated from 
Princeton College in 1766. He taught school here from 1769 to 
1779. He was Proprietors' Clerk from 1776 to 1778 ; and also held 
the ofifices of town clerk and town treasurer for some years. 
Mr. Chase was one of the heirs of the famous Chase estate in Eng- 
land, from which the heirs could never obtain anything. In 1769 he 
was licensed as a retailer of tea, coffee and liquors, and was among 
the early inn-holders of this town. He married, Dec. 31, 1769, 
Joanna, daughter of Abel Whitney of Gorham. The first five of 
their children were born in Gorham, and the remainder in Concord, 
N. H., to which place Mr. Chase removed with his family, and opened 
a public house. Children : 

Polly, b. Jan. 31, 1771, m. Samuel C. Morrill of Canterbury, N. II., Nov. 13, 

1796; d. Aug. 2, 1857. 
Joseph, b. Aug. 9, 1772, m. Abigail Eaton of IIano\er, N. II., in 1794-5; d. 

Nov. I, 1836. 
Abigail, b. Aug. 12, 1774, m. Samuel Merrill of Plymouth, N. li., Apr. 5, 1795; 

d. Aug. 3, 1817. 
William H., b. Apr. 11, 1776, d. at Concord, N. H., Oct. 10, 1791. 
Jacob, b. Feb. 11, 1778, m. Hannah Colby of Thornton, N. 11., Mar. 5, iSoi ; 

d. Dec. 23, 185S. 
Amos, b. Aug. 5, 1780, m. Polly Chandler of Hanover, N. H., Jan. 1, 1806; d. 

Feb. 26, 1859. 
Susanna, b. May 28, 1782, m. John Worth of Tornton, Nov. 15, 1807 ; d. soon 

after. 
Joanna, b. Apr. 8, 1784, m. Chas. Worthen of Holderness, Nov. 6, 1805; d. 

about 1867. 
Elizabeth, b. Dec. 24, 1785, m. John Foss of Thornton, Mar. 20, 1S06; d. Aug. 

29, 1856. 
Moses, b. Feb. 16, 1788, m. Elizabeth Chase of Chester, Oct. 27, 1810. 
Charlotte, b. Dec. 23, 1789, m. Benjamin Hall; 2d, Capt. Wm. Hall of 

Hanover. 
William, b. Mar. 2, 1792, p. to Freyda Proctor, Dec. 10, 1816. 

Caleb Chase died at Thornton, N. H., Feb. 14, 18 10, and his wife, 
Joanna, at Hanover, N. H., about 1832. 

CLARK. 

Morris Clark came to Gorham from Windham about 1777. He 
was a blacksmith. His house and shop stood near where Capt. 
Joshua Brackett lived, near the corner made by the Great Falls and 
Little Falls roads. He enlisted in Falmouth as Sergeant in Capt. 
John Brackett's company. Col. Phinney's regiment. May 10, 1775. 



GENEALOGY. 429 

He was then of Falmouth. Children of Morris and Sarah ( ) 

Clark : 

John, b. ill Stratham, N. H., Nov. 6, 1767. 

Jacob, b. in Epping, N. H., Oct. 20, 1769, m. Elizabeth Fly, Oct. 11, 1792, and 

moved to Baldwin. 
Joseph, b. in Falmouth, July 3, 1772. 
Mary, b. in Gorham, Aug. 24, 1777. 
James, b. in Gorham, Jan. 29, i78r. 

Benjamin Clark probably came from Raymond. His wife was 

Sarah . Children : 

Elizabeth, b. in Raymond, Apr. 24, 1778, m. Joseph Young, Sept. i, 1S03. (?) 
Benjamin, b. in (iorham, June 23, 17S1. 
James, b. in Gorham, May 5, 17S4. 

Moses Clark came from Massachusetts. He was a tanner, and 

had his yard where Mr. Hinkley's tannery now stands. His house 

was on the spot now occupied by the office of Mr. Hinkley. His 

wife was Martha Rogers. Children : 

Hannah, b. Dec. 15, 17S8, m. Col. Freeman Paine of Standish, Oct., 1S12. 

Susan, b. 1790, m. Joseph Skillings, Feb. 6, 1808. 

Patty, b. Dec. 16, 1792, m. John Quimby of Westbrook, May 18, 1815 ; I'd in 

Minot. 
John R., b. Feb. 14, 1795, "^- Mary Hight of Scarboro, Dec. 5, 1819. 
Horatio, b. Feb. 15, 1797, moved to Mass. 
Leonard, b. Sept. 5, 1799, d. young. 
Leonard, b. Aug. 13, 1803, d. Aug. 21, 1808. 

Mr. Clark died Feb. 2, 1824, aged 60. Mrs. Clark died Nov. 13, 
1830, aged 67. They are buried in the old cemeteiy at the village. 

(2) John R. Clark, son of Moses, carried on the tanner's business 

with his father at the old stand for some time. He built the house 

just east of the tanneiy, known as the Rust house. About 1822 he 

sold out, and not far from that time removed to New Portland. He 

married Mary Hight of Scarboro, sister to George Hight. Children, 

on Gorham records, are : 

Charles H., b. Oct. 22, 1820. 
Horatio, b. Aug. lo, 182-. 

After leaving Gorham other children were born to them : 

Ann F., Moses, John, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Eulalia and Emma. 

Samuel and Elizabeth Clark of Gorham had a son Samuel born 
here in 1794. 

CLAY. 

Thomas Clay of Buxton, born Dec. 20, 1750, (son of Richard Clay 
of Biddeford, who moved to Buxton as early as 1755) married Ruth, 
daughter of Philip Gammon of Gorham, (pub. Oct. 15, 1781). He 



430 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

moved to Gorham, where he lived on the seventy acre lot 63, which 
he owned with his father-in-law. In 1801 Philip Gammon gave his 
half of this lot and his half of the dwelling house thereon to his 
daughter Ruth. Children of 'I'homas and Ruth (Gammon) Clay : 

Thomas. 

Priscilla, m. Benjamin Libby, p. Apr. 4, 1816; settled in Gray. 

Joanna, m. Joel Libby, Pec. 22, 181 5. 

William, m. Anna Young, Apr. 7, 1822. 

Rachel, m. Caleb Graffam of Windham, Apr. 3, 1815. 

Folly, d. unm. 

Fanny, m. Joshua Staibird, Jan. 11, 1S21. 

Thomas Clay died Jan. 9, 1846, aged 96, and his wife Ruth, in 
April, 1829. 

Thomas Clay had several sisters who at the time of their marriage 
are recorded as being of Gorham : Molly, born July i, 1756, married 
Samuel Hamblen, Jr., p. Nov. 29, 1777 ; Rachel, born Jan. 5, 1759, 
married James Rounds of Buxton, Dec. 13, 1781 ; and Jemima, born 
Feb. 15, 1 76 1, married Butler Lombard, Aug. 9, 1787. 

(2) William Clay, son of Thomas, was born in 1790, and lived on 

his father's place. He married Anna, daughter of Joseph, 3rd, and 

Lydia Young. Children : 

Thomas, b. 1823, d. Sept. 20, 1S2S. 

Joseph Y., b. Apr. 7, 182S, m. Mary Starbird of Saccarappa. Ch: Anna, Lizzie 

and Elmira; m. 2d, Rhoda Gieenleaf ; I'd in the White Rock district ; d. 

in Farmington, Me., about 1889. 
Lydia A., b. Mar. 4, 1830. m. William Libby of Standish. 
Cyrus B., b. Nov. 7, 1834, m. Addriannah Hardy. 

William Clay died May 3, 1870, aged 80, and his wife died Mar. 
14, 1880, aged 79. 

Jonathan Clay married Jane, daughter of Joseph, 3rd, and Lydia 
(Snow) Young. Children : 

Willis, m. Mary A. Hill. Ch : Herbert, Horace, Charles and Janie who ni. John 

Barrows ; I'd in (lOrham where his father I'd and d. 
Sarah Ann, m. Jacob Maddo.x; 2d, Wm. D. Sovereign. 

Jonathan Clay lived near the Theodore Shackford place, where 

Sumner Jordan now (1900) lives. He died Apr. 27, 1854, aged 55. 

His widow married John Hardy of Raymond, and died in Raymond. 

John R. Clay was born in Limington. He came to Gorham from 
Bluehill, in which town it is said that he left a wife behind him. 
Owing to domestic infelicity he left home secretly, and it being in the 
winter time, cut a hole in the ice near which he placed his hat. He 
then killed his dog and pushed the body under the ice, smearing the 



GENEALOGY. 431 

edges of the hole with blood. It was supposed for some time that 
he had been murdered, and his wife was suspected of the deed. He 
turned up,' however, alive and safe in Gorham. About 1820 he mar- 
ried Sally Gammon of Raymond, who was a descendant of Philip 
Gammon of Gorham. They had but one child, Mary R., who 
married William H. Lombard, Feb. 22, 1843. Mr. Clay was quite 
a character in his way. Many will remember the old man with his 
pet yoke of little oxen. He lived during the latter part of his life on 
the road to the old Weeks farm. The house is now gone. He died 
Jan. 12, 1863, aged 92, and his wife Sally, Feb. 21, 1854, aged 75. 

CLEMENT. 

Jacob H. Clement came to Gorham, probably from Alfred or 
Waterboro. He settled at what was long known as " Clement's Cor- 
ner," now West Gorham, where he built the large tavern on the west- 
ern side of the road, and also a small store on the opposite side, 
where he was engaged in trade for many years. Mr. Clement was 
born June 3, 1769, and married. May 11, 1790, Phebe, the daughter 
of Simeon and Eleanor Coffin. She was born Mar. 25, 1769, and 
had been given by her parents to the Shakers, but left them and 
married Mr. Clement. Children : 

Eleanor, b. May 26, 1791, m. Robert McLaughlin of Scarboro, Feb. i, 181 7. 

Ebenezer, b. Feb. 13, 1794, d. unm. Sept. 13, 1819. 

John, b. May 11, 1796, m. Martha Thomes of Standish, Nov. 17, 1814. 

Hanson J., Sept. 18, 1798, m. Sally C. Baker, p. Sept. 30, 1826. 

Elizabeth R.,b. Dec. 20, 1800, m. Thomas Barker of Hiram, Dec. 10, 182 i. 

Phebe W., b. Jan. 24, 1803, m. Jonathan Eastman of Chatham, N. H., Mar. 16, 

1824. 
Simeon C, b. Feb. 14, 1805, m. Mary Ann Howe, Nov. 14, 1835. 
Daniel B., b. June i, 1808, d. nnm. June 15, 1859. 
Samuel R., b. Dec. 5, 1810, m. Hannah Fogg, Jan. 30, 1838. 
Mary C, b. Mar. 6, 1813, m. Abram Osgood of Portland, Jan. 8, 1S34. 

Mrs. Phebe Clement died Nov. 3, 1837, aged 69, and Mr. Clem- 
ent married, Dec. 30, 1838, Mrs. Hannah Fogg, widow of Daniel 
Fogg. She died Feb. 10, 1842, aged 64, and he married third, Mrs. 
Eliza (Burns) Atkins. Jacob H. Clement died Sept. 6, 1849, aged 
80, and his widow married a Mr. Wharf. 

(2) Hanson J. Clement, son of Jacob H., lived at West Gorham. 
He was one of the selectmen in 1843. ^^ married Sally C, daugh- 
ter of Moses and Sally Baker of Somersworth, N. H. Children : 

Jacob H., Jr., d. young, Granville, d. young and Moses B. 

Hanson Clement died Aug. 24, i860, and his wife, in 1880, aged 
80. 



432 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

(2) Simeon C. Clement, son of Jacob H., was one of the selectmen 

in 1842. He married Mary Ann Howe of Standish. Children : 

Marshall H., b. Jan. 20, 1838, lives in Mt. Vernon. N. V. 

Scott, b. Nov. 27, 1839, d. 

Catherine, 1). Feb. 19, 1842, lives in Mt. Vernon. N. Y. 

Simeon C. Clement died Oct. 15, 1842, aged ^8 years. 

(2) Samuel R. Clement, son of Jacob H., for many years kept a 
tavern at West Gorham, as his father did before him. He after- 
wards built the house at West Gorham now occupied by his son 
Walter. He married Hannah, daughter of Daniel and Hannah 
Fogg. Children : 

Phebe, b. Nov. 12, 1839, m Kimball Eastman. 

Mary II., b. Jan. 4, 1842, d. Nov. 17, 1857. 

William F., b. Mar. 6, 1844, m. Jennie Johnson. 

Charles J., b. July 12, 1846, m. Emily Rand. 

Jacob, b. Apr. 27, 1849, d. Jan. 28, 1855. 

Walter C, b. Mar. 18, 1851, m. in Colorado, Elizabeth A. Cann of England. 

Annie E., Feb. 17, 1853, m. Dr. William P. Watson; d. in 1883. 

Samuel R. Clement died May 16, 1897, aged 86. His wife 
Hannah died June 24, 1882, aged 69. 

(3) George T. Clement, son of John and Martha (Thomcs) Clem- 
ent, was born in Baldwin, from which place he moved to Gorham, 
and kept tavern at West Gorham. Just before his death he pur- 
chased the Narragansett House at the Village. His widow sold this 
to Mr. Dow, who kept it for some time. Mr. Clement married. Mar. 
27, 1842, Dolly, daughter of Luther Tappan of Baldwin. Children : 

Henry George, b. Mar. 4, 1843, d- Oct. 2, 1857. 

Mary E., b. Aug. 18, 1846, d Oct. 8, 1857. 

John Granville, b. Fel). 17, 1848 m. Louisa Plaisted. Jan. i, 1878. 

Luther T., b. , d. June 16, 1854. 

Charles Fred, b. -, m. Julia Cressey. 

Nellie, b. , m. Edward Cressey. 

George T. Clement died Oct. 26, 1857, aged 42. Mrs. Clement 

died Apr. 17, 1893, aged 81. 

CLOU DM AN. 

John and Thomas Cloudman, who were brothers, came in Septem- 
ber, 1690, to America from the Highlands of Aberdeen, Scotland. 
They landed at Plymouth, and settled at Marblehead. Tradition 
says that the brothers were noted for their strength and stalwart 
form. They were members of the Society of Friends, of strict integ- 
rity and sound Christian character. 

Edward, the first of the name in this vicinity, was born in Dover, 
N. H., Feb. 15, 17 14, (O. S.). He was the son of Edward, and 



GENEALOGY. 433 

descended from William, who was the son of Thomas, and who moved 
from Marblehead to Dover, N. H. Edward when twenty-two years 
of age came to Falmouth, and there married, Apr. i6, 1738, Anna 
Collins of Philadelphia. After his marriage he went to Presumpscot 
Lower Falls, where he had charge of the first saw mill ever built 
there. This mill was built in 1735, by Col. Westbrook, .Samuel 
Waldo, and others. Mr. Cloudman is said to have been a tall and 
very strong man, weighing about two hundred and twenty pounds. 
He was a noted wrestler. Many stories are told concerning his 
strength. It is said that he was accustomed to throw all the boards 
from the medium sized pine logs to the brow of the mill and over. 
Another tradition is that he was able to break off pieces of pine 
board "like chunks of cheese." Cloudman was accustomed to run 
the mill all night, and while alone in the mill one night in 1741, he 
saw an Indian creeping up with his gun, who twice attempted to fire 
at him, but his gun snapped and missed fire. Cloudman hurled the 
bar used for placing the log on the carriage at the Indian. It hit 
him on the head killing him instantly. He then threw the body into 
the wheel-pit, shut down the mill and went home. The night follow- 
ing, the Indians burned the mill. Cloudman, with his wife and little 
son Timothy, packed their goods in a canoe and paddled down the 
river, and around what is now Portland, to Stroudwater. In 1745 
he came to Gorham and bought the thirty acre lot No. 7, which is 
where the late Daniel Billings lived, near Fort Hill. 

Early in the morning of the 19th of April, 1746, a party of Indians 
entered the settlement of Gorham. After shooting and killing William 
Bryant, they surprised Mr. Cloudman as he was sowing wheat in his 
field, and after a desperate struggle, succeeded in overpowering him, 
and carried him a captive to Canada, where he was taken to Que- 
bec and placed in the fortress there. Cloudman and a man named 
Robert Dunbar, who had been captured at Albany, planned to make 
their escape from the building in which they, together with about a 
hundred other captives, were confined. They laid by daily a part of 
their rations, and choosing a stormy night, made their escape on the 
23rd of October. They were missed on the following morning, but 
when sought were not to be found. This is the last that is known of 
them with certainty. They never reached home ; but are supposed 
to have been drowned while attempting to cross Lake Champlain, as 
the next summer two skeletons with their clothes on their backs were 
washed ashore. In the pocket of one of them a compass was found, 
and identified as belonging to Cloudman. 



484 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Edward Cloudman lived at the time of his capture by the Indians 
in 1746, on the 30 acre lot. No. 7, on which, as we have already said, 
he settled and made his home. It is presumed he had made good 
his title, (we do not find his deed) for it was sold at auction in Fal- 
mouth at the Tavern of Mrs. Mary Wheeler, Aug. 19, 1751, to pay 
dues on the same, by a committee of the Proprietors ; and Mrs. Ann 
Cloudman, the widow, was the purchaser. After her marriage with 
Abraham Anderson of Windham, they sold this lot to Nathaniel 
Frost, Feb. 28, 1757, for the sum of ^53-6-8. At the decease of 
Nathaniel Frost, the lot went into the hands of his son, Nathaniel, Jr., 
(afterwards Colonel) who purchased at Administrator's sale, his 
brother's lot. No. 5, (the Bryant lot). These lots continued in the 
Frost family until about the year 1846. They have since been owned 
by the late Daniel Billings. Mrs. Ann (Cloudman) Anderson died 
Dec. I, 1802, aged 85. She lies buried on the old Anderson farm in 
Windham. 

(2) Timothy Cloudman, son of Fdward, was born at Presumpscot 
Lower Falls. He was much like his father, strong and daring. 
After his mother's second marriage he lived with her in Windham, 
where he was accustomed to go on "neighborhood scouts" against 
the Indians. He was with Anderson and a boy named Winslow 
when Manchester shot the famous chief, Poland. He was at that 
time a boy of fifteen ; and fired at the redskins with the gun his 
father had picked up in the saw mill, when he killed the Indian. 
He married, July 24, 1766, Katy Partridge. She is thought to have 
come from Marblehead, Mass. At the time of the Embargo, and 
consequent business depression, Capt. Joseph Partridge, who was a 
brother to Katy, owned .ships which rotted at the wharves in Portland 
harbor. The young Cloudman couple settled on the old farm in 
Gorham, where Solomon and Fdward T. Cloudman now live. Here 
they built a log-house for themselves, and a "hovel" for the cow. 
The house stood a little east of the present house, and the site is still 
marked by the uneven ground where the cellar was. The place 
produced only enough hay to winter one cow. This hay, when cut 
and made, Timothy and Katy carried into the " hovel " on a pair of 
hay-poles. At that time there were no roads near. The only high- 
way was the river, which ran behind the house. Timothy occasion- 
ally worked in the saw mill at Horse Beef Falls, when Mrs. Cloud- 
man was accustomed to send her little boys with their father's dinner ; 
they carrying his razor in their pocket for protection against wild 
beasts or Indians. 



GENEALOGY. 435 

Timothy and Katy Cloudman are the ancestors of all the Cloud- 
mans in this part of the country. They had eleven children, who 
were : 

Betty, b. May 3, 1767, m. Barnabas Bangs, Nov. i, 1789. 

Nancy, b. May 7, 1769, d. in 1779. 

Edward, b. July 5, 1771, went to New Hampshire. 

[ m. Kiinice Swett, p. Nov. 12, 1S02; moved to 
Nathan, I 1 t 1 J Stetson. 

Jessee, p- J"'y ^7, 1774- ^ ,„ Hannah Swett, March, 1798; 2d, Sarah 

l^ Bacon. 

John, b. Feb. 20, 1776, m. Elizabeth Cobb, July 2, 1800; 2d, Sarah Cobb. 
Polly, b. July 13, 1779, m. Caleb Graffam, Dec. i, 1808. 
William, b. Sept. 16, 1780, m. Sarah Hamblen, p. Jan. 12, [804. 
Thomas, b. Aug. 20, 1783, m. Marpha Gilpatrick, p. Jan. 30, 180S. 
Solomon, b. Dec. 4, 1785, lived in Cornish ; was a Bapt. preacher. 
David, b. Sept. 16, 1788, lived in Portland. 

Timothy Cloudman died Oct. 22, 1830, aged 91. Mrs. Cloudman 
died Mar. 24, 1832, aged gi. 

Sarah, sister of Timothy Cloudman, born Feb. 5, 1742, married 
Eli Webb of Gorham, Apr. 20, 1760. 

(3) Jessee Cloudman, son of Timothy, lived near the river, on 

the hill a little east of the house where his sons, Solomon and Edward, 

now reside. He married Hannah Swett of Standish Neck. Children : 

Nathan, b. Aug. 12, 1799, m. Elizabeth Gallison, Mar., 1826; d. in Windham. 

Eunice, b. July 7, 1801, d. unm. Feb. 27, 1885. 

Sally, b. Feb. 20, 1803, m. Moses Stiles, Dec, 1826; d. in Westbrook, Mar. 10, 

1859. 
David, b. May 19, 1804, m. Ellen M. Brown, 1832 ; d. in Little Falls, Jan. i, 

1877. Ch : Eliza Ann, m. Harry Kingsbury; Sarah, m. John Lane; 

Marcellus Cm. Helen Pierce; William. 
John T. S., b. Nov. 24, 1805, m. Mary G. Waterhouse, in Saco, Dec, 1827; 

d. in Westbrook, Jan. 15, 1852. 
Susan, b. Aug. 12, 1807, m. Bartholomew Johnson of Pownal, p. Dec. 4, 1830. 
Josiah, b. June 10, 1809, m. Susan Babb of Westbrook, May, 1833; 2d, Huldah 

Estes, Nov., 1840; d. in Westbrook. 
Abraham A., b. Feb. 14, 1811, m. Betsey Smith, Dec, 1840. 
William, b. May 13, 1813, unm., I'd in California, d. in 1898. 

f m. in Bath, May, 1853; d. in Westbrook, Dec. 
Daniel B., i , . /- o I 1=;, iSq^. 

Moses, '}b. Aug. 6, 18,5,^ d. Oct. 19, 18.5. 

I 

Mrs. Hannah Cloudman died Aug. 7, 181 5, and Mr. Cloudman 

married, Aug. 22, 1822, Mrs. Sarah Bacon, widow of Thomas Bacon, 

and daughter of William Burton. Children : 

Hannah, b. May 30, 1823, m. Levi Estes, Feb. 25, 1849. 

Lucretia A., b. Jan. 13, 1826, d. July 17, 1826. 

Solomon B., b. Mar. 27, 1827, m. Lucy 'Sweetsir, Nov. 22, 1854. Ch : Eleanor 
L., b. 1855, is a teacher ; Marcia H., b. 1857, m. James Cook ; Fannie M., 
b. 1863, m. Chas. R. Dyer. Mrs. Lucy Cloudman d. Oct. 17, iSSo, and 
Mr. Cloudman m. Jan. 21, 1882, Maria E. Trott, who d. Apr. 9, 1900, 
^g- 53- ^Ii"- Cloudman has served several terms as one of the selectmen 
of this town. 



436 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Edward T., b. Dec. 29, 1829, ni. Sarah J., dau. of Oliver Haskell of Windham, 

June 3, 186S. Ch : Harlan E., b. July 3, 1869, m. Bertha Mosher; 

Ella M., b. Jan. 13, 1874; Jesse F., h. Oct. 4, 1877; Merrill H.. b. Jan. 

14, 18S0. 

Jessee Cloudman died Jan. 25, 1848. Mrs. Cloudman died Mar. 

23, 1869, aged 82. 

(3) John Cloudman, son of Timothy, married Elizabeth, the 
daughter of Jedediah and Reliance Cobb. By her he had 

Elizabeth / , , . , .. i rn. Jeremiah Krackett, Mar. 24, 1816. 

Daughter r- ^"^P^- 7- '•'"''] d. in infancy. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Cloudman died Sept. 16, 1801, and Mr. Cloudman 
married her sister, Sarah, Aug. i, 180*2. Their children were: 

Reliance, b. Oct. 11, 1803, m. Moses Quimby, Sept. 30, 1S27. 

Jane, b. Sept. 20, 1805, d. Jan. 15, 1807. 

Paul L., b. June 29, 1807, m. Eliza B. Waterhouse, May 4, 1832 ; d. Apr. 23, 
1864. 

Esther C, b. Mar. 30, 1S09, m. Aaron Quimby of Westbrook, Dec. 8, 1833. 

Mark W., b. Mar. s. "'"^'i. rn- Susan, dau. of Nathan Burnett, Sept. 30, 1835. 
Ch: Adeline,'b. Jan. 10, 1S36, m. Enos B. Hale; Nathan B., b. Aug. 10, 
1839, m. Helen P.Austin, 2d, Lizzie Judson, I'd in Mass., d. in 1895; 
Mary H., b. Sept. 8, 1842, m. L. C. Berry; Edwin H., b. Aug. 21, 1S44, 
m. Lizzie Brown, d. in Boston, Aug. 27, 1S82 ; Charles, b. Feb. 13, 1850, 
m. Annie A. Waterhouse; Clara M., b. Dec. 15, 1856, m. Chas. Martin 
Libby, June 15, 1879. iNIr. Cloudman I'd at Little Falls; d. Sept. 13, 
1892. Mrs. Cloudman is living (1902) at the age of 93. 

Daniel C, b. Mar. 13, 1813, m. Esther Quimby, Dec. 1841 ; d. in Westbrook. 

John, b. July 27, 181 5, m. Eliza H. Stevens, Dec. 22, 1839 ; d. in Mass. 

Maria W., b. Feb. 8, 1818, m. Gibeon Plummer, Dec. 6, 1846. 

Ruth C, b. July 7, 1S20, m. Ansel L Boothby, Jan. 4, 1850; I'd in Westbrook. 

Mary A., b. June i, 1823, m. David M. Bean of Limington, Dec. 6, 1846. 

Louisa B., b. Apr. 29, 1S25, m. Charles L. Partridge, Feb. 27, 1849. 

John Cloudman died Aug. 9, 1850, and his wife Sarah, Aug. 5, 
1870. 

(3) William Cloudman, son of Timothy, lived on the road leading 
from Gorham village to Little Falls, on the place near Little river 
now owned by his son William. He married Sarah, daughter of 
George Hamblen. Children : 

Mahala, b. May 6, 1805, m. Geo. Harvey; I'd in Bath ; d. in Gorham, Oct. 21, 
1884. 

Patience, b. Apr. 8, 1807, d. in Gorham, unm. 

George, b. Mar. 30, 1809, d. in Gorham, unm. 

Jane, b. Nov. i, 1810, m. Armand Hivert; d. in New York City. 

Martha, b. June 30, 181 2, m. Nathaniel Cobb; d. in Portland. 

Sewall, b. Apr. 25, 1815, m. Dorothy L. Tate of Westbrook, Mar. 30, 1842; I'd 
on the road from Gorham village to Little Falls, near the river, and 
nearly opposite the farm of his brother William. Ch : Horace A., b. 
Mar. I, 1843, m. Lottie Lord of Portland, d. Feb. 22, 1893: Howard B., 
b. May 14, 1845, m. Anna Sawyer of Gorham; Henry S., b. Oct. 9, 1846; 
Eugene H., b. Sept. 10, 1848, m. Emma Wingate of Gorham; Alice F., 
b. Mar. 17, 1850, m. Capt. Wm. Adie, d. Nov. 21, 1899; Elma J., b. Jan. 
23, 1852, m. G. L. Hriggs of Portland; Sarah E. : Herbert S., d. Oct. 4, 
1858; Cora C; John A., b. Apr. 4, 1S62. Mrs. Cloudman d. Aug. 22, 
1883 ; Mr. Cloudman d. Dec. 30, 1900. 



CENEALOGY. 437 

Catherine, b. July 3, 1817, m. Stephen Whitney of Poland; d. in Auburn. 

Susan A., b. July 29, 1819, d. unm. in Gorham, Feb. 15, 1865. 

Arthur, b. Jan. 2, 1821, m. Lizzie Perkins of Milltown. 

William, b. Sept. 25, 1826. m. in 1856, Emily J., dau. of Samuel Dunn. Ch: 
Belle S., b. Sept. 28, 1857, m. Willard II. Deguio ; Lizzie, b. Mar. 8, 1863, 
d. ag. 16; Hertha, b. July 22, 1S71, m. Chas. Doyle; Annie, b. Nov. 4, 
1873, m, Edward Bardsley, d. in Biddeford. Mrs. Cloudman d. Aug. 29, 
1876, ag. 39. Mr. Cloudman built the first dam that was ever built across 
Little river at the lower falls. 

William Cloudman died Sept. 20, 1826, and his wife Sarah, Oct. 

23. 1859, aged 74. 

COBB. 

Chipman Cobb, in common with the other Cobb.s of Gorham, 
traced his descent from Dea. Henry Cobb of Eastham, who came 
from England in 1629, and settled finally at Barnstable, Mass. He 
was the oldest son of Samuel Cobb, who was born in Barnstable, 
April 6, 1 686; married Abigail Stuart, and came with his family to 
Fahnouth (Portland), where he was one of the early settlers. Chip- 
man, born Mar. 5, 1709, came with his father, and was admitted an 
inhabitant of Falmouth, April 22, 1728, being then nineteen years of_, 

age. He married Elizabeth —^ . They were living on the Nec^^^ 

east of Clay Cove in 1734. In 1765 he married a second wife, Mrs. 
Mary (Bloom) (Green) Hall, widow of Ebenezer Hall. 

Mr. Cobb's name appears on a Gorham tax bill for 1773. A tax 
of ;!^2i, 19^, 4'\ i^, was levied for contingent expenses of the town, 
Dec. 28, 1775 : of this, Cobb's assessment was in all, 9^^; no poll. 
In January 1783, he being then of Gorham, signs a deed to Jonathan 
Freeman, of land in Falmouth. He lived in Gorham with his son 
Andrew on a lot of iifty acres since owned by the heirs of Thomas 
MuUoy. His house stood on the southeast side of a small brook, a 
few rods from the town road, where the hollow left by the cellar may 
still be seen. His great-grandson, Isaac Cobb of Portland, tells us 
that the old gentleman well remembered the Indian wars, and used 
to relate many thrilling incidents in relation to them. He and his 
wife were taken care of in their last days by their grandson Ebenezer. 
They were both living as late as 1792, and probably died between 
that time and 1798. He was living in 1795. We have no record 
of the death of either. They were both buried in the old cemetery 
at the village. 

The children of Chipman and Elizabeth Cobb were : 

Nathaniel, b. in Falmouth, Jan. 19, 1731/2, m. Hannah Johnson of York; I'd 

in Falmouth. 
Andrew, b. in Falmouth, Mar. 27, 1734, m. Hannah Green, Feb. 21, 1754 ; 2d, 
Mrs. Hannah Fowler. 



438 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) Andrew Cobb, son of Chipman, lived in Falmouth for some 

years. He moved to Gorham about 1767. He bought of Nathan 

Whitney, Oct. 3, 1764, the eastern half of the hundred acre lot, No. 

38, on which he built and settled in 1767. He became dissatisfied 

with the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Thacher, at the time of the 

New Light excitement, and was one of those exempted by vote of the 

town from paying a tax for the support of the settled ministry. He 

finally withdrew to the Free Will Baptist society, founded in 1781 ; 

of which denomination he became a most earnest and prominent 

member. (See F. D. Stuart's History of F. W. B., Vol. i, p. 89.) 

On a Sunday in June, 1798, while the men were away at a F. W. 

Baptist Convention, which was in session in another part of the town, 

and the women were busy preparing dinner for the large company 

that was expected to return with them from the meetings, Mr. Cobb's 

house caught fire and was burned to the ground. The same year he, 

and his son Ebenezer, built a house on the southeast corner of the 

hundred acre lot 39, which Andrew had purchased, Nov. 15, 1779, 

of Edmund Bramhall. His grandson says the rooms were made 

large, with especial reference to the accommodation of the "brethren 

and sisters, who were accustomed to hold their meetings at private 

houses.'" Andrew and his wife occupied the west end of the house, 

and Ebenezer and his wife had the east end, and their respective 

initials were built into the bricks of the chimney on the east and west 

sides of it. This house, now gone, was standing as late as 1889. 

Andrew Cobb married Hannah Green, the daughter of Mrs. Chipman 

Cobb, his stepmother, by her first husband Mr. Green. Their 

children, the last three of whom were born in Gorham, the others in 

Falmouth (Portland), were: 

Daniel, b. May 7, 1755, m. Mary Brown, (b. in Gloucester, Mass.,) p. Oct. 5, 1776. 

Phebe, b. about Apr., 1756, m.' Ephraim Chick of Limington, 1782. 

Nicholas, b. Apr. 4, 1758, m. Abigail Chick, June 25, 1782 ; 2d, Desire Rogers, 

Sept. 29, 1797. 

Hannah, b. , m. Micah Whitney, Nov. 29, 1779. 

Sarah, b. — -, d. young. 

Andrew, b. Feb. 7, 1764. m. Betsey Irish, p. Dec. 14, 1782; 2d, Mrs. Mary 

(Cobb) Bangs. 
Nathan, b. Mar. 3, 1767, m. Mary Sawyer of Limington, 1792. 
Ebenezer, b. Oct. 4, 1768, m. Sarah Hanscom, Jan. 8, 1792 ; 2d, Mary Larrabee. 
Chipman, b. Jan. 5, I77i,m. Rachel Brown (sister to Daniel's wife), Mar. 12, 

1797 ; d. in Otisfield. 
Mary, b. July 26, 1772, m. William Leavitt of Buxton, Jan. 10, 1796. 

Mrs. Hannah (Green) Cobb died Apr. 30, 1803, aged 69. Mr. 
Cobb married, Apr. 21, 1804, Mrs. Hannah Fowler. Her maiden 
name was Hannah Whitney. October, 1755, she married Joseph Ham- 
blen of Gorham. He died in 1763, and she married, June 27, 1765, 



GENEALOGY. 439 

Moses Fowler of Falmouth. She was a zealous believer in the " New 
Light " doctrine. It is said that at one of their meetings she broke 
out into a song "I can jump, I can jump over the walls of Jericho." 
To which some one responded " No wonder, for the walls are broken 
down." Dea. Andrew Cobb moved to Limington, where he died with 
his son Andrew, July 22, 1822, aged 88. Mrs. Cobb died in Liming- 
ton, Feb. 10, 1S20, aged 8;^. 

(3) Andrew Cobb, son of Andrew, married Betsey, daughter of 
Joseph and Hannah (Doane) Irish. He lived for some years in 
Gorham, but moved to Limington before 1787. Children, born 
in Gorham, were : 

Dorcas, b. June 13, 17S3, m. Samuel Dunn of Cornish. 

Samuel, b. 1785, m. Ellen Neele. 

Stephen, Levi, Andrew, Ebenezer, Dorothy and Desire were born in Limington. 

Mr. Cobb married, Dec. 10, 1S08, Mrs. Mary (Cobb) Bangs, 
daughter of Jedediah Cobb, and widow of Ebenezer Bangs. 

(3) Ebenezer Cobb, son of Andrew, lived on his father's home- 
farm, on the hundred acre lot, No. 39. He was an honest, upright 
man, noted for scrupulous exactness in all his dealings. He married 
Sarah, daughter of George and Mary Hanscom. She was born in 
Scarboro. She died at the house of Dea. Andrew Cobb in Liming- 
ton about 181 6, leaving no children. Ebenezer Cobb married, Jan. 
4, 1824, Mary, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Larrabee. Children : 

Isaac, b. Apr. 28, 1825, m. Louisa M. Richardson, Apr. 5, 1855. 
Moses, b. Mar. 26, 1827, d. Apr. 23, 1846. 

Ebenezer Cobb died Dec. 23, 1840, aged 72. Mrs. Mary Cobb 
died Sept. 8, 1859, aged 73. 

(4) Isaac Cobb, son of Ebenezer, went in 185 1 to Boston, in 
which city, and in New York, he spent several years. In 1865 he 
entered the ofifice of the Portland Transcript, where he remained until 
his death. He was a writer of no mean repute, contributing in both 
prose and poetry to various periodicals. Some years since, he pub- 
lished a volume of poetry, entitled " Sylvan Songs." To the fondly 
remembered woods and fields of old Gorham he ascribed his poetic 
inspiration. He was deeply interested in all that related to his native 
town, and to him we are indebted for valuable assistance in collecting 
genealogical facts and items. He was a member of the Maine 
Genealogical Society, and a contributor to the Maine Historical 
and Genealogical Recorder. He married Louisa M., daughter of 
Isaac and Abigail Richardson of Gorham. They had no children. 



440 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Mrs. Cobb died Dec. 14. 1889, and Mr. Cobb. Sept. 21, 1890. They 
were both brought to Gorham for burial. 

Elisha Cobb was born June 6. 1736, at Eastham (Wellfleet ). He 
was the son of EHsha and Mary (Harding) Cobb. Leaving Wellfleet, 
or Barnstable, with one of the Harding families, he came to Gorham 
as early as 1750. In 1758 he was a soldier in Capt. John Libby's 
company, Col. Preble's regiment — which regiment served in the 
French and Indian war, scouting back from the seacoast. I think 
he was then of Cape Elizabeth. He was also a soldier in the Revo- 
lution, a private in Capt. Hart Williams' company, Col. Phinney's 
regiment. In November, 1760, he married Elizabeth Murch. July 
25, 1765, he bought of David Gorham the thirty acre lot, 37, and 
also a part of 39. Here he made his home. His house was nearly 
opposite to that of Prince Davis, on the Flagg}' Meadow (old Buxton) 
road. Children : 

Elisha, Jr., b. June 10, 1761, m. Molly A. Murch, p. Sept. 4, 1790. 

Mary, b. Oct. 4, 1762, d. unm. 

Ezekiel, b. June 10, 1764, m. Nancy Thompson Oct. 9, 1787 ; I'd in Hampden ; 
d. in 1816, and his widow m. Shebner Swett. 

Phebe, b. Apr. 16, 1766, m. Daniel Eldridge, Jr., of Buxton, Mar. 17, 1785. 

Reuben, b. Mar. 9, 1769, m. Sally Hatch, Apr. 5, 1801. 

William, b. July 20, 1771, m. Nancy Poke of Biddeford, Mar., 1798 ; I'd in Bux- 
ton. 

Samuel C, b. Oct. 15, 1773, m. Tabitha Elwell of Buxton, Dec. 9, 1802. 

Ebenezer, b. Jan. 22, 1777, m. ; was a carpenter; d. in Alna, Me. 

Elizabeth, b. July 22, 1779, d. unm. in Gorham. 

Elisha Cobb died at his home, June 11, 1794, in his 59th year. 
Elizabeth, his wife, died Sept. 6, 1798, aged 63. 

(2) Elisha Cobb, Jr., son of Elisha, was a carpenter, or joiner. 
He was one of those who framed the present Congregational church 
edilice,*in company with Samuel Elder and others. He lived on the 
old road to P>uxton, half a mile above Gorham village. He married 
Molly Murch of Biddeford. Children : 

Thankful, b. Nov. 12, 1791, d. in Saco, Apr., 1871. 

John, b. Sept. 17, 1793, m. Abby Smith of Gorham ; d. in Lowell, Mass. 

Elisha, b. Nov. 7, 1795, m. Abigail Ells of Freeport ; d. in F'reeport in 1826. 

Betsey, b. in Limington, d. unm. in i8i9,in Limington. 

"William, b. Feb. 19, 1801, m. Martha Libby of Limington in 1S24; 2d, Lucinda 

Gilpairick, 1837 ; I'd in Limington and Limerick. 
Mary, b. March, 1S03, m. John Skillings of Gorham, p. Apr. 6, 1822 ; went to 

Strong. 
Hannah, b. Nov., 1805, m. McLaughlin of Boston; after his death she 

joined the Shakers in Alfred. 

Elisha Cobb, Jr., died in Limington in 1809. 



GENEALOGY. 441 

(2) Reuben Cobb, son of Elisha, married Sally, daughter of 
Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hatch. He lived for some time on his 
father's home-farm, then sold out, and about 18 14 the family moved 
to Otisfield, where he died Dec. 15, 1831. His wife Sally died Oct. 
21, 1828, in the same town. Children: 

Ebenezer, b. Jan. 8, 1S02, d. young. 

Richard, b. Apr. 19, 1803, d. young. 

Jerusha, b. about 1805, d. in Saco, unin., Apr. 12, 1835. 

Reuben, b. Feb. 3, 1807, m. Nancy Moore of Naples, 1833 ; I'd in Oti.sfield. 

Betsey H., b. , m. Isaac Hall of Harrison about 18 ;i ; d. in iS^; 

Sally B., b. , d. in 1834. 

(2) Samuel, son of Elisha Cobb, settled in Gorham on the farm 
where his father lived before him. In addition to carrying on his 
farm, he worked at the trade of a tailor, working at his home, and 
also going from house to house to work, as was the custom of those 
days. He was an active member of the Congregational church. ' He 
married Tabitha Elwell of Buxton. Children: 

Edward, b. Sept. 4, 1804, m. Martha Frost, Nov. 24, 1S25; 2d, Abigail S. 

Allen of New Gloucester, July 11, 1832 ; d. in Portland, 1879. 
Eunice, b. Oct. 11, 1806, m. Nathaniel Frost, Dec. 28, 1826. 
Joseph, [^ T e -^ 18 S i '^^ y°""g- 

Samuel, J ■ -•"" J' ° ' ] m. Sarah M. Jordan, May 30, 1S31 ; I'd in Portland. 
Lois McL., b. May 3, 1810, m. Jonathan Redlon (3d wife) of Buxton, Mar. 13, 

1849. He d. in Gorham, Nov. 6, 1865, and she m. 2d, Nathaniel Strout 

of Casco. 
Caleb J., b. June 4, 1812, m. Julia A.Cook ; I'd in Waterford, Vt. ; d. in 187S. 

Samuel Cobb died Oct. 15, 1839, aged 66. Mrs. Tabitha Cobb 
died Oct. 24, 1839, aged 69. 

Capt. Nathaniel Cobb, who came from Barnstable, where he was 
born Mar. 19, 1749, was probably the son of Nathaniel Cobb of Barn- 
stable, who married, Dec. 14, 1738, Susanna Bacon, born Dec. 24, 
17 18, daughter of Samuel and Deborah (Ods) Bacon of Nantucket 
Nathaniel Cobb, Jr., was a sea captain. He lived near Mr. Sturgis 
at West Gorham, by the fork of the roads, close by Cobb's river. He 
was married in Barnstable, Apr. 30, 1772, to his cousin Olive, daugh- 
ter of Matthew and Polly (Garrett) Cobb of Barnstable, and sister to 
the late Hon. Matthew Cobb of Portland. They had one son : 

James, b. 1772, m. Priscilla Brossard, p. Oct. 13, 1803. Mrs. Priscilla Cobb d. 
Sept. 14, 1808, ag. 50. James Cobb was a deaf mute. He I'd on his 
father's homestead. After his? father's death, he sold the farm to Wil- 
liam Sturgis, but continued to make his home there till his death, June 
12, 1847. 

Capt. Cobb died Sept. 24, 1839, aged 90. Mrs. Cobb died May 
17, 1830, aged 77. Mrs. Susanna, widow of Nathaniel of Barnstable, 
and mother of CapL Nathaniel Cobb, died in Gorham, July 6, 1807. 



442 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

David Cobb, son of David Cobb of Barnstable, and his wife Lucy 
(Bickford) of Wellfleet, who were married in 1774, (pub. Apr. 23,) 
came to Gorham from Cape Cod. lie lived on South St., in the 
house now occupied by Dr. Ridlon. This house when built by Mr. 
Cobb was one story and a half, and was altered by Col. W. B. Free- 
man to its present form. Mr. Cobb also built the house on South 
St., now (1902) owned by Mrs. Jas. Edwards. He drove for many 
years a stage between Portland and Gorham. Dec. 9, 1802, he mar- 
ried Sally, daughter of John and Tabitha Watson. Children : 

Naaman, h. Sept. 24, 1S04, d. Nov. 27, 1804. 

Louisa P., b. bept. 6, 1805, m. Henry Hodgkins, May 14, 1828 ; d. Feb., 1880. 

J)avid H., b. Sept. 28, 1807, d. Apr., 19, 1808. 

Mary A. M., b. May 18, 1809, ni. Thomas J. Emery, Nov. 14, 1830. 

Lot Davis, b. May 20, 181 1, d. Feb. 27, 1813. 

Francis B., b. Jan. 27, 1813, m. Bowers. 

Albert S., b. June 21, 181 5, m. Abbie G. Libby, Oct. 15, 1840. 

David Cobb died Sept. 27, 1S37, aged 59. Mrs. Cobb died Oct. 7, 
1849, aged 65. 

Jedediah Cobb, son of Ebenezer, married in Portland, Feb. 7, 
1765, Reliance Paine. After his marriage he lived for a time on 
Falmouth Neck, in his father's house, on the north side of Queen, 
(now Congress) St. He was a housewright, and we find in Rev. 
Mr. Deane's Journal that he helped to build, in 1774, the gambrel- 
roofed house in which Mr. Deane lived while in Gorham. We find 
him first taxed in Gorham in 1780. He bought fifty acres of Shir- 
ley's Grant, not far from Horse Beef Falls. On this he built his 
house, which was at first of one story, but afterwards altered and 
enlarged to two stories. Here he lived and died. This house was 
in what is called the Quaker neighborhood, and close to the spot 
where Stephen Anderson now lives. Mr. Cobb was a Baptist in 
1 781, but afterwards became an honored and prominent member of 
the Society of Friends. 

Children of Jedediah and Reliance Cobb : 

Esther, b. about 1766, m. Tosiah Lakeman, Dec. 24 ,1783. 

William, b. Mar. 21, 1768, m. Lydia Gates, Jan. i, 1792 ; 2d, Phebe Southwick. 

Polly, b. Sept. 6, 1770, m. Ebenezer Bangs, Dec. 30, 1787 ; 2d, Dea. Andrew 

Gobb of Limington, Dec. 10, 1808. 
Anna, b. Feb. 7, 1773, m. Ebenezer Gates, Jan. 5, 1794. 

Ebenezer, b. , 1777, m. Beggy Rollins of Portland, Jan. 9, 1800. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 6, 1779, m. John Glmidman (ist wife), July 2, 1800. 

Abigail, b. , m. Moses Dow of Portland. 

Sarah, b. Oct. 23, 1783, m. John Gloudman (2d wife), Aug. i, 1802. 

Mrs. Reliance Cobb died Apr. 29, 1801, and Mr. Cobb married, 
July 29, 1803, Mrs. Sarah (Purinton) Ross. She died Oct. 22, 1822. 
Jedediah Cobb died Aug. 21, 1833, aged 91. 



GENEALOGY. 443 

(2) \Mlliam Cobb, son of Jedediah, lived on the farm in the 
Quaker neighborhood now owned and occupied by Isaac L. Johnson. 
He was an intfuential and zealous member of the Society of Friends. 
He married Lydia, d.uighter of Elder Joseph Gates. Children : 

Daniel, b. Nov. 14, 1792, m. Ruth Almy of Baltimore ; d. in Baltimore. 
Esther, b. July 26, 1794, m. Chas. Horton. 
James, b. Apr. 17, 1796, d. Sept. 16, 1796. 

Mrs. Cobb died Sept. 10, 1796, and Mr. Cobb married, Dec. 7, 
1797, Phebe Southwick of Gorham, who was born Mar. j, 1770, and 
whose parents, Josiah and Elizabeth Southwick of Sandwich, Mass., 
came to Gorham from Portland about 1805. By his second wife Mr. 
Cobb had twin sons, born and died May 29, 1803. William Cobb 
died Feb. 12, 1844, aged 76. Mrs. Phebe Cobb died in Windham, 
Apr. 27, 1854. 



COBURN. 

Jacob Coburn came from Dracut, Mass. Before coming to Gorham 
he had kept a hotel in Newburyport, and also in Portland. He 
settled at Little Falls about 18 24. and engaged in trade, and is said to 
have been the first trader to locate in that village. He was Agent 
of the mills of the Cumberland Manufacturing Co., and was also a 
large owner in boats on the Oxford and Cumberland Canal. He 
built at Little Falls the large brick house since occupied by Nathaniel 
Berry, and now owned by George W. Heath. Mr. Coburn's wife 
was Mary . Children : 

Mary, b. Dec. 5, 1800, m. Byron Greenough, Nov. 10, 1822 ; d. Jan. 25, 1872 ; 
he d. Aug., 187 1. 

Jacob, b. Mar. 29, 1808, m. Evelina, dau. of Joseph and Esther Hamblen, p. 
Apr. 12, 1835 ; one child, Joseph H., b. Apr. 7, 1837, m. Hiza J. .Sawyer 
of Gray ; d. June 18, 1901. Mr. Coburn was a farmer and I'd for some 
years on the Royal Lincoln place. Mrs. Evelina Coburn d. Apr. 18, 
1837, ag. 28, and soon after her death Mr. Coburn moved to Patten, 
thence to Otisfield, and finally to Mass. He m. 2d, Tryphena Hancock, 
and had one child, Henry C. Mr. Coburn d. in Winchester, Mass., 
Sept. II, 1882. 
Edwin, b. Dec. 5, 1813, m. Betsey Coolbroth, Dec. 7, 1834. Ch: Byron G., b. 
Dec. 23, 1835, ni- Theano J. Pollard, was murdered at his home in 
Gorham, Dec. 13, 1894; Edwin, b. Nov. 7, 1837, I's in S. America; 
Charles S., I's in New York. Mr. Coburn succeeded his father in trade 
at Little Falls. About the time that his brother Jacob went to Patten 
he removed to the Lincoln place, where he spent the remainder of his 
life. He d. Oct. 23, 1S91, and his wife d. May 20, 1884, ag. 70. 

Jacob Coburn died Aiig. 2, 1855, aged 76 years and 10 months ; 
and his wife died Oct. 30, 1856, aged 76. 



444 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

CODMAN. 

James Codman, the oldest son of Dea. Richard Codman of Port- 
land, was born in 1763. He was for many years an active, energetic 
shipmaster, and acquired an honorable name and a good property. 
He came to Gorham about the year 1790, and lived on the old Bux- 
ton (Flaggy Meadow) road, on the hill, which is called to this day 
Codman's hill. Here he engaged in farming and also kept a store 
on the opposite side of the road in the building which still stands 
there, but has since been converted into a dwelling house. He mar- 
ried, Oct. 23, 1 791, Elizabeth Waite of Portland, by whom he had 
two children : 

Randolph, A. L., b. 1793,111. Elizabeth \V. Stephenson, Jan. 6, 1S25. 
Frederick, b. , d. in Baltimore, Md. 

After the death of his wife Elizabeth, who died in Jan., 1797, aged 
31, Capt. Codman married Abigail Loring. He died on his farm in 
Gorham, Jan. 3, 1840. His widow Abigail married in 1844 Rev. 
Caleb Bradley, and died Aug. 16, 1855, aged 75. 

(2) Randolph A. L. Codman, son of Capt. James, married Eliza- 
beth W., daughter of Col. Samuel and Abigail Stephenson. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. Apr. 21, 1826, ni. Henry G. Day ; d. Sept. 29, 1902; he, June 19, 

1902. 
Margaret, b. July 15, 1829, m. George Payson, Oct. 5, 1857 ; d. May 12, 1899. 
Catherine, b. July 15, 1S29, m. Capt. Sherwood of Iowa, Jan. 27, 1857. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Codman died July 16, 1829, and Mr. Codman 
married Caroline P. Porter, by whom he had two children, Annie and 
Grace. Mr. Codman was a prominent lawyer in Portland, in which 
city he died. 

After the burning of Portland by Mowatt in 1775, Dea. Richard 
Codman, father of Capt. James, lived for a time in Gorham ; not far 
from where Freeman Richardson lately lived. His house probably 
stood a little west of the house of the late Merrill Mosher, on the 
northern side of the road. 

COFFIN. 

Isaac Coffin, son of Simeon and Eleanor ( ) Coffin, was 

born, probably in Thorndike, June i, 1756. The first I find of 
Isaac Coffin in Gorham, and his is the first of the name here, by the 
old tax bills was in 1788, and I find him as late as 1795- Only 
three of his children are recorded here, viz. : James, John and Molly. 
Soon after 1795 he exchanged property here with his brother-in-law 



GENEALOGY. 445 

Jacob H. Clement, and took property in Alfred or Waterboro, where 
he moved with his family, and afterward joined the Shakers, carrying 
his property with him. He married Lydia Hubbard. Their children 
were Peter, James, b. Jan. 13, 1791 ; John, b. Dec. 22, 1792 ; Molly, 
b. May 4, 1795 ; Isaac and Eleanor. Peter, James, John, Isaac and 
Eleanor lived and died with the Shakers. Isaac Cofhn, Sr., died 
May 16, 1841. 

COTTON. 

Deacon William Cotton of Portland appears among the Proprie- 
tors of this town as early as 1743, but it does not appear that any of 
the family or name were residents till 1760, when William, the son 
of Dea. William, moved in with his wife, and one child who was born 
in Falmouth. Soon after, John, another son of the Deacon, came 
here. Dea. Cotton came from Portsmouth, N. H., and settled in 
Portland about the year 1732, on Fore St., at the foot of Cotton St., 

where he had a tannery. He was twice married ; first to Sarah , 

who died May 3, 1753, and second, in November, 1753, to Mrs. 
Martha Hudson. His children, all of whom, excepting Mary, were 
by his first wife, were : 

.Sarah, b. , m. Wm. Thomes ; 2d, Elisha Turner. 

William, b. Oct. 24, 1739, m. Elizabeth Cobb, in 1759. 

John, b. 1741, m. Rebecca Bryant, Aug. 5, 1769. 

Abigail, b. 1742, m. Ebenezer Owen, 1763. 

Mary, b. 1754, m. Moses Holt, Jr., 1771 ; 2d, Rev. Stephen Hall, 177S. 

(2) William Cotton, son of Dea. William, married Elizabeth Cobb. 
After coming to Gorham, they first settled on the thirty acre lot, 65, 
lately owned by Ezra Thomes, where he had a tannery and carried 
on the business with his brother John for some years. This yard has 
disappeared. It was on the back end of the lot, and the entrance to 
it was by a two-rod town road running west from King street, between 
lots 65 and 121, toward where Geo. Elwell lately lived. This road 
was discontinued on the opening of Horse Meadow road, so called. 
Mr. Cotton's tannery business was not of the magnitude of the pres- 
ent time ; only to tan the cowhides and calf skins of his neighbors, 
and that generally on a share ; the custom of the time being for about 
every householder to kill his beef-creature every fall, and have the 
skin tanned for his family's shoes. 

Mr. Cotton became a zealous Baptist in his latter days. He died 
leaving the reputation of an honest, upright man. The children of 
William and Elizabeth Cotton, all born m Gorham but John, who was 
born in Falmouth : 



446 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

John, b. Feb. i6, 1760, d. at New Gloucester, Oct. 15, 1S47. 

Sarah, b. Dec. 4, 1761, m. Jonathan Elwell, Feb. 5, 1794. 

Ebenezer, b. Feb. 18, 1764, m. Elizabeth Chase, Mar. 5, 1789. 

Susanna, b. Apr. 17, 1766, m. Nathan Carsley, Mar. 2, 1792. 

Mary, b. June 7, 1768. 

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 10, 1770. 

William, b. July i, 1773, was a sea-faring man ; d. unm. in Gorham, Mar. 9, 

1854. 
Abigail, b. Aug. 26, 1775, d. in Alfred, Sept. 10, 1846. 
Dorcas, b. Jan. 11, 1778, d. in Alfred, Dec. 17, 1821. 

(2) John Cotton, the brother of William, lived above Fort Hill. 

His house was on the left hand side of the road, and has been 

moved back, and forms the ell of the Motley house. He married 

Rebecca Bryant of Scarboro. Their children were : 

Eunice, b. Sept. 29, 1770. 

Lonihama, b. Aiig. 22, 1772, m. John Coltin, Dec. 11, 1791 ; went with the 

Shakers to Alfred. 
William, b. Oct. 5, 1776. 
Elisha, b. Apr. 25, 1779. 
John. b. Apr. 11, 1781. 

Pamela, b. Oct 16, 1782, d. at Alfred, July 7, 1851. 
Samuel, b. June 6, 1784. 

Mr. Cotton was a peculiar man. He had a great gift at prayer 
and exhortation, and was of a very religious turn of mind. He also 
had the reputation of being an honest, upright man, but almost a 
monomaniac on the subject of religion, and the old Standing Order 
of clergymen, as they were then called. Parson Smith speaks of John 
Cotton exhorting and praying about the streets in Falmouth, and of 
his disturbing him in his meetings, and puts him down as insane. 
He often made disturbances in the meetings in Gorham, by telling 
Rev. Mr. Jewett, when preaching, that he lied ; or by commencing 
his wild exhortation when the services of the meeting were going on, 
had to be removed from the house, and put under keepers till the ser- 
vices were over, at which time he would work himself into a perfect 
frenzy, denouncing his opponents as persecutors, calling down the 
vengeance of heaven on all, and curses on their heads to the last 
generation. This was in the time of the Come-outers, or New 
Lights, as they were called, and some there w-ere who, in their zeal 
for the new order of things and opposition to the Standing Order, 
were fain to call Cotton an inspired man and to say that these parox- 
ysms of frenzy were the working of the Holy Spirit in him. He 
went with the Free Will Baptists, where he was made an Elder, and 
an unordained preacher in 1790, under the ministrations of Rev. 
James McCorson, but even here things did not go smoothly with 
him. He was often brought before the Quarterly Meeting for his 
singularities. At one meeting, it was " concluded that John Cotton 



GENEALOGY. 447 

has a gift to improve in the chvirch, but it is possible he has some- 
times spoken too much, or often spoken after he should have left 
off." The Religious Magazine says, " This Cotton had an excellent 
gift of exhortation, but it may be said of him, as it was of Elias, he 
was a man subject to like passions as we are, and sometimes his zeal 
for God carried him to a great length, and exposed him to great 
persecutions." 

I have dealt somewhat at length with John Cotton, for he was quite 
a character in the time of the New Lights, but he finally died quietly 
at his home, and no one called him a bad man. We have not the 
date of his death. 

(3) Ebenezer Cotton, third child of William and Elizabeth, mar- 
ried Elizabeth Chase. From this couple all of the name now in town 
are descended. They settled and lived on the farm recently owned 
by William Cotton, deceased, near West Gorham. Their children 
were : 

Joseph, b. Oct. 26, 1789, m. Mehitable Snow, Nov. 20, 1S17. Ch : Ebenezer, b. 
Sept 24, 1818, d. Jan. 9, 1848; Dorcas S., b. May 22, 1821, m. N. 
Hutchinson of Fryeburg, Sept. 2, 1848; Mary, b. Apr. 25, 1825, d. y. ; 
Hannah, b. July 15, 1827, d. Dec. 12, 1850; Joseph J., b. Apr. 3, 1832; 
William S., b. Sept. 21, 1834, m. Mary E. Emery of Bu.xton, Mar. 11, 
1S60, d. May 7, 1862. Joseph Cotton d. May 15, 1854. 

Susanna, b. Mar. 12, 1791, m. Chas. Hamblen, May 25, 1817. 

Nathaniel, b. May 20, 1794. 

Polly, b. Apr. 30, 1796, d. Apr. 14, 1S25. 

Lydia, b. Mar. 20, 1799, m. Cotton Owen of Portland, Nov. 25, 1817. (Mr. 
Owen was a descendant of Ebenezer Owen and Abigail Cotton, who 
were married in 1763.) 

William, b. Oct. 12, 1801, m. Maria, dan. of Joseph Sturgis, Mar. 23, 1835. Ch: 
Charles B., b. Nov. 5, 1836, m. Lizzie E. Douglass, Oct. 25, 1862 ; 
Howard, b. Dec. 9, 1843, m. Hannah E. Billings, Sept. 24, 1867. Wil- 
liam Cotton I'd on the place formerly owned by his father, where he d. 
Mar. 27, 1876 ; his wife d. July 23, 1885. 

Elizabeth, wife of Ebenezer Cotton, died May 1 1, 1838. 

CRESSEY. 

As far back as any of the name can be traced, there lived a family 
in Beverly, Essex County, Mass., by the name of Cressey, and the 
head of this family whose name was John Cressey had eight children, 
five sons and three daughters ; John, Daniel, Joseph, Richard and 
Ebenezer, Mary, Ruth and Anna. It is supposed that about the 
year 1745, the several members of this family moved to different 
places. John moved eastward and settled in Gorham, then Narra- 
gansett No. 7. Daniel moved to New Sharon, N. H., thence to 
Hopkinton, and finally settled in the town of Bradford, N. H. Joseph 



448 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

moved to Charlemont, west of the Connecticut river, in Mass. Rich- 
ard moved to Bradford, where his brother Daniel lived. Eben lived 
in Abington, Conn. The daughters all lived in Connecticut. Mary 
married Abner Ashley, Ruth married Samuel Ashley, and Anna 
married Nathan Griggs. 

John, the eldest son, who settled m Gorham, was born July 31, 
172 1, and was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old when, about 
1747, he married Deborah, daughter of Capt. Amos Wadley of Boston. 
He came to Gorham when his son John was an infant, and settled 
first on the hundred acre lot, 69, or 70, west of Little river, near 
where David Warren lately lived. From thence having exchanged 
farms with Chas. McDonald he moved to the thirty acre lot, 53, 
where he lived a part of the time during the Indian war. 

Mr. Cressey built his tir.st house on the above-named thirty acre 
lot, near where Charles Cressey's cider house now stands. At the 
time of his coming to Gorham, 1749, or 1750, the Indians in conse- 
quence of their many defeats had become less troublesome, though 
they were often seen, singly or in small parties, but committed but 
little depredation, as the settlers had become better armed and more 
wary. Nevertheless, many of the settlers who were near enough 
made the fort their home during the night. Such was the case with 
Mr. Cressey. Although his name does not appear with those who 
made the fort their home during the Indian war, the fact is that he 
did so most of the time with his wife and children, always going to 
the fort to spend the nights. He had a road across lots direct to the 
fort, which was a short half mile from his clearing. The fir.st land 
he cleared was in front of his log house, on the thirty acre lot, 53. 
Here he wovild work, while his wife and her son John would sit on a 
stump with the gun by her side in order to give the alarm, should 
the Indians appear. At one time, while husband and wife were thus 
situated, an Indian came upon them. Discovering Mr. Cressey at 
work, and not seeing his wife, he crept stealthily toward Mr. Cressey, 
with his tomahawk raised and knife ready, not being armed with a 
gun. Mrs. Cressey sat with her gun in her hand, with fear and 
trembling. When the enemy got quite near to her husband she 
could bear it no longer, his danger overcame her fear. She rose up 
and called out to him, at the same time pointing her gun toward the 
Indian, who thought it prudent to beat a hasty retreat, for the savages 
had had several lessons that had taught them that the " white squaws " 
were not bad shots. Here the couple lived and toiled. Mrs. Cres- 
sey, although reared in the city of Boston, and never having known 



GENEALOGY. 449 

what hard work was, took hold resolutely with her husband, taking 
care of the house and aiding in the field, helping him in the toilsome 
work of cutting and piling up the partially burned logs in order to 
clear the land for crops, often not knowing from whence the next 
meal of victuals was to come. Sometimes there was not a particle 
of food in their house, nor did they know where they could obtain 
any. Such was the case one day when they were at work on their 
land. The season was advancing ; their crops must be in ; if they 
were to raise anything they had no time to spare, they must work, 
and then hunt for food. While thus at work, nearly dead for want 
of food, Mrs. Cressey found a partridge nest, with thirteen eggs in it. 
This was good fortune, and when their clay's work was done they 
had a good square supper of partridge eggs on which to go to rest. 
Bread was hard to be got. When they first came into town .they 
could occasionally procure game when their work would allow them 
time for hunting and when they thought the Indians were not prowl- 
ing around. 

Mr. Cressey died in 1785, and his wife Deborah, in 1796. Their 
children were : 

John, b. Feb. 22, 1749, m. Susanna McDonald. 

Joseph, b. Oct. 26, 1753, m. Hannah Ashley, Aug. 28, 1776. 

Betsey, b. Apr. iS, 1757, m. Simon Harding, Jan., 1775 ; I'd in Baldwin. 

Mary, b. May i, 1762, m. David Watts, Oct. 4, 17S4. 

^°^^' ' b Mav 6 176; * ^- '" '776. 
Job, \ ^- ^^^^y ^' '7(35' , d_ i„ ,766, 

(2) John Cressey, the eldest son of John, married, Dec. i, 1770, 
Susanna McDonald, who was probably the sister of Charles McDon- 
ald. Soon after his marriage Mr. Cressey purchased a farm in 
Buxton, near what was formerly called Spruce Swamp, now Grove- 
ville, where by industry and prudence he brought up a family, and 
left a good farm, which is still owned by his descendants. Two of 
his children, Daniel and Betsey, were born in Gorham ; Daniel 
married Elizabeth Karding of Baldwin, and Betsey married Edmund 
Watson. Another of his sons, Benjamin, was captured in a privateer 
during the War of 181 2, and for some time held a prisoner in Dart- 
moor Prison. Mr. Cressey died Dec. 23, 1842, in Buxton. 

(2) Joseph Cressey, second son of John, married Hannah Ashley, 
his cousin, daughter of Abner of Pomfret (or Hampton), Conn. He 
remained in Connecticut a while, and in Pomfret in that State, his 
oldest son, Ebenezer, was born, Jan. 16, 1779. At the commence- 
ment of the Revolution, when Capt. Williams' company was raised. 
Mr. Cressey enlisted as a private, marched to Cambridge and thence 



450 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

with Col. Phinney's regiment to Ticonderoga. This military service 

was before his marriage. Mr. Cressey lived on his father's old place, 

where he carried on the tanner's and shoemaker's business, until 

Dec. 20, 1804, when he moved out to the main road, called the 

Flaggy Meadow road, where he had purchased a farm of Barnabas 

Harding — the hundred acre lot 67, — where Miss Martha Ann 

Cressey now lives. In less than a year. vSept. 5. 1805, his buildings 

seven in number were consumed by tire and he with his family 

returned to the old farm where he remained until he had finished 

new buildings. November, 181 1, when he came back to the road, 

where he lived till his decease, July 22, 1832. His wife survived 

him several years, and died Dec. 27, 1848, aged 89. Mr. Cressey 

was never an aspirant for military or civil honors. He and his wife 

were members of the Congregational church, in good standing. 

They never ate the bread of idleness ; hard working, industrious and 

prudent, they accumulated a handsome property, and left numerous 

descendants, who rank among our best citizens. The children of 

Joseph and Hannah Cressey were : 

Ebenezer, b. Jan. ifi, 1779, m. Sally Chick, Aug. 6, 1S03. 

Elvin, b. July 12, 1781, d. uiim. Apr. 24, 1799. 

John, b. Aug. 22, 17S5, m. Martha Higgins, Apr. >S, 18 12. 

Joseph, b. Mar. t4, 1788, ni. Sarah Watts, Jan. 2r, 1817; 2d, Sarah Harding. 

Mary, b. .Sept. 6, 1792, m. William Ashley, Mar. 6, 1S15. 

Sally, b. Mar. 7, 1796, d. unm. May 14, 1814. 

Noah, b. July 28, 1798, m. Hannah Watts, Feb. 22, 1820. 

(3) Ebenezer Cressey, son of Joseph, lived on the Standish road, 
on the thirty acre lot, 38. He married Sally Chick of Berwick, Me., 
or .Somersworth, N. H. Children: 

Alvin, b. F"eb. 27, 1806, m. Sarah Flagg, of Topsham, Mar., 1838. Ch : Eliza A., 
b. Feb. 22, 1839, d. Sept. 14. 1869; Eben F.,b. Apr. 20, 1841, d. in 18C6; 
Caroline A., b. Mar. 11, 1843, ^- ^^ 1869; Elizabeth M., b. Sept. 17, 
1845, d. Jan. 8, 1850 ; Mattie, b. May 3, 1849, m. Hon. Frederick Robie, 
Jan. 10, 1900 ; Hattie E., b. Aug. 31, iS5r, d. in 1888. Mr. Cressey I'd on 
his father's place; d. Apr. 30, 1858; his wife d. in May, 1888, aged 78. 

Caroline, b. May 19, 1808, m. Oliver Yeaton of Somersworth ; d. about 1895. 

Martha, b. Apr. 25, i8io, m. Daniel McCorrison of Standish ; d. in 1851. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 10, 1812, d. in 1858. 

John R., b. Oct. 8, 1814, d. in Boston, in 1S92, unm. 

Mary E., b. Sept. 16. 1818, m. Dr. John G. Pike of Somersworth, N. H. 

Eliza Ann, b. Dec. 19, 1820, d. Oct. 26, 1831. 

Ebenezer Cressey died July 31, 1829, aged 50; his wife died Feb. 
14, 1863, aged 79. 

(3) John Cressey. son of Joseph, lived on his father's homestead, 
on the Flaggy Meadow road. He married Martha, daughter of 
Ebenezer and Rebecca Higgins. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 451 

Hannah A., b. Dec. 25, 1813, ni. Wm. Dudlej', Apr. 11, 1834. 

Samuel, b. Aug. 12, 1815, d. young. 

Samuel, b. Jan. 21, 1817,01 June, 1847, Kebecca, dau. of Joseph and Louisa 

Harding ; I'd on the place owned by his father and grandfather before 

him ; d. Feb 22, 1893 '■> ''"'^ wife d. Apr. 26, 1896, aged 74. Ch : Ella, b. 

May 2, 185 [ ; Henry, b. Jan. 28, 1855, m. Villie E. Bragdon of Buxton, 

Nov. 30, 1890. 
Albert, b. Feb. 14, 1820, m. Emily A. C. Hobson of Buxton, Dec. 21, 1852, 

who died Nov. 23, 1853. aged 23, and he m. June4, 1854, Elizabeth, dau. 

of David Patrick. Ch': Emma H., b. Nov. 22, 1855; Edwin G., b. Oct. 8, 

1857, m. Nellie Clement; Nellie, b. Apr. 16, 1861; Ernest, b. Feb. 27, 

i86g, m. Fannie M. Baker of Boston, Apr. 21, 1897. Mrs. Elizabeth 

Cressey d. July 19, 1882, aged 55. 
Martha Ann, b. Sept. 7, 1822, I's on the old place. 
Thaddeus P., b. Feb. 23, 1826, m. Asenath C. Swain of Dover, N. fL, Aug., 

1850; I'd in Dover; d. Feb. 22, 1895. 

John Cressey died Sept. 21, 187 1, aged 86; Mrs. Cressey died 
Mar. 27, 1863, aged 79. 

(3) Joseph Cressey, son of Joseph, lived for many years on- the 
farm which was cleared by John Cressey the first, on which the old 
log house was situated. Here he lived until he bought out his 
brother Noah, and moved on to his farm. He married Sarah, 
daughter of Capt. David Watts. Children : 

Charles EL, b. Xov. 21, 18 17, m. Sarah W. Anderson of Windham, who d. July 
7, 1851, aged 29, and Mr. Cm. her sister, Emeline Anderson. Ch: 
Herbert B., b. May 29, 1856, m. Ella Warren of Elopkinton, Mass.; 
Julia F., b. Feb. 6, 1858, m. Charles Clement, Dec. 25, 1897 ; Llattie P., 
b. July 28, i860; Guy R. P., b. Nov. 12, 1862, m. Hattie Whitney of 
Staiidish, Mar. 19, 1892. Charles Cressey d. Nov. 22, 1872. 

Joseph, b. Oct. 30, 1820, m. Rhoda Lowell of Hiram, June 7, 1S53. Ch : Isa- 
bel Marie, b. Apr. 9, 1854, d. Mar. 7, 1864; Francis O., b. Mar. 18, 1858, 
d. Feb. 9, 1864 ; Carrie Emma, b. July 28, i860, m. Abial Rounds, Nov. 
18, 189 1 ; Laura Celia, b. Jan. 29, 1862, d. Feb. 10, 1864. Mrs. Cressey 
d. Sept. 20, 1868, aged 36, and Mr. Cressey m. Sarah E. Libby of lim- 
erick, Nov. 24, 1870; one son, Joseph Francis, b. Dec. 30, 1871. Mr. 
Cressey d. in Newfield, Aug. 28, 1S98. 

Emily, b. Dec. 23, 1824, m. Thos. LL Smith of Buxton, Nov., 1851 ; d. Sept. 16, 
1855. 

William W., b. Oct. i, 1828, m. Frances Ellen, dau. of Robert Rounds, Jan. 26, 
1854. Ch : Charles R., b. Dec. 7, 1854, m. Annie Johnson, Nov. 12, 
1882 ; Mary L., b. Oct. 13, 1861, d Feb. 27, 1864 ; Melville W., b. Feb. 
2, 1867, m. Jeannette Fifield. William W. Cressey d. May 2, 1892. 

Mary Eliza, b. Oct. 29, 1835, d. unm. Jan. 3, 1866. 

Edward K., b. Mar. 12, 1838, d. Sept. 12, 1863. 

Mrs. Cressey died Sept. 29, 1847, aged 53, and Mr. Cressey mar- 
ried, Jan. 7, 1849, Sarah J. Harding of Baldwin, by whom he had : 

Sarah Ellen, b. Feb. 21, 1853, m. Fred A. Giddings. 
John H., b. Jan. 3, 1S57. 

Mr. Cressey died Feb. 9, 1858, aged 70 years. 

(3) Noah Cressey, son of Joseph, lived where William Cressey's 
family now live, on the thirty acre lot. No. 40, until he sold out to 



452 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

his brother Joseph, when he moved to Standish, and went into trade 
there. He married Hannah, daughter of Capt. David Watts. Chil- 
dren : 

Sally, b. Apr. i8, 1820, m. Hugh Moore of Standish. 

William, b. Jan. 10, 1823, d. young. 

Harriet, b. Sept. 23, 1824, m. Jonathan Clay of Buxton, Aug. 18, 1846. 

George, b. May 24, 1829, m. Harriet Smith. 

Eliza A., b. Aug. 9, 1831, d. unm. 

Almon, b. , m. Abbie Boothby. 

Noah Cressey died in Standish, Apr. 20, 1839, aged 40. His 

wife also died in Standish. 



CROCKETT. 

There seem to have been at least three distinct families of this 
name who came early to town and as it appears were not related to 
each other. In the old deeds we find the name spelled " Crockit." 

Samuel Crockett, the first of the name that we find in town, was 

the son of Richard, and grandson of Ephraim Crockett, whose father, 

Thomas was of Kittery^ in 1647. Samuel, who was born in February, 

1 7 17, came from New Hampshire, and settled in Falmouth (Portland) 

where he lived on the northeast corner of Middle and Plum Sts. 

From his grandson, Nathaniel Crockett of Portland, we learn that he 

had a grant of land in Gorham which he exchanged for land on the 

foreside of Portland. His occupation was that of a shipwright. He 

married in 1738, (pub. Mar. 10,) Sarah, daughter of Jonathan Cobb. 

She was born in March, 17 17. There is no perfect record of their 

children, but there were : 

Sarah, bapt. in 1 740. 

Betty, bapt. in 1741, m. Jonathan Fickett of Buxton, Dec. 21, 1763. 

Susannah, b. about 1743, m. Moses Whitney, Dec. 27, 1760. 

In 1750, Mr. Crockett married Mrs. Priscilla (Swett) Jackman, 

daughter of John Swett of Falmouth, by whom he had : 

Samuel, b. Sept. 6, 1752, m. Tabitha Hamblen, p. Feb. 2, 1771 ; 2d, Elizabeth 

Fickett. 
Martha A., b. Nov. 29, 1754, m. Nathaniel Hill of Buxton, Dec. 30, 1773. 
Dorcas, b. Apr. 14, 1756, m. Daniel Merrill of Falmouth, Jan. 12, 1775. 
Abigail, b. .\pr. 10, 1758, m. Silas Chadboum, Apr. 23, 1775. 

Mrs. Priscilla Crockett died Mar. 7, 1763, and Mr. Crockett mar- 
ried, June 10, 1763, Mrs. Mary Whitney, widow of Abel W'hitney of 
Gorham. 

According to the record of deeds, Samuel Crockett was of Fal- 
mouth in 1754, and of Gorham in 1755. He probably moved to 
Gorham in 1755. He built and occupied the two story house on 



GENEALOGY. 458 

Main St. in this village which he sold to Rev. Caleb Jewett, (lately 
occupied by Henry Broad). It is probable that Mr. and Mrs. 
Crockett lived during the latter part of their life at West Gorham 
with their son Samuel Crockett, Jr. The lot on which the latter 
settled, as well as the seventy acre lot on which Isaac and Mary 
Whitney lived, were located and run out by Mr. Crockett. Samuel 
Crockett died Dec. 19. 1798, aged 82. His wife Mary died about 
1794. Both Mr. and Mrs. Crockett are buried in the old cemetery 
at the village. 

(2) Samuel Crockett, Jr., son of Samuel, lived at West Gorham, 
on the hundred acre lot, 79, which land joined that of Nathaniel 
Cobb. His house was on the road leading to Fort Hill. He mar- 
ried Tabitha Hamblen, who was probably the daughter of Jacob and 
Content Hamblen. Children : 

Eunice, b. , 1771, d. young. 

William, b. Sept. 19, 1772, m. Nancy P'ickett of Stroudwater. 
Nancy, b. Sept. 18, 1774, m. Caleb Page of Conway, Dec, 1797. 
Susanna, b. July 31, 1777,111. Joseph Bradbury, Jr., July 22, 1798. 
Content, b. May 18, 1779, m. Joseph Moody of Buxton, Aug. i, 1802. 
.Martha, b. Mar. 19, 1781, m. James Merrill of Buxton. 

Joseph, b. Oct. 11, 17S2, m. Mary Bradburv (sister to los. B., Jr., above), Nov. 
28, 1813. 

Mrs. Tabitha Crockett died soon after the birth of her son Joseph, 
and Mr. Crockett married, Apr. 17, 1783, Elizabeth Fickett of Bux- 
ton, by whom he had : 

John, b. , d. young. 

James, b. Dec. 14, 1785, m. Sally Poor of Portland. 

John, b. Mar. 11, 1788, m. Sally Richards of Cape Elizabeth. 

Samuel, b. Feb. 20, 1790, m. Priscilla Harmon, Mar. 6, 1817 ; 2d, Harriet Fol- 
som. 

Mary, b. Feb. 3, 1792, m. Col. Seward Merrill, Sept. 13, 1829. 

Nathaniel, b. Apr. 22, 1794, m. Nancy Sisk ; 2d, Florinda True of New Glou- 
cester; was a hard -ware dealer in Portland. 

Silas, b. .'\ug. 5, 1796, m. Hannah Marriner of Cape Elizabeth ; she d. Dec. 28, 
1863. ag. 66; he, in De.\;ter, May 24, 1868. 

Daniel, b. May 21, 1800, m. Ellen Thomas of Charleston, S. C, Mar. 19, 1829; 
d. at St. Augustine, Fla. 

Samuel Crockett died March 8, 1830, aged 78, and his wife Eliza- 
beth, March 6, 1845, aged 88. 

(3) Samuel Crockett, son of Samuel, Jr., lived at West Gorham 

on his father's homestead, where his son George now resides. He 

married Priscilla Harmon of Buxton. Children : 

Thomas H., b. Dec. 8, 1817, d. Oct. 27, 1839. 

ElizaC.,b. Apr. 26, 1820; m. Randall Johnson; d. in Wisconsin, May 14, 1855. 

Mrs. Priscilla Crockett died Nov. 5, 1822, aged 28, and Mr. 
Crockett married, June 13, 1825, Harriet, daughter of Dr. Folsom, 
by whom he had : 



454 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

George W., b. Apr. i6, 1826, m. Nancy, dau. of Luther Tappan, June 15, 1852. 

Ch: Chas. E., b. Mar. 12, 1853; Nelson H., b. Apr. 12, 1S57, m. Ella 

Files, Jan. 13, 1885. 
Edward C, b. Dec. 17, 1828, m. Martha Philbrick of Thorndike. Ch : (jeorge 

E., Hattie G. 
Priscilla, b. Aug. 17, 1831, d. Aug. i, 1S53. 

Capt. Samuel Crockett died Sept. 15, 1855. Mrs. Harriet Crock- 
ett died Mar. 23, 185 1, aged 51. 

Peletiah, Andrew and Jonathan Crockett, probably came from 
Stratham, N. H. Mrs. Eunice Hambury, daughter of Peletiah, said 
the three were brothers, and that they had a brother David, who 
lived in Ossipee, N. H., and who had a son David living (1878) in 
that town. 

May 31. 1762. Peletiah Crockett of Stratham, N. H. bought one 
half of the hundred acre lot, 25. He also purchased, of Abel Whit- 
ney in 1764, five acres of land, " on the northerly side of s^ Crockett's 
land " running " westerly 60 rods, and by the road so far north as to 
make up the five acres." On this latter lot he probably lived when 

he first came to town. He married Mary , and their children 

were : 

Susanna, b. in Stratham, May 4, 1761, m. Joseph Phinney, June 18, 1780. 

Phebe, b. in Stratham, July 4, 1762, m. Moses Hanscom, Apr. 23, 1781. 

Rebecca, b. in (;orham, Feb. 26, 1767, m. Asa Hatch, May 6, 1783. 

John, b. in Gorham, Mar. 7, 1776, m. Betsey Hunt, Dec. 15, 1796. 

There were probably other children, but there is no record of them. 
Martha Crockett, who married John Carsley, Jr., Apr. 16, 1790, may 
have been of this family. Mrs. Mary Crockett died Sept. 25, 1801, 
and Mr. Crockett married, July 18, 1802, Mrs. Lucy (Roberts) 
Seiver, daughter of Joshua Roberts, and widow of Philip Seiver. 
About this time Mr. Crockett moved on to a part of the old Mulloy 
place, near the brook. The children of Peletiah and Lucy Crockett 
were : 

Eunice, b. June 8, 1803, m. Benjamin Hambury of Portland, Apr. 14, 1832. 

Caroline, b. Aug. 14, 1S05, m. Levi Knight of Westbrook, p. 1835. 

After Mr. Crockett's death his widow Lucy married Lieut. Silas 
Chadbourn, and 4th, Richard Edwards. 

(2) John Crockett, son of Peletiah and Mary, married Betsey 
Hunt. They lived and died in Gorham. He died Aug. 8, 1843 '■> 
she, Dec. 30, 1851, aged 73. Children : 

Nabby, b. July 1, 1797, prob. m. William Frost, p. 1816. 

Charles, b. July 23, 1799, d. young. 

Mary, b. Jan. 7, 1802, m. Joseph Harmon, Aug. 24, 1820. 

Caroline, b. Feb. 17, 1804, d. young. 



GENEALOGY. 455 

Angelina, b. Feb. 22, 1806, m. Eli Phinney, Feb. 23, 1828; 2d, Benjamin Phm- 

ney; 3d, Mr. Magrath; 4th, Rev. G. W. Whitney. 
Catherine, b. Feb. 29, 1808. 
Albert, b Mar. 18, i8ro. 

Eliza, b. Mar 8, 181 2, m. Frederick Fogg of Saco, Sept. 15, 1830. 
Martha, b. Apr. 17, 181 4. 
Daniel H., b. Oct. 16, 1816, d. young. 
Susan, b. Nov. 22, 181 9, m. and I'd in Mas.s. 

Andrew Crockett purchased, Oct. 19, 1764, the eastern half of the 
hundred acre lot, 26. He is named in the deed as of Narragansett, 
No. 7. He was married, Nov. S, 1764, by the Rev. Dr. Deane of 
Falmouth, to Rebecca Hunt, probably the daughter of Ichabod and 
Susanna Hunt, then of Portland, but afterwards of Gorham. Chil- 
dren, the oldest born in Falmouth : 

Ephraim, b. Jan. 13, 1766, m. Martha Gray, Jan. 5, 1792. 

David, b. July 21, 1768, d in Gorham. 

Mehitable, b. July 21, 1771, m. Joseph Richardson. 

Ebenezer, b. July 27, 1775. 

Rebecca, b. Feb. 25, 1781, m. Isaac Libby, Dec. 20, 1798. 

Mrs. Crockett died about the time of the birth of her daughter 
Rebecca and Mr. Crockett married (pub. Oct. 27, 1781) Abigail 
Wallis, daughter of John White of Cape Elizabeth. After Andrew 
Crockett's death, his widow Abigail married, Aug. 6, 1789, Nathaniel 
Chick of Falmouth, and died in Limington in 1820. 

Jonathan Crockett we find, purchased of Solomon Lombard, Esq., 

the hundred acre lot, 28, (the old Daniel Merrill farm,) Dec. 11, 

1772. He came to Gorham from Falmouth, where his oldest child 

was born. His wife was Anna Dearborn of Boston. Children : 

David, b. Dec. 7, 1775, d, in Gorham in 1S42. 

Sarah, b. Mar. 21, 1777. 

Deborah, b. Mar. 21, 1779, m. prob. Francis York, Oct. 15, 1809. 

Mehitable, b. Mar. 20, 1780. 

Andrew, b. Jan. ly, 1785. 

Nathaniel, b. Mar. 10, 178S, p. to Betty Crockett of Ossipee, Sept. 20, 1817. 

Jonathan Crockett married, second, Ruth Foss of Stratham, N. H., 
Apr. 28, 1792. He died before 1835, ^s his estate was settled by 
his widow Ruth at that date. 

We find on record the names of Joshua Crockit, who died Feb. 
18, 1800, and his wife Elizabeth, who died September, 1798. Mr. 
Alden in his old records says this Joshua and his wife were very 
old. Whether they were the parents of Lieut. Joshua and came here 
with their son, we cannot say. 

Lieut. Joshua Crockett came to Gorham and settled near the 
mouth of Little river. He purchased, Nov. 13, 1770, of Enoch Free- 



456 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

man, a lot of common land, lying at the mouth of the river, adjoining 
the Presumpscot. By his deeds Crockett at this time was of Wind- 
ham. This lot contained eighty-three acres, more or less, and it 
appears was also conveyed lo Abel Whitney ; the Proprietors disput- 
ing Crockett's title, as coming from one who had no right to convey ; 
but finally they confirmed his claim. Joshua Crockett served as a 
soldier in the war of the Revolution. He was Ensign in Capt. 
Whitmore's company, Col. Fogg's regiment ; and commissioned as 
2d Lieut., May 10, 1776. He was ist Lieut, in Capt. Roger Libby's 
company, which he joined Oct. i, 1779, and with which he served at 
the eastward, with a detachment of Cumberland County militia, 
under Nathaniel Jordan, Esq. July i, 1 781, he was commissioned as 
2d Lieut, of Capt. Whitmore's company in Col. Phinney's 3d Cum- 
berland County regiment. Lieut. Crockett married Hannah, daugh- 
ter of James Babb of Falmouth, (pub. July 8, 1757 ). Children : 

Peter, b. 1758, m. Polly Warren, p. Oct. 12. 17S2. 

Hannah, b. about 1760, m. Thomas Bolton, Jan. 24, 17S2 ; 2d, Jos. Lombard, 

July II, 1795. 

Betty, b. , m. Benjamin Gammon, Oct. 21, 1787. 

Joshua, b. June 4, 1765, m. Sarah Hamblen, Nov. 29, 1787. 

James, b. Oct. 10, 1768, m. Sarah Sanborn, Dec. 25, 1796; 2d, Ruth Lord. 

Enoch, b. July 3, 1771, m. Urusilla Sanborn, Sept. 13, 1801. 

Miriam, b. Nov. 30, 1773, ^- Johri Thomas, Jan. 17, 1796. 

Sarah, b. Sept. 30, 1775, m. Matthew Tobin of Windham, P"eb. 6, 1800. 

Abigail, b. Feb. 25, 1778, m. Abel Brown, Aug. 15, 1799. 

William, b. July 19, 1781, m. Sally Thompson, Nov. 21, 1802. 

Solomon, b. Sept. 17, 1784, m. Mary, dau. of Christopher and Rebecca Plum- 

mer, Sept. 14, 1809; no ch; I'd near Little Falls, on the road leading 

from Mosher's to Horse Beef ; was at one time ta.x collector; d. June 

25, 1825. His wife d. June 13, 1S75. 

Lieut. Joshua Crockett died Jan. 6, 1809, and his wife. May 5, 
1805. 

(2) Peter Crockett, son of Lieut. Joshua, was a private in the 

Revolutionary army. He was mustered out of Gen. Thompson's 

brigade May 26, 1778, and delivered to Maj. James Johnson. He 

enlisted as a private in Col. Fogg's regiment, June 14, 1778, and 

was discharged at West Point, Mar. 14, 1779. He also served for a 

while in Capt. Richard Mayberry's company, 11th Mass. He lived 

at Sapling Hill, near the graveyard, next John Lord's. He married 

Polly, daughter of John and Jane (Johnson) Warren of Falmouth. 

Children : 

Peter, b. Feb. 9, 1783, m. Molly Murch, p. Jan. 6, 1815. 

Nancy, b. Oct. 3, 1784, m. Daniel Purinton, Nov. 17, 1814. 

Llannah, b. Feb. 4, 17S7, m. Jabez Clapp of Portland, p. Oct. 18, 1812. 

John, b. Jan. 25, 1789, m. Abigail Newcomb, June 22, 1815. 

Betsey, b. July 29, 1791, m. Solomon Lakeman, Dec. 8, 1814. 



GENEALOGY. 457 

Charlotte, b. Feb. i8, 1794, d. probably unm. 

Mary, b. Mar. 23, 1796. 

Enoch, b. July 7, 1799, m. Harriet Mann; I'd in Yarmouth. 

Daniel, b. Sept. 11, 1802, m. Lydia Roberts, p. July 27, 1827 ; moved East. 

Peter Crockett died Oct. 14, 1828, and his wife Mary, Sept. 13, 
1824, aged 66. 

(2) Joshua Crockett, son of Lieut. Joshua, was also a soldier of 
the Revolution, and served under Capt. Paul Ellis, in Col. Timothy 
Bigelow's regiment. He married Sarah Hamblen, who was born in 
Barnstable, and was the daughter of Samuel and Temperance Ham- 
blen of Gorham. There are two children on the Gorham records : 

James, b. Apr. 24, 1789, m. Martha Pike. 
Joshua, b. Jan. 14, 1791, m. Judith Pike. 

The family moved to Hebron, where two sons, Samuel, and Lewis, 
were born ; thence to Norway, where other children, Solomon, Han- 
nah, Betsey, Sewall, and Sally were born. Joshua Crockett died 
Oct. II, 1819. Mrs. Crockett died Sept. 8, 1848. 

(2) James Crockett, son of Lieut. Joshua, lived on his father's 
farm, near the mouth of Little river. He married Sarah, daughter 
of Joseph and Esther Sanborn. Children : 

Vashti, b. July 3, 1800, m. Ira Cook, p. Mar. 3, 1821. 
Twin Girls, b. , d. aged i year. 

Mrs. Crockett died soon after the birth of her twins, and Mr. 
Crockett married, Oct. 26, 1805, Ruth Lord. He died June 10, 1846, 
aged 77. 

(2) Enoch Crockett, son of Lieut. Joshua, lived near White Rock, 
on the place lately occupied by Freeman Hicks, and now by Reuel 
Smith. He married Drusilla, daughter of Joseph and Esther San- 
born. Children : 

Harriet, b. Aug. 28, 1802, m. Peter Purinton, Jan. 25, 1830; went to Hartland. 
Statira, b. Feb. 2X, 1804, m. Geo. Harrington, Sept. i, 1858; d. Apr., 1883. 
Sophia, b. Mar. 8, 1806, m. Joseph Pray of Windham, Oct. 15, 1828; 2d, John 

Warren, Apr. 19, 1835. 
Mary, b. June 28, 1808, m. James Beck of Portland, Nov. 30, 1831 ; d. Mar. 28, 

1842. 
Noah, b. July 7, 1810, m. Eunice True of Freeport, Nov. 14, 1S36; d. Aug. 26, 

1883. 

Lot, b. Sept. 24, 1812, m. Allen of Nantucket, June 14, 1840; lost at sea. 

Hezekiah, b. Apr. 20, 1815, m. Eunice Harmon, p. Nov. 28, 1839; 2d, Mary 

Grant. 
James, b. Aug. 18, 181 7, m. Mary Hall, dau. of David, Apr. 25, 1844; was a 

F. Bapt. minister; d. in S. Gorham, Jan. 16, 1854. 
Sarah Ann, b. May 26, 1820, m. Stephen F. Smith of Mass., Dec. 3, 1846; d. in 

Attleboro, Mass., Feb., 1882. 
Hannah, b. Nov. 12, 1822, m. Edward Files, June 22, 1S45. 

Lorenzo D., b. June 24, 1824, m. Sarah B. Thayer, Aug. 18, 1849; d. in Lunen- 
burg, Mass. 



458 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Enoch Crockett died March 15, i860, aged 88. His wife Drusilla 
died March 18, 1842, aged 59. 

(2) William Crockett, son of Lieut. Joshua, lived near Mallison's 

Falls. He married Sally Thompson. Children : 

Sally, b. Sept. 15, 1803, m. Dennis Hamblen, p. Dec. 27, 1823. 

Peter, b. Dec. 16, 1805. 

Mary, b. Apr. 22, 1808. 

John, b. Jan. 31, 181 1. 

Major, b. July 22, 181 3. 

Jane, b. Jan. 4, 1816. 

Ann, b. Aug. 4, 1818. 

This family moved to Wilton. 

(3) Peter Crockett, son of Peter, lived at White Rock, on the farm 

where Elbridge M. Wilson now lives. He married Molly, daughter 

of Matthias and Polly Murch, Children : 

Lothrop L., b. Dec. 10, 1815, m. Mary J. Libby, Mar. 24, 1842; d. in Naples, 
June 28, 1885. 

Franklin, b. , d. on the Isthmus, on his way to California, about 1855. 

Charlotte, b. , m. David Harding; d. Aug. 17, 1889. 

Mary, b. about 1826, m. Austin Cobum ; I'd in West Fairlee, Vt. ; d. in 1892-3, 

Peter Crockett died abovit 1827, and his wife Molly, about 1828. 

(3) John Crockett, son of Peter, lived at White Rock, near Sap- 
ling Hill. He married Mrs. Abigail (Nason) Newcomb, daughter of 
Ephraim and Eleanor Nason, and widow of Solomon Newcomb. 
Children : 

Mary Jane, b. Feb. 10, 1816, m. Ivory Lord, Nov. 26, 1834. 
Abner W., b. Feb. 15, 1818, d. in 1822. 

John Crockett died Dec. 11, 1827, aged 38. His widow Abigail 

died June 2 i, 1848. 

(3) Hezekiah R. Crockett, son of Enoch, lived at White Rock. 
He married Eunice, daughter of Rufus and Eunice Harmon. Chil- 
dren : 

Helen M., b. Mar. 18, 1841, m. Charles P. Haskell of New Gloucester, Mar. 5, 

1868. 
Mary F., b. Dec. 22, 1844, m. and I's in Georgetown, Me. 
Veranus C, b. Apr. 5, 1846, I's in Canada. 
Abby v., b. Jan. 15, 1849, is dead. 
James Leroy, b. Apr. 2, 1851, I's in Mass. 
Clarence O., b. Feb. 14, 1856, I's in Mass. 

Mr. Crockett moved to Naples where his wife Eunice died, and he 

married second, Mrs. Mary Grant of that town. He died Jan. 6, 

1882. 



GENEALOGY. 459 

William Crockett came to Gorham about 1836. He was a car- 
riage maker by trade. He built and for some years lived in the brick 
house on State St., now owned by Miss Sarah Robie, and his brother 
Daniel built the next house on the east, now known as the Paine 
house. He married in 1828 Mary J. Brackett of Westbrook, who 
was a descendant of Anthony Brackett. Their children were : 

George W., b. Apr. 23, 1830, m. Eliza J. Newcomb, 1851 ; d. Dec. 22, i8()2. 
William, b. May 13, 1831, m. Harriet M. Kemp; killed at Lookout Mountain. 
Silas B., b. Mar. 31, 1833, ^- i^^ 1841. 
Edwin, b. Feb. 21, 18^5, m. Su.san A. Whitehouse of Gt. Falls, N. H.; d. Sept. 

7, 1896. 
Sarah A., b. Apr. i, 1837, d. young. 

Francis, b. Sept. 18, 1839, m. Ilat'tie French of Gt. Falls, N. H. 
Martha A., b. May i, 1841, d. young. 
Mary C, b. Apr. i, 1843, m. Eben Meserve. 
Martha, b. Apr. 28, 1845, "''• James Moulton. 
Charles, b. Mar. 29, 1S47, m. Esther PJummer. 

Mr. Crockett with his family left Gorham about 1852, and moved 
to Great Falls, N. H. After an absence of about seven years he 
returned to Gorham, where he died Sept. 3, 1869, aged 63. His 
wife Mary died in Gorham, Aug. 17, 1888, aged 84. 

CROSS. 

In 1 791 the name of Cross first appears in Gorham. There was 
a Thomas Cross and a Joseph Cross, father and son. Joseph's name 
disappears after 1793. Thomas Cross married, in Bradford, Mass., 
Lucy Hovey, and brought with him to Ciorham a family of ten 
children, all born in Bradford : 

Joseph, b. Dec. 31, 1768, m. Betsey Duston of Haverhill, Mass., 'p. Mar. 30, 

1793 ; <^- ^^^- -9' 1819. 
Thomas, b. Mar. 3, 1770. 
Betsey, b. Feb. 11, 1772, m. Capt. Jonathan Stevens, Tan. 20, 1791;; d. Nov. i ::, 

183S. . ■ - 3 o 

Rebekah, b. Jan. 20, 1774, d. Apr. 11, [794. 
Sally, b. Sept. 22, 1777, m. Capt. Enoch Preble, p. Aug. 22, 1800; d. June 20, 

1848. 
William, b. Aug. 21. 1779, "i- Kliza Stevens, of Portland. 
Lui y, b. Mar. 7, 1782, 111. James Phinney, June 30, 1817. 
Lois, b. Mar. 10, 1784, m. Allison Libby, June 27, 1S12. 
Leonard, b. May 8, 1786, d. 'Mar. 21, 1S61. 
Amos H., b. Oct. 20, r79o, d. at Harrison, Sept. zj, 1842. 

Harriet, b. , d. Mar. 14, 179S. 

Hannah, b. , 1798, d. Oct. 16, 1799. 

Mr. Cross .settled on the thirty acre lot No. i, being the farm on 
which Capt. Phinney made the first settlement made in Gorham. 
For many years Mr. Cross kept a store near his house. This store 
stood over the spot where the first tree was cut in town for settlement 



460 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

purposes. Thomas Cross was made a deacon in the First Parish 
Church, and continued in ofifice till his death, lie died in Gorham 
Feb. 15, 1819, aged 78, and Mrs. Cross, May 21, 1821, aged72. Of 
their children, the sons all settled in Portland where also two of their 
daughters found husbands. Sally, who married Capt. Preble, son of 
Gen. Jedediah Preble of Portland, was the mother of Eben Preble, 
late of Gorham, and of the late Rear Admiral Geo. li. Preble of the 
U. S. Navy. William, who married Eliza Stevens, was a sea captain. 
His daughter Eliza Ann, born in 1804, married Oct. 2, 1826, Tolnian 
Gary of Sangerville, and second, John McLellan. Capt. William 
Cross died Feb. 14, 18 19, the day preceding the death of Dea. 
Thos. Cross, and father and son were borne to the grave on the same 
hearse. William's widow, married November, 1828, Capt. Toppan 
Robie. 

CURTIS. 

Capt. John Curtis was among the earliest settlers of Gorham. He 
came here from Gloucester, Mass., but had formerly resided in Fal- 
mouth, Me., for in 1734 he, then of Gloucester, sold "the land in 
Falmouth on which he had once lived " to William Bryant of Fal- 
mouth. In August, 1739, Capt. Curtis and William Pote were 
appointed by the Proprietors a committee to lay out the two hundred 
acres of land granted to Edmund and Stephen Phinney. Capt. Cur- 
tis, then of Gorham, received Aug. 10, 1739, from Shubael Gorham 
a deed of the right No. 74. This thirty acre lot was sold in 1760 by 
James Curtis of Falmouth, son of Capt. John, to Nathaniel Whitney; 
and in 1761 the' remaining one hundred and seventy acres of the 
right were sold by the heirs of Capt. Curtis to Bryant Morton. Capt. 
Curtis died previous to 1741, for Sept. 29th of that year his widow 
Jane was published to Dea. John Bailey of Falmouth. The children 
of John Curtis and his wife Jane were James and Daniel. In 1761, 
James was of Brunswick, and Daniel a shipwright in Newbury, Mass. 

Capt. John Curtis, late of. Gorham, was the son of Capt. John 
Curtis of Portland who was lost at sea in 18 12 while in command of 
the privateer Dart. Capt. Curtis, the son, was himself for many 
years a successful master mariner. He married, May 22, 1823, 
Statira R., daughter of Ai and Eunice Staples, and made his home 
in Gorham on the farm formerly owned by his wife's father in the 
south part of the town and now owned by John Sanborn. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 4G1 

John L.,b. May 12, i824,m. Maria C, dan. of George W. and Sarah Waters, Sept. 

9, 1845. Ch ; Geo. L., b. Sept. 20, 1846,01. Louise L Pitts, May 12, 1S67; 

Marv E., b. May 16, 1848, m. Capt. Geo. Jacob Threstrup, Oct. 15, 18S5 ; 

vStatira E., b. Apr. 22, 1850, d. at Denver, Col., June 12, 18S9 ; John, b. 

July 26, 1852, m. Sarah E. Lombard, May, 1876, d. Aug. 9, 1879; Chas. 

H., b. July, 1853, ni. Ida B. Clark of Sandusky, O., Oct. C\ 1877, d. Jan. 

12, 1897, at Denver; Arthur G., b. Feb. 28, 1856, d. Nov. 30, 1856; 

Clara F., b. Apr. 27, 1857, m. Richard S. Storrs of Boston, Oct. 15, 

18S4; Edwin W., b. Sept. 28, 1858, m. Maria T. Peterson of London, 

Eng., July 24, 1877, d. at Brighton, Mass., (Jet. 20, 1897 ; Hattie M., b. 

July 19, i860, d. Oct. 21, 1861 ; Calvin A., b. Sept. 14, 1867, m. Lorena 

F. Fause of Chillicothe, O., Dec. 7, 1S85. John L. Curtis d. in Casco, 

Me., Nov. 20, 1893. 
Mary P., b. July 18, 1826, m. Calvin I. Crocker of Portland, Sept. 24, 1S50. 

Capt. Curtis died Jan. 7, 1869, aged 69 ; Mrs. Curtis died Jan. 16, 
1883, aged So. Mrs. Mercy, widow of Capt. John Curtis, Sr., mar- 
ried in 1822, Thomas Burnham of Scarborough. She died in 
Gorham at the house of her son Capt. Curtis, in June, 1867, aged 8g. 

DAME. , 

Theophikis Dame came from Rochester, N. H. He married 
Mary Ann, daughter of Moses and Sarah (Thomes) Baker of Somers- 
worth, N. H. Mr. Dame was a farmer and lived for thirty years at 
West Gorham, on the Capt. John Lincohi place, (now occupied by 
Lewis Files). Children : 

Caroline, b. July 25. 1S25, m. John Sawyer; I'd in Deering; d. Sept. 26,1861. 
Moses B., b. Tuly, 1826, m. Susan W. Varney of Sandwich, N. PL; d. Feb. 20, 
186S. ' 

Mr. Dame died at his home at West Gorham, Jan. 29, 1875, aged 
74. Mrs. Mary A. Dame died Dec. 24, 1878, aged 74. 

DARLING. 

John Darling was the first and only one of the name, who ever 
came to Gorham to settle. He was born in Plymouth, Mass., in 1758. 
His father was Jonathan I3arling — the maiden name of his mother 
was Martha Bramhall. She was the daughter of Joshua Bramhall, 
and an aunt of Sylvanus (formerly of Gorham), also an aunt of 
Benjamin Bramhall for many years one of the managers of the old 
Plymouth Beach lottery. John Darling had four brothers and sisters 
— Lydia who married William Churchill, Benjamin who settled in 
the eastern part of the State, Sarah who married Lazarus Harlow 
and had a son who settled in Portland where for many years he kept 
a store at the corner of Fore and Union Sts., and Polly, long a suc- 
cessful school-teacher in her native town. 



462 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

John Darling was a soldier in the army of the Revolution, and in 
1777 was a member of Capt. Jabez Lane's company, in the 6th Mass. 
regiment ; for w^hich services his widow received a pension in her 
latter days. When about twenty-two years of age he came to Gorham. 
He had learned the hatter's trade in Plymouth ; and was the second 
one of that trade who established himself in Gorham. He first went 
into business at his house, then standing on the westerly side of the 
Fort Hill road on the top of the hill above the Fabyan (Dyer) place. 
He married, Oct. 14, 1785, Annah, daughter of Dea. George Lewis. 
About the year 1791 he moved to Gorham village and purchased and 
lived on the lot on the east corner of Main and Elm streets, after- 
wards owned and now included in the grounds of Ex-Gov. Robie. 
Here for many years he worked at his trade, which was then quite a 
business, as there was but small importation of hats and every village 
had its hatter, as well as blacksmith and shoemaker. Getting some- 
what out of fashion and others coming up who could make two hats 
of less wool than it took him for one, he gradually went out of the 
business. The house and shop in which he lived and worked, some- 
what altered and modernized, and now the property of Col. Robie, 
has been moved to a lot a few hundred feet farther down on the 
eastern side of Elm St. Mr. Darling was also a soldier in the War 
of 18 1 2. He volunteered as a substitute for his son George, in the 
company of Militia ordered out under the command of Capt. Robie 
for the defence of Portland in September, 181 4. Children of John 
and Annah Darling were : 

John, b. June 6, 1787, d. Dec. 15, 1803. 

Robert, b. May 6, 1789, lost at sea in 1805. 

George L., b. Oct. 7, 1791. m. MahaU (Virgin) Hanscom, widow of Daniel 

Hanscom. July 13. 1834. Ch : Mary Anna, b. Aug. 31, 1837, m. Thos. 

J. Frotliingham of Portland, d. Apr. 3, 1902: Geoige L.. b. Apr. 12, 

1844, d. in Portland, Jan. 9. 1895. ^'' Darling was a cabinet maker; 

and owned and for many years worked in the shop on School St., now 

owned bv Miss Mary Kelsey. He d. June 16, 1865. Mrs. Mahala 

Darling d. July 29. 1856, ag. 53. 
Mary L., b. Oct. 8. 1793, m. James Smith ; d. in New York. 
Martha, b. Aug. 4, 1796, d. June 7, 1801. 
Sarah A., b. Apr. 17, 1799, d. Jan. 6, 18 17. 

Mehitable C , b. Nov. 16, 1801, d. unm, in Brunswick Jan. 23, 1885. 
Martha, b. Sept. 4, 1806, d unm. in Portland, July 3. 18S3. 
Tabitha L., b. Sept. 3, 1808, m. Joseph Babb of Westbrook, Feb. 18, 1S27 ; d. 

Mar. 19, 1865. 
Abigail P., b. July 30, 1810. d. unm. in Portland, May 12, 1876. 

John Darhng died in (iorham in the house which he had occupied 

so many years, Apr. 7, 1832. His wife died, universally beloved and 

respected, at the house of her daughters Martha and Abbie, in 

Portland, Apr. 10, 1849, aged 81. 



GENEALOGY. 468 

DAVIS. 

Of the families of Joshua and Prince Davis we cannot tell which 
came to Gorham first. Joshua came from Scarborough, where he 
had two children born before 1762, and we find his name on a Gor- 
ham tax bill for 1763. His first child born in Gorham was born in 
1762. He lived on the farm near where Fred Sturgis lived at West 
Gorham. It is believed there are none of this family now in town. 
His wife's name was Sarah . Children : 

Hannah, b. Jan. 23, 1758. 

Joshua, b. Mar. i, 1760. 

Sarah, b. Jan. 3, 1763, m. Charles Wood, Sept. 17, 1786. 

Elizabeth, b. July 6, 1764. 

Mehitable, b. Sept. 20, 1767. 

Joseph, b. Aug. g, 1769. 

Timothy, b. Oct. iS, 1772. 

Gideon, b. Feb. 8, 1775. 

Joshua Davis was a soldier in Capt. McLellan's company, in the 
Penobscot expedition in 1779. He moved to Canton. 

Prince Davis, son of Stephen, Jr. and Rebecca Davis, came from 
Barnstable, Mass., to Gorham about the year 1762. We find him 
taxed here in 1763. His wife, whom he married Feb. 15, 1750, was 
Sarah, daughter of Edward Colman of Barnstable, and niece of 
Martha Phinney, the wife of Capt. John Phinney, the first settler. 
The house which Mr. Davis built about 1764, or .soon after he came 
to Gorham, stood till recently in a good state of preservation, three- 
fourths of a mile above the village near the spot where Almon Han- 
scom now lives on ^the Flagg)^ Meadow road, which was the old road 
to Buxton, When this house was built, on account of the price and 
scarcity of glass, the windows had only ten squares of glass in each ; 
two panes wide and five high of 7 x 9 glass. Mr. Davis made the 
bricks for the chimney himself on the cross-road, a few rods north 
of his house. Prince Davis was a house carpenter. He was a good 
citizen and a prominent man. He was several years one of the 
selectmen ; and we find his name often on committees of importance 
both in town and church affairs. The children of Prince and Sarah 
Davis were : 

Elijah, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, 1757, m. Phebe Hopkins, p. Apr. 8, 1780. 
Edv.ard, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, i-j^j. 

Prudence, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, r757, m. Josiah Jenkins, p. Tune 15, 1776. 
Alice, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, 1757, m. Enoch Frost, Apr. 24, "1780. 
Temperance, b. in Barnstable, Nov. 11, 1759, m. Capt. David Harding, Aug. 

19, 1781. 
Isaac, b. in Gorham, Mar. 27, 1762, d. unm. June 20, 1839. 



4G4 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

David, b. in Goriiani, Oct. 20, 1764, m. Martha, dau. of John and Tabitha Wat- 
son, June 12, 1788; one son recorded in Gorham, Elijah, m. prob. 
Abigail Mi>ody of Gorham, p. Jan. 6, 1815 ; the family moved to Buxton 
where other children were born, and where Mrs. Davis d. 

Rebecca, b. in Gorham, July 15, 1766, m. Geo. Knight of Windham, Mar. 14, 
17S7; 2d, David Harding, 181 1. 

Thomas, b. in (iorham. May 10, 1768, d. unm. 

Jonathan, b. in (}orham, July 10, 1770, m. Mary Murch, Sept. 22, 1796; 2d, 
Sally Murch. 

Josiah Davis, the grandfather of Prince, was a soldier in the com- 
pany of Capt. John Gorham in King Phihp's war in 1675. 

Prince Davis died Sept. 17, i8ig, at the age of 96. His wife died 
in 1804. 

(2) Elijah Davis, son of Prince, married Phebe, daughter of Con- 
stant and Phebe Hopkins of Truro, Mass. He was a soldier in the 
Revolution. One child: 

Sarah, b. Sept. 17, 1781, m. ISenjamin Emery of Buxton, Oct. 4, 1801; 2d, 
Simeon Bradbury of Buxton. 

Mr. Davis died Oct. 5, 1783, and his widow married. July 14, 1785, 
Asa Whitney of Gorham. 

(2) Jonathan Davis, son of Prince, married Molly, daughter of 

Daniel and Mary Murch of Buxton. They lived on his father's old 

homestead. Children : 

Stephen, b. lune 30, 1797. 

Daniel, b. Oct. iS, 1798. 

Elijah, b. Aug. 5, 1800, m. Mary A. Webster; moved to Wilton; both d. in 

Jay. 
Harriet, b. Nov. 12, 1802, m. Israel Hall of Saco, Nov. 25, 1827. 
Sewall L., b. Dec. 4, 1S04. 
William, b. 1806. 

Mrs. Molly Davis died Aug. 10, 1806, aged 38, and Mr. Davis 
married her sister Sally Murch, Dec. 24, 1807. Children : 

Mary Ann, b. July 25, 1S08, m. Thomas Magrath, Nov. 30, 1826. 
John Colby, b. Nov., 181 2, m. Harriet P. Erskins, p. Dec. 27, 1835. 
Sarah, b. June, 1815, m. Stephen Emery, .Sept. 18, 1834. 
Joseph, b. Oct. 12, 1817. 

Jonathan Davis died Mar. 15, 1852, aged 81, and Mrs. Sarah 
Davis died Feb. 28, 1858, aged 81. 

Josiah Davis also came from Barnstable. He was the son of John 
Davis, Jr. and his second wife, Anna, daughter of James Allen, who 
were married Mar. 25, 1736. Josiah came here about the year 1771, 
for we find his name in the tax bill for 1772. His first wife was 
Thankful Matthews, whom he probably married about 1754. His 
children by her were : 



GENEALOGY. 465 

Josiah, bap. in Barnstable, June 6, 1756, prob. d. young. 

Thankful, bap. in Barnstable, June 6, 1756. 

Mary, bap. in Barnstable, Sept. 3, 1759, m. James Watson, June 30, 17S5. 

Mr. Davis married, May 3, 1760, Thankful, daughter of Ebenezer 

and Temperance Gorham of Barnstable, and sister to Temperance, 

wife of Jonathan Sturgis. Their children were : 

Josiah, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 11, 17G1. 

John, b. in Barnstable, about 1763, m. Molly Harper of Falmouth, Feb. 14, 
1784; 2d, Patience Irish, Apr. 16, 1789; I'd in Buxton. 

Sarah, b. in Barnstable about 1764, m. David Watts, Dec. 9, 1779. 

Sylvanus, b. in Barnstable, 1767, m. Hannah Gorham, Nov. 19, 1789. Ch. b. 
in Gorham, Ebenezer, b. Sept. 4, 1790; Sarah Hoff, b. Mar. 4, 1793; 
this family moved to Buxton, where other ch. are on record. Mrs. Davis 
d. in Buxton in June, 1807, and Mr. Davis m. Apr. 24, 1808, Phebe 
McDonald. 

Allen, b. in Barnstable, 1770, m. Martha Morris, July 8, 1792. 

James, b. in Gorham, Sept. 27, 1773, m. Thankful, dau. of William and Sarah 
Paine, Mar. 21, 1793; moved to Standish. Ch: Josiah, b. Dec. 5, 1793, 
m. Eunice Frost ; Phebe, b. Jan. 31, 1795 ' Martha; Samuel, d. at sea. 

Joseph, b. in Gorham, Aug. 10, 1776, m. Abigail Whitney, Sept. 29, 1799. 

Solomon, b. in Gorham, Feb. 6, 17S0, m. Salome, dau. of Josiah and Sarah 
Alden, p. Apr. 20, 1805; moved to Buxton. Ch : Julia A, b. Sept. 4, 
1806, m. Mr. Rice, d. in Paris; Joseph, b. Dec. 14, 1807, d. •''' Buxton 
Centre; Josiah A., b. Nov. 25, 1810, m. Harriet J Gale; Sarah, m. 
Horace Emrry of Buxton, d. in Buxton Centre ; Salome, m. Charles 
Fogg, d. in Fairfield. Mrs. Salome Davis d. Feb. 3, 1816, aged 29, and 
Mr. Davis m. Susan Billings of Buxton, by whom he had Enoch, I's at 
Buxton Centre; Chas., d. in Portland; Mary I'd in Pittston, Me. Mr. 
Davis d. in Buxton. 

Mr. Davis married a third wife, Mrs. Martha Hill of Buxton, Nov. 
25, 1802. He died in Gorham Feb. 8, 1824, aged about 86. His 
wife, Martha, died Jan. 7, 1846, aged 75. Frederick D. Scamman, 
his great-grandson, now owns and occupies the old homestead, which 
has been in the family over a hundred years. The late Judge Wood- 
bury Davis of Portland was the son of Joseph, and grandson of 
Josiah. 

(2) Allen Davis, son of Josiah, lived on his father's homestead. 

At one time (1803) he kept a hotel there, in the house where Mr. 

Scamman now lives. Mr. Davis married Ma-rtha, daughter of Charles 

and Rhoda Morris. Children : 

Polly, b. Oct. 18, 1792, m. Edward Scamman of Saco, Sept. 28, 1819. 

Rhoda M.,b. Sept. 9, 1794, m. Joseph Libby of Portland, Oct. 30, 1822 ; d. Aug. 

8, 1824. 
Charles M., b. Jan. 20, 1797, m. Louisa Peabody, Sept. 4, 1822 : d. in Portland, 

Jan. 20, 1876. 
Anna A., b. Feb. 20, 1799, m. Edward Scamman (2d wife), Oct. 28, 1S27. 
JoNiah, b. Nov. 3, 1801, d. at sea, Nov. 25, 1823. 

Eliza, b. Jan. 28, 1803, m. Samuel .S. Libby of Buxton, Aug. 10, 1835. 
Martha, b. Sept. 11, 1805, m. William Jameson of Bangor, Nov. 18, 1823. 
Emeline. b. May 13, 1808, m. Aaron Brooks of Buxton, Dec. 8, 1830. 
Frederick, b. June 6, 181 1, I'd in Portland; d. in Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Ann Louisa, b. Apr. 5, 1813, m. Moses Buck of Stillwater, 1844. 



46G HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Allen Davis died May 22, 1818, and his wife, Jan. 9, 1847, aged 
75- 

(3) Josiah Davis, son of James, married Eunice, daughter of 
Wingate and Ann (Mitchell) Frost of Limington and lived in Standish 
till about 1840 when he removed to (iorham, and opened a store at 
the village. Children : 

Charles O., b. Jan. 19, 1822, m. Mary Woodman, 1851 ; he was then of Georgia ; 

is dead. Mrs. D. d. Dec. 31, 1853. 
Jas. Wingate, b. May 18, 1824, m. Rebecca Hatch of Richmond, Me. ; d. Feb. 

14, 1S85. 
Ellen A., b. Feb. 14, 1827, m. Thaddeus Irish, Nov. 29, 1848. 
Harriet M., b. July i, 1828, d. Sept. 7, 1832. 
Frances M., b. Apr. 30, 1833, d. unm. Dec. 20, 1859. 
Frederick, b. July 13, 1835, m. Fannie Wilson of Bangor. 
Julia E. b. June, 1841, d. Oct. 22, 1841. 

Josiah Davis died Aug. 5, 1843, aged 49. Mrs. Davis died in 

Portland, July 19, 1861, aged 58. 

Samuel Davis was in Gorham about the time of the Revolution. 

He was born in Barnstable, Sept. 13, 1734, and was the son of Dea. 

Gershom and Mary (Hinkley) Davis. He married in Barnstable, 

Dec. 22, 1757, Mary, daughter of Ebenezer and Temperance Gorham. 

Their six eldest children were baptized in Barnstable, while the 

youngest, Elizabeth, was born in Gorham. Children : 

Ebenezer, bap. July 6, 1760, d. young. 

Samuel, b. June i r, 1762, m. Mary Skillings, Nov. i r, 1784. 

Mary, bap. Sej)!. 25, 1763. 

Ebenezer, bap. Feb. 17. 1765, m. Mary Paine, Feb. 18, 1790; d. in Porter, N. Y. 

Prince, bap. May 17, 1767, m. Betty Cahoon, Jan. 3, 1797. 

William, b. June 9, 1771, m. prob. Martha Kimball, June 5, 1796. 

Elizabeth, b. Apr. [4, 1777. 

Samuel Davis and his wife Mary settled in Gorham on the 
hundred acre lot 118, on land now owned by Edward Files, north of 
land owned by the late Samuel R. Clement, where the apple trees 
now stand. Mr. Davis was a Revolutionary pensioner. 

(2) Samuel Davis, Jr., son of Samuel, lived on the farm above 
West Gorham, which was cleared by his father. He was a Revo- 
lutionary soldier in Capt. Whitmore's company. He married Mary, 
daughter of Isaac and Susanna Skillings. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 5, 1785, d. unm. Apr. 24, 1876. 

vSarah, b. Jan. 26, 1787, m. Frost; m. 2d, Parsons Pingree of Denmark ; 

d. June 28, 1S67. 
Mary C, b. Sept. 8, 1788, d. unm. June 15, 1886. 
Isaac, b. Mar. 28, 1790, m. Hadassah Shaw of Standish, 1817 ; 2d, Abigail 

(Whiintrv) Boucher; d. in 1867. 
Zachariah, b. Sept. 24, 1791, m. Susan Ingalls ; 2d, Nancy Ingalls;rdin 

Bridgton; d. Mar, 23, 1876. 



GENEALOGY. 467 

Daniel, b. Apr. i8, 1793, "i- Rebecca Plummer, July 3, 1824; no ch; d. at 
White Rock, June 12, 1S73; ^^s. D. d. Dec. 17, 1868. 

Susanna, b. Feb. 3, 1795, m. William Barker of Bridgton, Feb. 18, 1820. 

Samuel, b. July 13, 1796, went to S. America, and was never heard from. 

John, b. Apr. 15, 1798, m. Nancy Whitten ; I'd in Naples; d. June 10, 1864. 

Joanna, b. June 19, 1800, m. Elder John Buzzell of Parsonsfield ; d. in Gorham 
in 1 88c. 

Tabitha, b. Oct. 10, 1801, d. unm. in 1831. 

In March, 1803, Mr. Davis moved to Standish, and settled on the 
farm near the brick schoolhouse where his grandson Daniel S. Davis 
now lives. The remainder of his children, who were born in 
Standish, were : 

Mark, b. Apr. 23, 1803, m. Lydia Staples; I'd in Naples ; d. in March, 1842. 

Martha, b. Jan. 11, 1805, d. unm. Jan. 10, 1864. 

Hannah, b. June 28, 1806, m. Joseph Martin ; I'd in Naples ; d. July 26, 1888. 

Caroline, b. Jan. 25, 1808, m. Francis Kimball of Naples. 

Infant, b. Oct. 20, 1809, d. Nov. 7, 1809. 

At the time of Mr. Davis's death, Jan. 22, 1856, he was the las't of 
the Revolutionary soldiers in Standish. His wife died April 25, 
1852, aged 85. 

(2) Prince Davis, Jr., son of Samuel, married Betty Cahoon. 
We know nothing of her, farther than that she is published as of 
Gorham, and they were married by Rev. Caleb Jewett. Their chil- 
dren, recorded in Gorham, are : 

Samuel, ) , r . 

Lewis, jb. Sept. 22, 1797- 

Capt. Sylvanus Davis was born May 4, 1756, in Falmouth, Mass., 

from which place he came to Gorham in 1797. He owned the farm 

and house now owned and occupied by Jonathan S. Whitney. He 

had a large family, the first eight of whom were born in Falmouth, 

Mass., and the remaining six in Gorham. His first wife whom he 

married in Falmouth, Dec. 7, 1777, was Elizabeth, daughter of 

Ebenezer and Tabitha (Robinson) Dimick. 

Sylvanus, b. July 6, 1780, d. Aug. 30, 1799. 

Chloe, b. June 13, 1782, m. Alexander McLellan, Feb. 9, 1803. 

Robinson, b. Apr. 28, 1785, m. Polly Gallison of Windham, May i, 1809; ''d 

in Albion ; d. .Sept. 10, 1879. 
Ebenezer, b. Apr. 19, 1788, m. Betsey McLellan, Apr. 26, 1809; went to Farm- 

ington about 1815; d. Dec. 30, 1831. 

Walter, b. , 1790, d. May 10, 1790. 

Edmund, b. May 10, 1792, d. July i, 1792. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Davis died July 24, 1792, aged ^^, and Capt. 
Davis married Catherine Smith of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Chil- 
dren : 

Charles, b. Sept. 24, 1794, m. Sophia A. Stewart; 2d, Louisa Carsley ; went to 
Farmington about 1819; d. Dec. 23, 1873. 



468 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Elizabeth, b. Dec. 7, 1796, m. Thos. W. Tobey ; 2d, John S. Scales of Temple ; 

d. P'eb. 4, 1892. 
Nathan S., b. Feb. i, 1799, m. Mrs. Betsey (Cooper) Dimick ; 2d, Eunice Bolan ; 

d. June 19, 1869. 
Sylvan us, b. Mar. 31, i8oi,m. Jane Carsley of Gorham ; d. in Farmington, Oct. 

29, 1853. 
Caroline, b. Nov. 19, 1804, m. Wm. Scales of Temple; d. Dec. 31, 1891. 
Abner, b. Jan. 17, 1807, m. Harriet Butterfield of Farmington; d. Mar. 28, 1846, 

in Waldoboro. 
Thomas C, b. Sept. 3, 1809, m. Rachel Carleton of Whitefield; both d. in 

Topeka, Kan. 
Jabez, b. March, 18 12, d. young in Gorham. 

Capt. Davis moved to Farmington about 1815. He was killed in 

his grist mill by being caught in some of the machinery, Dec. 24, 

1831. 

Gershom and John Davis were both soldiers in Capt. McLellan's 
company, in the Penobscot expedition. Gershom was also a soldier 
in Capt. Whitmore's company in 1776. He married, Dec. 26, 1779, 
Elizabeth, daughter of William McCoUister. After living in Gorham 
for a few years, he left town. Of John we have no record. 

Daniel Davis of Standish married, March 29, 1826, Miriam, 

daughter of Jonathan Stone of Gorham. After some years he moved 

to Gorham, and lived near Little river at Fort Hill, having purchased 

the saw and grist mill there. Children : 

Aveline, b. Jan. 28, 1827, m. Daniel Billings. 

Mary Ann, b. Mar. 22, 1829, d. May 25, 1886. 

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 18, 1833, m. Ansel Stevens. 

Harriet M., b. Jan. 7, 1838, m. Francis Paine ; 2d, David Moore ; d. May, 

1877. 

William S., b. Aug. 14, 1S40, d. young. 

Daniel Woodbury, b. Feb. 14, 1842, m Emily Morton; 2d, Mary E. Watson, 
Oct. 22, 1870 ; I's in the house which his father occupied; the building 
was moved back from the river in 1881 on to higher ground. 

Daniel Davis died Jan. 2, 1873, and his wife, May 25, 1876. 

DEERING. 

Jeremiah and Samuel Deering were brothers. They came from 
Blue Point, probably about the year 1790, and cleared up the farm 
on which Jeremiah's grandson Charles W. Deering now resides. The 
first night of their occupancy they hung their beds from the trees 
and kept a fire burning all night to frighten away the wolves. The 
brothers built a saw mill and carried lumber to Blue Point to build 
vessels there and brought from that place hay for their cattle. At 
this time the only road out to Buxton was a path marked by 
" spotted" trees. 



GENEALOGY. 469 

Jeremiah Deering married, Mar. 14, 1793, Molly Sawyer of Bux- 
ton. Their children, born in what was then Scarborough, now 
Gorham, were : 

Eunice, b. Mar. 20, 1794, d. young. 

John, b. July 12, 1795, ^- young. 

Hannah, b. Jan. 12, 1797, d. unm., Jan. 8, 1S77, i" Gorham. 

Jeremiah, b. (Jet. 8, 1798, m. Sarah Varney, Feb. 21, 1S32. 

Abigail, b. June 4, 1801, d. unm., Feb. 21, 1825. 

Mary, b. Jan. 7, 1802, m. Abram Winslow; d. Sept. 27, 1828. 

Lois, b. Nov. 12, 1S04, m. Levi Morrill of Corni.sh. 

John, b. Oct. 19, 1806, m. Pauline Emery; I'd in ^'airfield ; d. Jan. 9, 1S59. 

William, b. Mar. 30, 1809, d. young. 

Isabella, b. Mar. 29, iSio, m. Almon Hanscom, Oct. g, 1836. 

William, b. Mar. 3, 1812, m. Betsey Larrabee of Scarboro ; I'd on a farm in the 
south part of the town, on South St.; d. at No. Scarboro, Nov. 18, 187S; 
his wife d. in May, 1893. Ch : Caroline, b. Mar. 10, 1843, m. Frank 
Cram of Portland; Abba, b. Oct. 30, 1844, m. Thomas J. Skillings of 
Chicago; Belle, m. William T. Small of Portland; Luella, m. Winfield 
Smith of Portland; Addie, m. Nathaniel Ivnight of N. Berwick. 

Charles, b. May 9, 1814, d. unm., Sept. 30, 1S37. 

Jeremiah Deering died Sept. 29, 1852, and Mrs. Deering, Oct. 24, 
1857- 

Samuel Deering lived for a time with his brother Jeremiah. At 

length, however, the brothers divided the farm, and Samuel went to 

the place where his son James has since lived. He married, June 4, 

1794, Nancy Larrabee. Children : 

Polly,'b. , m. Jonathan Burnham of Scarboro, Oct. 31, 1S32. 

Lois B., b. , m. Samuel Harper of Limerick, Uec. 30, 1822. 

Lydia, b. July 24. 1800, m. Samuel Graff am. 

Foxwell, b. Jan. 25, 1802, m. Susanna Harper; 2d, Jane Meserve ; d. in Buxton. 

Benjamin, b. Sept. 18, 1803, I'd near Fairfield. 

Eunice, b. Mar. i, 1805, m. Joseph W. Dresser of Scarboro, p. Feb. 4, 1832. 

James, b. Aug. 27, 1807, d. young. 

Nancy L., b. Nov. 18, 1808, m. John Woodman, Nov. 20. 1828 ; I'd in Fairfield. 

William K., b. Jan. 9, 1810, m. Mary A. Barberick ; d. Feb. i, 1853 ; she, Feb. 

16, 1849. 
James L., b. Oct. 4, iSii, m. Louisa E. Libby, Dec. 12, 1833; 2d, Irene 

Hodgdon. 
Miranda, b. Oct. 6, 18 13, m. John Emery of Fairfield. 
Martha M., b. Feb. 16, 18 16, d. in Saco, June 10, 1837. 
Frederic, b. Apr. 17, 1818. m. Maria Harmon ; I'd and d. in Scarboro. 

Samuel Deering died in February, 1839. 

(2) Jeremiah Deering, Jr., son of Jeremiah, lived on the farm 
cleared and occupied by his father. He married Sarah Varney of 
Windham. Children : 

Abigail, b. Dec. 3, 1832, d. young. 

Mary J., b. Aug. 16, 1834, m. Samuel G. Boothby of Saco, Mar. 7, 1861. 

Charles W., b. Apr. 30, 1837, m. Zilpah B. Watson of Hiram, Mar. 17, 1861. 
Ch: Lelia M., b. Jan. 31, 1862, m. Geo. Sawyer of Buxton; Frank H., 
b. Sept. 2, 1S64. m. Helen M. Burnell, in 1888 ; Ruth Emma, b. July 8, 
1866; Edwin W., b. Sept. 23, 1874, d. Feb. 5, 1S80. Mr. Deering I's in 



470 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 



the south part of the town, on the farm owned by his father and granc 
father before him. In 1S79, '80, and 'Si, he was a member of the Hoai 



id- 

IctlllCI it\^i.KJi\^ mill. All iv^/y, «_'^, I*..--* ^' . t ..^^ _ --. - - -^« ^ 

of Selectmen of Gorham, and he has always taken a prominent part in 
the affairs of the town. It was largely owing to him that that part of 
Scarboro, known as the "strip," was set off and annexed to Gorham. 

leremiah Deering. at the time of his death, Sept. i, 1877, was the 
last member of the Society of Friends in Gorham. His wife died 
Dec. 24, 1884, aged 88. 

(2) James L. Deering, son of Samuel, lived on his father's old 
place near the Buxton line, in the southwest corner of the town. 
He married Louisa E., daughter of Capt. Theodore Libby of Scar- 
boro. Children : 

Caroline, b. Sept. 22, 1834, m. Wallace Phillips of Gorham. 
Martin V. \',., b. Apr. 7, 1837, m. S. t-. Roundy ; I'd in Westbrook. 
Samuel, b. Aug. 14. 1839, d. Mar. 10, 1849. 
Theodore, b. June, 1849, m. Kate Skillings ; I's in Scarboro. 

Mrs. Louisa E. Deering died Aug. 7, 1850, aged 39, and Mr. 

Deering married. May 18, 185 1, Irene, daughter of Timothy and 

Nancy Hodsdon. Children : 

Louisa, b. Aug. 18, 1852, m. J. Augustus Libby of Scarboro, Jan. i, 1873. 
Martha A., b. Sept. 30, 1854, m. David Aldrich. 
Louville W., Oct. 16, 185S, m. Jennie Kowe of Baldwin. 
Nancy J., b. Oct. 23, 1863, m. Lugene Libby of Scarboro. 
Rena Etta, b. Jan. 20, 1868, d. Aug. 26, 1886. 

James L. Deering died Feb. 18, 1901. 

DOUGLASS. 

Elisha Douglass of Limington married, Mar. 3, 1814, Betsey, 

daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Fogg) Blake of Gorham. He 

came to Gorham and lived for a while on the farm of his wife's 

father, and then returned to Limington. Children : 

Elias, b. in Gorham, d. in Cornish. 

Orin, b. in Gorham, I'd in Sebago ; d. March 189S. 

Freedom, b. Mar. 2, 18 18, m. Elizabeth A. Knight. 

Edmund, b. in Limington, m. Boody ; 2d, Eliza Mayberry ; I'd in 

Windham. 
F:iisha, b, in Limington, Oct. 16, 1824, m. Ellen E. Patrick; no ch. 
Eliza, b. in Limington, m. David Davidson. 
Lewis, b. in Limington, m. Hannah P. Patrick, June 3,1855; 2d, Frances 

H. Fogg. 
Leonard, b. in Limington, m. Mary Purinton. 

Elisha Douglass married second, Salome Morton of Limington ; 
and died in that town. His children by his second wife were 
Charles and Almon. 

(2) Freedom Douglass, son of Elisha, lived on the Standish road, 
above Saul C. Higgins's on the old Nathaniel Blake farm. He 
married Elizabeth A. Knight of Westbrook. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 471 

Orman L., b. June 3, 1S42, d. in the army at Fort Laramie, Kansas, Oct. 21, 

iS(')4. 
Edward K., b Oct., 1843, m. Josephine Chick. 
Elizabeth E., b. Sept. i, 1844, m. Chas. B. Cotton, Oct. 25, 1862. 
Geo. Henry, b. Mar 15, 1846, m. Winfred McLellan, Sept. 2, 1871. 
Temperance, b Oct. 25, 1848, m. C has. P. Libby. 
Hattie J., b Oct. 31, 1850, m. Alfred B. Pride of Deering; 2d, Fred A. Gammon, 

of Mich. 
Elisha, 3d, b. Sept. 28, 1852, m. Mary Fields of Boston. 
Etta, b. July 22, 1854, m. Newell B. Lowell. 
Freedom L., b. May 3r, 1859, m. Mrs. Nellie M. Jones. 

Freedom Douglass died Oct. 24, 1886, aged 68. Mrs. Elizabeth 

A. Douglass died Aug. 12, 1885, aged 67. 

(2) Lewis Douglass, son of Elisha, married Hannah P., daughter 
of Stephen A. Patrick of Buxton, and lived on the Standish road, 
about a mile above West Gorham village. Children : 

Emma E., m. Dr. Albert W. Lincoln. 

Clara E., m. Fred O. Sturgis, May 23, 1883; 2d, J. S. Leavitt, Jr. 

Ada, m. George Alden, Nov., 1887. 

Mary, m. Henry Mosher, June i, 1892. 

Mrs. Hannah Douglass died Dec. 31, 1874, aged 42, and Mr. 
Douglass married, Mar. 12, 1876, Mrs. Frances H. (Libby) Fogg, 
widow of Harmon Fogg. He died Aug. 3, 1902, aged 72. 



DUNN. 

Nathaniel Dunn came to Gorham from Long Creek, Cape Eliza- 
beth. Feb. 14, 1765 he purchased of Wentworth Stuart and Austin 
Alden the hundred acre lot 23. Dea. Alden in his diary under date 
of Aug. 7, 1765 says "Nathaniel Dunn worked for me." In Novem- 
ber, 1795 he sold his homestead, comprising some seventy acres of 
the above-mentioned lot, to Benjamin Fickett and his son Moses 
of Falmouth, and moved to the Blake neighborhood on to the farm now 
owned by Alonzo Wood, near the schoolhouse. In 18 12 he was a 
resident of Cornish. His wife was Mercy, daughter of Christopher 
Dyer of Cape Elizabeth. Children : 

Christopher, b. , m. Susanna Lombard, Feb. 3, 1782 ; 2d. Betty Fogg. 

Mercy, b. , m. James Emery of Buxton, p. June 14, 1783. 

Nathaniel, b. , 1765, m. Betty Atkinson, May 3, 1787. 

Joshua (?), b. , m. Rebecca Jones of Cape Elizabeth, Sept. 15, 1791. 

Deborah, b. Feb. 6, 1771, m. Joshua Harmon of Scarborough, Jan. 28, 1790. 

Polly, b. Oct. 10, 1773, I"- Abiel Briggs, Jan. 20, 1791. 

Jonah, b. Feb. 22, 1776. 

Samuel, b. Mar. 15, 1778, I'd in Dover, N. H. 

Betsey, b. June 17, 17S0. 

Benjamin, b. . 

David, b. . 

John, b. , m. Lydia Brooks. 



472 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) Christopher Dunn, son of Nathaniel, was a soldier of the 

Revolution — a fifer in Capt. Richard Mayberry's company in 1779. 

In I 78 1 he bought of his father thirty acres of the hundred acre lot 

23, and in 1785 he purchased sixteen acres of land, the part of the 

hundred acre lot 22 on which Strout lived. He married Susanna, 

daughter of Solomon, Jr., and Lydia Lombard. Children : 

Peter, b. May 31, 1782. 

Rebecca, b. Apr. 10, 1789. 

Lydia. 

Richard, b. Jan. 9, 1792. 

Christopher Dunn married second, Mar. 30, 1794, Betty, daughter 
of Jeremiah and Mary Fogg, by whom he had Jeremiah, Nathaniel, 
George and Joshua. The family moved to Belgrade. Mrs. Betty 
Dunn died in 1848. 

(2) Nathaniel Dunn, Jr., son of Nathaniel, was born in Gorham. 
He married Betty, daughter of Dea. Joseph Atkinson of Buxton 
Gore, near the Gorham line. After his marriage he bought the farm 
of Daniel Eldridge, Jr., a part of the hundred acre lot 58, and after- 
wards moved to Salmon Falls on the Buxton side where he went 
into trade. 

(2) John Dunn, son. of Nathaniel, lived for a time in Brownfield. 

In 1812 he returned to Gorham, exchanging his Brownfield place for 

his father's old farm, then owned by Benjamin Blake. He married 

Lydia Brooks of Portland. Children : 

Samuel, m. Joan Roberts, Sept. 26, 1826; 2d, Martha Roberts. 

Martha, m. WiHiam Smith, Oct. 21, 1830. 

John, m. Mary t. Goold ; I'd in Buxton. 

Sophia, d. unm. Aug. i, i860. 

Mary Ann, m. Eli Wood, May 22, 1827. 

Zebulon, ) j m. Jane Shepard; d. in Picjua, Ohio. 

Joseph, ) ■ I m. Mary Kimball; d. in Portland. 

Charles, m. Nancy Taylor; 2d, Lucinda Johnson ; d. in Buxton. 

Enoch, d. in Dover, N. H. 

Silas, m. Serena Dearborn ; d. in Oswego, N. Y. 

John Dunn died Feb. 27, 1855, and Lydia his wife, Feb. 20, 1846, 

aged 76. 

(3) Samuel Dunn, son of John, lived on the old place, where his 

father had lived. He married Joan Roberts of Buxton. Children : 

Octavia R., b Feb. 2, 1827, m. vSeth Decker, July 30, 1843. 

William F., I). June 29, 1828, d. Jan. 24, 1832. 

Sarah, b. July 30, 1830. d. Jan. 10, 1832. 

Andrew J., b. Mar. 4, 1832, m. Elizabeth Dodge. 

Lydia A., ( i a ■ q, j "^^ Klias Gratfam of Limington, Sept. 9, 1852. 

Joan, j • P • J' j4' j jj^ Ezra Flanders. 



GENEALOGY. .473 

Mrs. Joan Dunn died Apr, 25, 1834, aged 31, and Mr. Dunn mar- 
ried Martha Roberts, (pub. Mar. 6, 1836). Children: 

Emily J., b. Feb. 2, 1837, m. William Cloudman, 1856. 

Sarah E., b. May 6, 1838, m. Andrew J. Sands of Buxton, June 27, 1858. 

Freeman, b. Nov. 9, 1839, m. Carrie Walker; d. in Harrison. 

Harriet, h. , m. Lorenzo B. Emery of Buxton. 

Alpha, b. Oct. 25, 1843, m. Lydia York of Waterboro. 

William F., b. Oct. 14, 1845, d. at Cape Elizabeth, Apr. 14, 1865; member of 

20th M. Vols. 
Selinda, b. Mar. 5, 1847, ^- Joseph Martin. 
Samuel, b. Sept. 28, 1849, d. in Harrison, unm. July 23, 1872. 
Melville, b. Oct. 4, 1852, d. Apr. 15, 1864. 

Clarence, b. Apr. 15, 1855, m. Nellie Deguio ; d. Oct. 27, 1S82. 
Mary E., b. Apr. 5, 1857, d. Jidy 25, 1874. 
Evelina, b. Apr. 22, 1862, d. May 27, 1866. 

Samuel Dunn died Aug. 12, 187 1, aged 70. His wife Martha 
died Apr. 9, 1893, aged 79. 

DYER. 

John Dyer of Cape Elizabeth, whose wife was Mary, daughter of 
Christopher and Mary Strout, received about the year 1760 from the 
estate of his wife's father a hundred and thirty acres of land in Gor- 
ham, comprising the thirty acre lot, 80, and the hundred acre lot, 22, 
which latter piece of land he divided among his children. John Dyer, 
Jr., had thirty acres from the eastern end ; to Bickford Dyer he gave 
the next lot of thirty acres ; to William Weeks, who married his 
daughter Dorcas, the adjoining lot of twenty-four acres, and to Prince 
Strout and wife Christiana, the remaining sixteen acres. July 24, 
1786, he gave his son Samuel a deed of his homestead property in 
Cape Elizabeth and it is supposed came to Gorham and made his 
home with his son John, Jr. 

Bickford Dyer was a soldier of the Revolution, enlisting in Capt. 
Hart Williams's company, Col. Phinney's regiment. He and his wife 
Betty sold their land in Gorham Feb. 28, 1789, to Nathaniel Dunn, 
and probably left town about that time. He died in Baldwin, May 
5, 1828. 

Apr. 14, 1792, Benjamin Weeks sold to Abiel Briggs the lot and 
buildings which had belonged to his father and mother, William 
and Dorcas. 

In 1785 Prince and Christiana Strout sold their portion of 22 to 
Christopher Dunn. Prince Strout was a soldier of the Revolution. 

John Dyer, son of John and Mary (Strout) Dyer of Cape Eliza- 
beth, came from that town to Gorham in July, 1765. He settled on 
and cleared the land in the south part of the town, spoken of above. 



47^ HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

This farm is still in the possession of his descendants. He married 

Dorcas . Children : 

John, b. in Falmouth, June 4, 1767, m. Mary Dearborn, Apr. i, 1790. 
William, b. in (jorham, Sept. 20, 1769, m. Mrs. Rebecca Huston, Oct. 11, 1792. 
Deborah, b. in Gorham, May 20, 1772, m. Daniel Moulton. Jr , Nov. 25, 1790. 
Mary, b. in Gorham, Aug. 4, 1774, m. Jacob Morse, p. July 26, 1800. 

John Dyer probably died about 1812. 

(2) John Dyer, son of John, married Molly Dearborn. After the 

birth of most of his children the family moved to Coal Kiln corner 

in Scarborough. Children : 

Dorcas, b. Oct. 26, 1790, m. Russell. 

Timothy, b. Feb. i, 1793. 

William, b. Oct. 10, 1795. 

Mehitable, b. June 6, 179S, m. Ephraim Bragdon. 

Deborah, b. Jan. 22, 1800, d. young. 

Deborah, b. Feb. 24, 1S03. 

Molly, b. . 

(2) William Dyer, son of John, lived in the south part of the town 

on the old homestead. He married Mrs. Rebecca (Horton) Huston, 

the widow of Capt. \Vm. Huston of Falmouth whom she married Jan. 

II, 1784, and by whom she had one child Betty. Capt. Huston was 

lost at sea about 1787. Children : 

Horton, b. May 10, 1793, ^- ^^.i- 14, 1795. 

Samuel, b. Feb. 14, 1795, m. Susan Woodman, Jan. 7. 1817 ; I'd in Scarboro ; 

d. 1843. 
William, b. Feb. 14, 1795, d. Aug. 8, 1796. 
Nathan, b. Mar. 4, 1796, m. Polly Grant, p. Apr. 2, 1831. 
Ruth H., b. Nov. 20, 1799, d. unm. Feb. 3, i866. 

Deborah, b. ■ , 1800, d. Nov. 22, 1802 

Amelia, b. Apr. i, 1804, m Isaac Dyer of Baldwin (ist wife), Oct. 30, 1S25. 
James, b. Dec. 14, 1805, m. Mrs. Nichols. 

Horton, b. May 10, 1806, m. Jemima Flood of Bu.xton, Jan. i, 1S29. 
Lavinia, b. June 5, 1809, m. Mark L. Robinson of Baldwin, Dec. 29, 1833. 
• William, b. Nov. 20, 181 1, went to sea — d. while a young man. 
Eleanor, b. , d. unm. — a young woman. 

William Dyer died Sept. 22, 1832, aged 63. Mrs. Rebecca Dyer 
died Oct. 17, 1823, aged 59. 

(3) Nathan Dyer, son of William, lived on the farm once owned 
by his father. He married Polly Grant of Limington. Children : 

William M.. b. Apr. 19, 1833, m. Sarah A., dau. of Timothy and Nancy Hods- 
don, Dec. 21, 1854. Ch: Arthur F. ; Cora E., m J. Fred Varney, d. July 
8, 1887; Ivory L. ; Helen L., d. June 9, 1886, ag. 22. Mrs. Sarah Dyer 
d. Feb. II. 1878, ag. 48, and Mr. Dyer m. May 12, 1886, Mrs. Marilla 
(Spear) Files, widow of Albion K P. Files. Mr Dyer, who was a mason 
by trade, I'd for some years on his father's farm, and afterwards at Gor- 
ham Village. He d. Feb. 8, 1900. 

Susan J., b. June 28, 1834, d. Oct. 9, 1854. 

Caroline L., b. May 26, 1836, d. 1842. 



GENEALOGY. 475 

Nancy L., b. Mar. i8, 1839, m. Samuel L. Trace. 
George W., b. Nov. 24, 1840, m. iMartha Emery. 
Samuel F., b. Dec. 19, 1841, d. aged 2 years. 

Nathan Dyer died May 8, 1853; Mrs. Dyer died Jan. 22, 1859, 
a^ed 61. 



Capt. Jonah Dyer, born July 27, 1755, was the son of Christopher 
Dyer of Cape Ehzabeth. July 25, 1776, he married Elizabeth Clark 
. Deake, daughter of George and Mary Deake and adopted daughter 
of Rev. Ephraim Clark of Cape Elizabeth. She was born in that 
part of Fahnouth which is now Cape Elizabeth, May 19, 1759. Capt. 
Dyer probably came from Cape Elizabeth to Gorham about the year 
1794, as he and his wife, being then of Gorham, give at that time a 
deed of land m Cape Elizabeth, and his name first appears on the 
tax list of Gorham in 1795. Capt. Dyer purchased the thirty acre 
lot 102, and the hundred acre lot 42. He lived in and probably 
built the two-stor}- house on Main St., on lot 102, nearly opposite the 
western part of the New Cemetery, still known as the Dyer house. 
Children of Jonah and Elizabeth Dyer : 

Elizabeth, b. May 5, 1777, ni. Isaac Choate, Nov. 7, 1793; -d, Abner McDon- 
ald, June 28, 1801 ; 3d, David H. Bradley, May iS, 1S04; 4th, Ephraim 
Frost, Feb. 3, 1810. 

Polly, b. May 23, 1781, m. Rev. Daniel D. Lewis, May 13, 1798. 

Almira, b. Feb 23. 1783, m. Stephen Hutterfield, Sept. i, 1S04. 

Clark, b. Mar. 31, 1785, m Hannah Whitney, Jan. 10, 1812; 2d, Catherine L. 
Hatch. 

Mercy, b. June 25, 17S7, m. Stephen Hatch, p. Feb. 14, 1807; d. Dec. 2, 1814. 

Jonah, b. Aug. ix, 1789, m. Elizabeth Harding; I'd in Gorham, in the house on 
the north side of Main St., lately occupied by Christopher Way. Ch : 
Elizabeth, m. Charles McDonald; Charles; George; Jonah. Mr. Dyer 
d. Apr. 27, 1831. The family moved to the British Provinces. 

George, b. Sept. 23, 1791. 

Charles, b. May 20, 1793. 

Capt. Jonah Dyer died Mar. 14, 1830, aged 75; Mrs. Elizabeth 
Dyer died July 31, 1843, aged 84. 

(2) Clark Dyer, son of Capt. Jonah, lived in the house occupied 
by his father. He married Hannah, daughter of Joseph and Mehit- 
able Whitney, by whom he had one child, Hannah, born in 1812. 
Mrs. Hannah Dyer and her infant daughter died Sept. 27, 181 2, 
Mrs. Dyer aged 21. Mr. Dyer married, Jan. 29, 18 14, Catherine L. 
Hatch. Children: 

Charles, b. Oct. i, 1814, m. Lydia demons, 1844; d. Nov. 26, 1847. Mrs. 

Lydia Dyer m. 2d, Capt. Nathan Winslow ; d May 29, 1888, ag. 75. 
Clark, b. Oct. 21, 1816, m Ann Johnson ; d. Jan. 2, 1894. 
Harriet, b. Feb. 1 1, 1819, d. May 7, 1826. 



476 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

George, b. Jan. 29, 1822, m. Mrs. Rebecca Baker, 1S49; 2d, Mrs. Clara (Perry) 

Hanson, Mar. 3r, 1858. 
Asa, b. Dec. 7, 1824, d. . 

Clark Dyer died May 4, 1834 ; Mrs. Dyer died July 15, 1826. 

EDWARDS. 

It is said that John and Jonathan Edwards, brothers, came, about 
171 1, from England or Wales to America. John settled in Haverhill, 
Mass.. and Jonathan in Connecticut. Richard Edwards who was 
born in Haverhill, Mass., Sept. 5, 1740, was the son of John and 
Elizabeth (Crockett) Edwards, and probably grandson of the John 
above. He came from Haverhill when quite young, with his uncle, 
(probably his mother's brother). His uncle lived on the Portland 
road — south side — in the then next house below the Samuel 
Crockett (now Jewett or Board) house. Samuel Crockett was 
probably a cousin to Richard. The mother of Richard Edwards 
when a widow came to Gorham from Haverhill, where she then 
lived, and spent the remainder of her life with her son Richard, 
dying at his house. Richard Edwards was one of the early Come- 
outers, and became a zealous Free Will Baptist. He was probably 
one of the first abolitionists in the country. He helped to get off 
Limbo, one of the old Hugh McLellan slaves. He married in Gor- 
ham, July 4, 1765, Hannah Lothrop of Haverhill. Previous to this, 
on Oct. 19, 1764, he had purchased of William Bucknam and others 
a half of the hundred acre lot 26. On this lot he settled on the place 
where Lawyer Smith afterwards lived. Children : 

John, b. Apr. 18, 1766, d. young. 
Sarah, b. Sept. 3, 1768, d. young. 
Samuel, b. Jan! 27, 1770, m. Martha McLellan, July 8, 1792; 2d, Susanna 

Pierce. 
Hannah, b. July 8, 1772, m. John Sawyer of Phillips' Gore, Oct. 4, 1792. 
Enoch, b. Sept. 2c, 1774, m. Abigail McLellan, June 16, 1799. 
Lydia, b. June 12, 1777. m. Atmer Fogg, p. Feb 14, 1807. 
William, b. Sept. 2, 1779, '■"■ Dorcas Merrill, Nov. 30, 1803. 

Sarah, b. . 1780, d. young. 

Susannah, b. Apr 22, 1782, ni. Thomas Worcester, Sept. 11, 1800. 

Richard, b. Feb. 18, 1786, m. Martha, dau. of Lieut. Silas Chadbourn, July, 

1810; moved to Otisfield. 

Mrs. Edwards died Jan. 3, 1823, and Mr. Edwards married, Jan. 8, 
1824, Mrs. Lucy (Roberts) (Seiver) (Crockett) Chadbourn, daughter 
of Joseph and Hannah Roberts, and widow of Lieut. Silas Chadbourn. 
Richard Edwards died Oct. 29, 1826, aged 86. Mrs. Lucy Edwards 
died Sept. 4, 1842, aged 76. 

(2) Samuel Edwards, son of Richard. Hved on the Dea. James 
McLellan farm on South St. The house in which Mr. Edwards 



GENEALOGY. 477 

lived contained the first plastered room in Gorham, and stood near 
the spot now occupied by the house of Mr. W. E. Russell. Samuel 
Edwards married Martha, daughter of James and Abigail McLellan. 
Children : 

James M., b. June 27, 1793, m. Dolly Hill, Dec. 12, 181 9; 2d, Eliza A. Rolfe ; 
3rd, Susan Stone. 

Hannah, b. July 14, 1796,01. Simon Elder, Jr., June 7, 1823. 

Martha, b. Feb. 17, 1798, m. Clark Swett, p. Aug. 21, 1818. 

Bryce McL., b. Mar 23. 1800, m. Martha, dau. of Gen. James and Rebecca Iiish, 
Nov. 21, 1833; moved to Saci arappa, where for many years he was one 
of the leading merchants, an honest and upright Christian man, noted 
for his square and honorable dealings ; d. in Saccarappa, Apr. 15, 1S71 ; 
his wife d. July 22, 1874. 

Charks, b. Mar. 9, 1802, d. June 25, 1804. 

Charles, b. May 9. 1S05, d. Feb. 25, 181 5. 

Mary Ann, b. Dec. 8, 1807, m. William B. Harding, Dec. 21, 1826. 

Maria, b. June 8, 1809, m. Joseph Estes, July 10, 1834. 

Abigail, b. Aug. 25, iSii,m. Sept. 11, 1831, Rev. Paul C. Richmond, a promi- 
nent minister in the Maine M. E. Conference. Their dau. Mary, m' Dr. 
S. H. Weeks of Portland. 

Theodore B., b. May 25, 181 5, m. Martha R. Gammon; 2d, Lavina A. Bangs. 

Mrs. Martha Edwards died July 20, 1842, aged 68, and Mr. 
Edwards married, Feb. 7, 1843, Mrs. Susanna Pierce of Wesibrook. 
Samuel Edwards died Feb. 23, 1847. 

(2) Enoch Edwards, son of Richard, married Abigail McLellan, 
sister to his brother Samuel's wife. He lived for a time with his 
brother on the Dea. McLellan farm. His first child, Eunice, was 
born in Gorham, Mar. 23, 1800. Shortly afterwards he moved to 
Otisfield, w^here ten other children were born to him. Richard, the 
second son, born Mar. 30, 1804, lived many years in Gorham, and is 
well remembered by many of our citizens. He died unm. Jan. 25, 
187 1. Clark Swett, the youngest child, born Mar. 25, 1823, was 
colonel of the Fifth Me. Regt., in the Civil War. He was at one 
time the Democratic candidate for Governor of Maine. Enoch 
Edwards died in Otisfield, Dec. 7, 1863 ; Abigail, his wife, died Oct. 
4, 1843. 

(2) William Edwards, son of Richard, lived on the Jacob S. Smith 

place, which he received from his father in 1806, together with all 

his carpenter's and joiner's tools and clock and desk. He married 

Dorcas, daughter of Daniel and Dorcas Merrill. Children : 

vSusan, b. Dec. 27, 1S04, m. Geo. Anderson of Limington, Jan. i, 1832. 

Emeline. b. Feb. 9, 1806, m. Ivory Wakefield, June 3, 1827. 

James H. R., b. Nov. 13, 1807, m. Emeline McLellan, p. July 25, 1834; 2d, 

Abbie T. Jones; 3d, Harriet McI anathan. 
Betsey, b. Dec. 16, 1808, m. Willian. Mason of Baltimore. 
Dorcas M., b. Dec. 28, 1810, m. Sylvester Fogg, Oct. 9, 1834. 
Catherine, b Mar. 2, 1813, m. Peter E. Mosher, p. Nov. i, 1833. 
Charlotte, b. Feb. 7, 181 5, d. unm. 



478 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Harriet, b. Nov. 25, 1817, m. Tobias Littlefield ; d. at Gardiner. 
Hannah L., b. Aug. 15, 1819, m. Daniel Cole. 

Margaret, b. Oct. 2, 1821, m. . 

Mary Jane, b. July 7, iiS25, m. A. Bachelder. 
Albion, b. Sept. 29, 1827, I's at Lisbon Centre. 

William Edwards moved with his family to Fayette, and from 

thence to Gardiner. 

(3) James M. Edwards, son of Samuel, was a cooper by trade. He 

lived on the westerly side of South St., in the house since occupied 

by his daughter Ann Maria. He married Dolly Hill of Biddeford. 

Children : 

Josiah H., b. Sept. 17, 1820, m. Elizabeth B. Woodman of Buxton, Nov. 7, 

1847; d. Aug. 17, 1859, in Greenville, S. C; she d. Sept. 22, '88. 
Charles H., b. Mar. 14, 1822, m. in the South; d. Feb. 11, 1900. 
Martha J., b. Aug. 7. 1823, d. Nov. 13, 1823. 

Elizabeth, b. Nov. i, 1824, _m. ; dead. 

James L., b. Sept. 15, 1827" d. June i, 1S28. 

Mrs. Dolly Edwards died Apr. 25, 1827, aged 32, and Mr. Edwards 
married, May 27, 1828, Eliza Ann Rolfe, by whom he had: 

Julia F., b. Apr. 27, 1829, m. \Vm. L. Alden of Portland, 1850; 2d, Randall 

Weeks. 
Ann Maria, b. Dec. 23, 1830. d. unm. Uec. 31, 1887. 
Harriet L., b. Aug. 4, 1833, m. John C. Quinby ; I's in St. Paul, Minn. 
Melville C, b. Oct. 22, 1834. d. Sept. 11, 1835. 

P. Richmond, b. June 25, 1836, m. Rebecca Proctor; 2d, Mary Miles. 
Clark S., b. Jan. 15, 1839, d. Feb. 3, 1842. 

Mrs. Eliza A. Edwards died Dec. 16, 1841, and Mr. Edwards mar- 
ried, Dec. 8, 1844, Mrs. Susan (Frost) Stone. Mrs. Edwards died 
in 1854, and Mr. Edwards, Jan. 6, 1859. 

(3) Theodore B. Edwards, son of Samuel, married Martha R. 
Gammon, by whom he had William G., died young; Mary Ella, mar- 
ried Henry Whitney ; and Arthur J., died young. Mrs. Edwards died 
Sept. 8, i860, aged 35, and Mr. Edwards married, Dec. 28, 1865, 
Lavina A., daughter of Nathan and Statira Bangs. They have two 
children living: Ralph, and Dana Estes. Mr. Edwards was post- 
master at the Village, during Cleveland's first administration. He 
died May 19, igoo. Mrs. Lavina Edwards died Aug. 14, 1902. 

(3) James H. R. Edwards, son of William, married Emeline, daugh- 
ter of David and Betsey McLellan. Children : 

Mary McL., b. Dec, 1835, d. unm. Feb. 4, 1879. 

Elizabeth I., b. May 17, 1837, m. Giles Heath, of Niles, Mich. 

Geo. W., b. Nov. 27, 1839, graduated at Bowdoin College, with high honors; 

killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862. 
Chas. M., b. Aug. 21. 1842, m. Isabella Fenton ; I'd in St. Joseph, Mo. ; was in 

the Civil War: d. Feb. 18, 1806. 
Emma, b. Jan. 10, 1846, m. Frank Peterson. 



GENEALOGY. 479 

Mrs. Emeline Edwards died Aug. 25, 1846, aged 37 years. Mr. 
Edwards married Abbie T. Jones, who died Oct. 2, 1869, aged 64; 
he then married Mrs. Harriet (Edwards) McLanathan, widow of 
Samuel McLanathan, by whom he had one child : 

William, b. June 9, 1S74. 

James H. R. Edwards died. May 26, 1890, aged 82. 

Samuel Edwards was the son of John and Elizabeth Edwards of 

Haverhill, Mass., and was born Feb. 16, 1750. He came to Gorham 

about 1772. His wife was Mary . They had two children 

born in Gorham : 

Olive, b. Jan. 13, 1772. ni. John McQuillan, Sept. 20, 179S. 
Susannah, b. Dec. 24, 1774. 

Samuel Edwards moved to Buxton about 1776, where his other 
children were born, and are recorded on the Buxton records. His 
wife Mary died May 18, 1805, and he married second, Lucy McDonald 
of Buxton. 

Nathaniel Edwards was a brother to Samuel above, and also to 
Richard. He was born in Haverhill, Mass., in 1752, and came 
to Gorham some years after his brother Richard. He lived, prob- 
ably, on the farm since owned by the late Byron G. Coburn. He 
married, Sept. 16, 1775, Sarah, daughter of Ichabod and Susanna 
Hunt. Children : 

George, b. Aug. 3, 1776. 
John, b. Oct. 3, 1777. 

Stephen, b. Sept. 22, 1779, m. Dilla Hamblen, Oct. 4, 1798; moved to Raymond, 
or Otisfield. 

After the death of Mrs. Sarah Edwards, Mr. Edwards married, 
Sept. 29, 1786, Bathsheba Snow. 

Isaac, b. Mar. 12, 17S7. 

Rachel, b. July 18, 1789. 

Jacob, b. Dec. 6, 1790, probably d. June 26, 1847. 

Tabitha, b. June 11, 1792. 

Sally, b. May 23, 1793. 

Joshua, b. Jan. 12, 1795. 

Reuben, b. Dec. iS, 1796. 

Anna, b. May 31, 1798. 

Nathaniel, / , ,, o 

Bathsheba, | ^- ^^^ 5, 1800. 

Nathaniel Edwards sold his land in Gorham, and moved to Otis- 
tield, where he died. 

Samuel Edwards came to Gorham from Ashby, Mass. He was 
engaged for some years in the manufacture of wooden clocks. He 



480 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

lived on the spot now occupied by the house of Daniel Whittier, on 

South St. About 1823-24, he moved with his family to Portland, 

where he engaged in the business of brass casting and afterwards in 

that of an iron foundry, manufacturing pumps and iron doors for 

brick ovens, which latter article he invented, Mr. Edwards married, 

Nov. 5, 181 1, Nancy Burr of Ashby. Children: 

Mary Ann, b. Oct. 15, 181 2, d. unm., in Portland, Mar. 17, 1869. 
Sarah W., b. June 26, 1814, m. Alexander Putney, d. in California. 
Grata R., h. Mar. 13, 181 7, m. Chas. H. Carruthers, Dec. 28, 1863. 
Otis C, b. Jan. 30, 1819, d. in California. 

Martha E., b. Mar. 31, 1822, m. Horatio Griffin ; d. Apr. 25, 1S55. 
Rebecca P., b. in Portland, 1825, m. Josiah Duran ; d. in 1894. 
Harriet M., b. in Portland, 1829, m. Samuel McLanathan ; 2d, Jas. H. R. 
Edward.s. 

Calvin Edwards, brother to Samuel above, was born in Ashby, Jan. 
16, 1 79 1, and came to Gorham about 1810. He was a cabinet 
maker. After working for some years at this trade, he began the 
manufacture of organs. His first organ was purchased by the Con- 
gregational church, at the Village, and was the first one placed in 
that building. He afterwards moved to Portland and engaged in the 
manufacture of pianos. Sept. 20, 1813, he married Susan, the 
daughter of Royal Lincoln. He lived for a time after his marriage, 
in the Thacher house, and then in the Storer house, now owned and 
occupied by Mrs. Simon B. Guthrie. Children : 

Sophia, b. Apr. 4, 1815, m. J. Mollis Randall; d. in Natick, Mass., Jan. 7, 1895. 

Mary H., b. Nov. 29, 1816, m. William Itdwards ; d. in So. Natick, Jan. 20, 
1881. 

Thankful L., b. Feb. 3, 1818, d. Apr. 24, 1S19. 

Henry S., b. Jan. 16, 1820, m. Jane G. llemenway of Lancaster, N. H. Mr. 
Edwards was a skillful musician, and long a popular teacher of music. 
He was in partnership with his father in manufacturing pianos in Port- 
land. About 1850 he returned to Gorham and for some time resided 
in the house on .State .St., now occupied by F. H. Emery. He died in 
Ithaca, N. Y., in March, 1897. 

Martha, b. May g, 1823, d. unm., in Portland, Mar. 15, 1847. 

Clara R., b. May 30, 1825, m. Levi Wetherbee; d. in Cambridge, Mass., Nov., 
1858. 

Elizabeth M., b. Aug. iS, 1829. m. Dr. Geo. Lincoln, 1S60; d. in Natick, Mass. 

George Calvin, b. Nov. 20, 1831, d. Aug. 28, 1832. 

Mrs. Susan Edwards died July 11, 1855, and Mr. Edwards married 
Mrs. Louisa Locke, by whom he had one child : Grace, b. Dec. 21, 

1857, d. May 19, 1870. Calvin Edwards died in So. Natick, Mass., 
Dec. 6, 1870, aged 80 years. 

Some of the Edwards families in Gorham probably came here from 
Wells, Me. There was a Nathaniel Edwards family in town which 
came from York, Me. ; probably no relation to the family of Richard 



GENEALOGY. 481 

Edwards. Miss Catherine Edwards, who lived for many years at Mr. 
Jonathan Kimball's in this town, was one of this family. She was 
the granddaughter of Joshua Edwards of York, and daughter of 
Nathaniel Edwards. She was born in Buxton, Mar. 9, 1782, and 
died in Gorham, Oct. 19, 1874, aged 92 years. At the time of her 
death she was the oldest member of the Cong:ree:ational Church at 
the Village. 

Joshua Edwards was probably a brother of Nathaniel, and uncle 

to Catherine, above. His wife was Mary . Children : 

Polly, b. June 13, 1780. 

Abigail, b. in Buxton, Oct. 28, 1782, m. Joseph Wise of Falmouth, p. Feb. 20, 

i8oi.(?) 
Cyperion J., b. in Gorham, Feb. 16, 1785. 
Hepsibeth, b. in Gorham, Apr. 19, 17S7. 
Lois, b. in Gorham, Feb. 7, 1792. 

ELDER. 

Samuel Elder, the first of the name known in Maine, came to this 
country from Artemore, County of Antrim, in the north of Ireland. 
His brother Robert came with him and settled in what is now Cape 
Elizabeth near where the end of the present railroad bridge is ; while 
Samuel with his wife (who was a Huston) and two children settled 
at Presumpscot Falls, now Deering, about the year 1730. In 1743 
he moved from Falmouth to Windham. Children of Samuel Elder : 

Margaret, b. in Ireland, m. Samuel Watts, 1752; 2d, Jas. Gilkey of Gorham, 

Nov. 9, 1759. 
William, b. in Ireland, m. Mary Akers ; I'd in Windham. 
Isaac, b in Fahnouth, Jan. 19, 1739, m. Mary Ilunnewell, Oct. 16, 1761. 
Elizabeth, b. in Falmouth -, 1741, m. Simon Huston in Falmouth, July 23, 

1 761. About 1765 they removed to Gorham. 

Eunice, b. , 1745, m. Gary McLellan of Gorham, Jan. i, 1767. 

Samuel, b. Aug. 29, 1748, m. Hannah P^reeman, Mar. 3, 1774; 2d, Mary 

Graffam. 
Jane, b. , m. Eleazar Chase of Standish; had a son Isaac, who settled in 

Staiidish, and a dau. Mary, who m. Nathaniel Freeman. 

(2) Isaac Elder, son of Samuel, married Mary Hunnewell, and 
lived in Windham till Mar. 8, 1781, when the family moved to 
Gorham. Mr. and Mrs. Elder lived many years on their farm on 
Queen street in Gorham and died there; he, July 15, 1796, aged 57, 
and she, Sept. 14, 1804, aged 60. They are buried in the old ceme- 
tery on South St. Children : 

Hannah, b. Feb. 11, 1762, d. Oct. 10, 17S1, or 1789. 
Mary, b. Oct. i, 1763, m. Daniel Gammon, Jan. 4, 1787. 
Anna, b. Sept. 17, 1765, m. David McDougall, Dec. 20, 1786. 
Matilda, b. June 8, 1767, m. Wm. Hanson of Windham, Dec. 8, 1785 ; d. Sept. 
15, 1818. 



482 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Isaac, b. May 8, 1769, d. young. 

Samuel, b. May 24, 1770, d. young. 

Elijah, b. June 25, 1772, ni. Eleanor, dau. of Alexander and Margaret M^Lellan, 
Aug. 19, 1798; was for some years a merchant in Bath; one child 
recorded in Gorham, John, b. Dec. 5, 1798. Mr. E. d. May 10, 1812. 

Margaret, b. Dec. 22, 1774, m Samuel Lummus, May 31, 1801. 

Isaac, b. Feb. 9. 1777, m. Oilman ; d. Dec. 16, 1848. 

Dorcas, b. May 25, 1779, d. young. 

William, b. Aug. i, 17S1, d. young. 

John, b. Aug. 9, 1783. d. unm. July 18, 1816. 

David, b. P'eb. 6, 1786, m. Abigail Colley of Windham, Mar. 22, 1826 ; no ch. ; 
• d. Dec. 23. 1869, and she, May 16, 1852, ag. 65. 

(2) Samuel Elder, son of Samuel, was apprenticed to learn the 
trade of house-carpenter, to Robert Ilsley, Oct. 25, 1763, for the term 
of five years and ten months, which period brought him to his 
majority. In 1773 he bought a lot of land on the then Portland 
road. This was the farm afterwards owned by his son Simon, and 
now by his grandson Randall J. Elder. Upon this he built in 1774 
a large two-story house. This house was burned in April, 1808. 
Mr. Elder at once rebuilt on the same spot, and in a very short space 
of time the present house was completed and ready for occupancy. 
Mr. Elder was one of the first Trustees of Gorham Academy. 
He married Hannah, daughter of John and Bethiah Freeman. 
Children : 

Eunice, b. Nov. 29, 1774, m. Nathaniel Mosher, Nov. 15, 1795. 

Ruth, b. Jan. 7, 1776, d. Feb. 10, 1786. 

Hannah, b. Oct. 4, 1777, m. Joseph Brown, Oct. 28, 1798 ; 2d, Elkanah Hard- 
ing, Mar. 12. 1802. 

Betsey, b. Oct. 4, 1779, m. John W. Morris, Nov. 18, 1798; moved to Limerick. 

Samuel, b. Sept. 2, 1781, m. Nancy Mosher, Jan. i, 1805; 2d, Mrs. Rebecca 
Waterhouse. 

Mrs. Hannah Elder died Apr. 22, 1786, and Mr. Elder married, 

Dec. 14, 1786, Mary, daughter of Capt. Caleb and Lois Graffam of 

Windham. Children : 

Peter, b. Oct. 5, 1787, d. unm. Jan. 29, 1815. 

Ruth, b. Mar. 24. 1789, m. Simon Huston, May 28, 1812. 

Simon, b. Dtc. 4, 1791, m Mary Hatch, Apr. 10, 1819; 2d, Elizabeth Johnson. 

Lois, b. Jan. 13, 1797, d. young. 

Samuel Elder died May 10, 1819; his wife Mary, Aug. 27, 1829. 

(3) Reuben Elder, son of William and Mary (Akers), was born in 
Windham June 22, 1762. After his marriage with Elizabeth Huston 
Feb. 4, 1787, he settled in Gorham on a farm in the Quaker neigh- 
borhood, so called. Children : 

Lydia, b. Nov. 24, 1787, d. Mar. 4, 1806. 
Mary, b. June 7, 1789. d. Feb. 10, 1798. 
Elizabeth H., b. Feb. 25, 1791, d. Oct. 5, 1873, unm. 
Simon, b. Feb. 15, 1793, d. Apr. lo, 1793. 




SIMOX ELDER. 




RANDALL J. ELDER. 



GENEALOGY. 483 

Reuben, b. Oct. 17, 1794, m. Ruth M. Smith, Dec. 25, 1818. 

Rebecca, b. June 21, 1796. d. Feb. 17, 179S. 

Simon, b. Sept. 2, 1798, m. Hannah Edwards, June 7, 1823; d. Mar. 26, 1826. 

John, b. June 8, 1800, m. EHza Thomas, Ftb., 1822; d. June 10, 1624. 

Reuben Elder died in Gorham, Sept. 7, 1830, aged G8, and his 

wife Elizabeth, Jan. 14, 1840, aged 76. 

(3) Samuel Elder, son of Samuel, lived on the road between 

White Rock and Great Falls, about half a mile from the latter place. 

He married Nancy, daughter of James and Abigail Mosher. 

Children : 

Samuel H., b. July 9, 1805, m. Sarah Ayer ; 2d, Sarah Kimball. 

Freeman, b. Nov. 10, 1806, m. Harriet Knapp of Siandish, p. Oct., 1S50. 

Leonard C, b. Oct. 15, 1808, m. Caroline Stile. 

George G., b. Jan. 18, 181 1, m. Annie Morrill. 

Peter, b. Mar. 11, 1813, m. Mary J. Harmon, Nov. 25, 1839. 

Ruth H., b. July 11, 1815, m. Dr. Phineas Ingalls, Mar. 19, 1845; 2d, Lucius 

Bancroft, June 15, 1859 ; 3d, Jacob C. Baker, Aug. 6, 1861 ; d. Aug'. 23, 

1900. 
Abigail, b. June 14, 1819, m. John Blair, p. Sept. 9, 1838. 

Mrs. Nancy Elder died May 2, 1837, and Mr. Elder married, Nov. 

2, 1837, Mrs. Rebecca, widow of josiah Waterhouse, and daughter 

of Ezra Brown of Windham. Samuel Elder died Sept. 22, i860, aged 

79. Mrs. Elder died June 6, 1875, aged 85. 

(3) Simon Elder, son of Samuel, lived on the old road to Portland, 
on the farm now owned by his son Randall J. Elder. He married 
Mary, daughter of Asa and Jane Hatch, who died Dec. 22, 1820, 
aged 24, leaving one child: 

Mary Jane, b. June 10, 1S20, d. Oct. 5, 1828. 

Mr. Elder married, Jan. 26, 1823, Elizabeth, daughter of Randall 
Johnson of Westbrook. Children : 

Miriam, b. Nov. 18, 1823, d. young. 

Catherine, b. Nov. i, 1825, d. unm. St-pt. 21, 1845. 

Martha, b Nov. 5, 1827, d. July 27, 1851. 

Henry, b. Mar. 2, 1829, d. young. 

Sarah J., b. July 15, 1830, d. unm. Apr. 28, 1854. 

Eunice, b. May 31, 1832, d. young. 

Randall J., b. Nov. 3, 1833, m. Frances E. Roberts. Mar. 10, 1861. 

Mary E., b. Apr. 8, 1836, m. Henry M. Sweetsir, Dec. 29, 1889. 

Edwaid, b. Jan. 13, 1839, d. young. 

George L., b. Nov. 16, 1841, d. young. 

Simon Elder died May 4, 1862, and his wife Elizabeth, Jan. 26, 
1889. 

(4) Reuben Elder, son of Reuben, lived in the Quaker neighbor- 
hood, where Howard Small now lives. He married Ruth M., 
daughter of Josiah Smith. Children : 



484 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Wm. Sewall, m. Mrs. Bethiah (Bangs) Files, June 23, 1844; two ch., Everett 

and Mary. 
George M., m. Harriet Btll of Portland; I'd in Poitland. 
Grcenlief G., m. Sarah Parsons of Biddeford ; I'd in Ueering. 
Charles L., m. Roxanna Cumniings; I'd in .S. Paris. 
Harriet E., d. unm. in Gorham. 
Edwin F., ni. Emeline Harding. 
Ruth M.. d unm. in Gorham. 

Esther E., m. Chas. J. Walker; I'd in Portland; d. in Gorham in 1898. 
Frances A., m. B. F. Whitney. 
Mary J., d. unm. in Portland about Feb., 1894. 

Reuben Elder died in Gorham in 1866. 

(4) Peter Elder, son of Samuel (3), lived at the north part of the 

town on the place now owned by William Fogg until about 1867 or 

'68, when he removed to Portland. He married Mary J., daughter 

of Rufus Harmon. Children : 

Helen M., b. Feb. 20, 1841, d. young. 

Mary C., b. May 12, 1842, m. William Cameron. 

Clara M., b. Aug. 28, 1846, m. Herbert Sylvester. 

Ida, b. July 28, 1851, m. James Pooler. 

Ruth M., b. , is a teacher. 

Peter Elder died in Portland in 1880. His widow lives in Port- 
land with her children. 

ELDRIDGE. 

Daniel Eldridge came to Gorham from Wellfleet, Mass. He pur- 
chased of Enoch Freeman of Falmouth, Oct. 16, 1770. the hundred 
acre lot 58, which adjoins the eastern hne of Narragansett No. i, 
(Buxton). This lot is west of where the late Col. Colman Harding 
lived. In November, 1774, Daniel Eldridge sold a part of this lot to 
Zephaniah Harding. In January, 1774, his house was burned, and a 
son, seven years old perished in the flames. (See Chapter XVII.) 

Mr. Eldridge's wife was Abigail ,whom he married before 

comino- to Gorham. We have no record of their family. There is 
but one child recorded as being born in Gorham : Ebenezer, b. Mar. 
26, 1 77 1. Doubtless other children were born before the family 
came here. There was a son, Daniel, Jr., who married. Mar. 17, 
1785, Phebe Cobb, and had a child, Sarah, born in Gorham. He 
lived in Buxton where he died June 10, 1832, leaving several children. 
We find on record the following, who were also, probably, children of 
Daniel and Abigail Eldridge : Deborah, married Jonathan Brown, 
formerly of Wellfleet, Aug. 1, 1779; Elizabeth, married Benjamin 
Woodman of Buxton, 1778. Capt. Daniel Eldridge was quite noted 
in his day as a song and ballad maker. He died, probably, in 1808 
or 1809. 



GENEALOGY. 485 

ELVVELL. 

Jonathan Elwell is the lirst of the name we find in town. His 

name appears, for the first time, on the tax hst for 1775 where he 

has no property, but is taxed a poll and two shillings for faculty 

which indicates a fair standing. He came from Cape Ann, Mass. 

He had a wife, whose maiden name was probably Horton. By her he 

had at least three children : 

Rebecca, m. William Adams of Buxton, Dec. 13, 1786. 
Sarali, m. Stephen Adams of Buxton, Apr. 14, 1782. 
Isaac, m. Mary Buttertield of .Standish, July 30, 1796. 

Mr. Elwell's second wife was Sarah Brimhall. She was a sister of 
Sylvanus Brimhall, and Mr. Elwell probably married her in Fal- 
mouth. By her he had three children : 

George, b. Oct. 31, 1775, m. Mehitable Cain of Buxton, Oct. 4, 1798. 

Mary, b. May 2, 177S. 

Mercy, b. Apr. 16, 1780, m. Joseph Adams, Apr. 12, 1802. 

Jonathan Elwell married, Feb. 5, 1794, a third wife, Sarah Cotton, 
the daughter of William Cotton, the tanner. By her he had one 
child : 

Abigail, d. unm., Apr. 25, 1827. 

Mr. ElweU first settled in the Mosher neighborhood where he kept 
a tavern. In the year 1778 he kept a public house at Gorham Cor- 
ner where the store of R. G. Harding lately stood. We find meetings 
of the Proprietors notified to meet at his public house in Gorham. 
He died on the farm known as the Joseph Adams farm on the two 
rod road which then ran westerly from near the David Freeman 
farm, above Fort Hill, Sept. 30, 18 18, aged 84. 

Jonathan Elwell had a sister Rachel who married in Cape Eliza- 
beth, Thomas Morton, son of Capt. Bryant Morton of Gorham. 

(2) Isaac Battle Elwell, son of Jonathan, married Mary, daughter 

of Joseph and Mary (Harding) Butterfield of Standish. Children: 

David, b. in Standish, May 9, 1797. 
John, b. in Gorham, Nov. 17, 1798. 
Sally Adams, b. in Gorham, Aug. 28, 1802. 

(2) George Elwell, son of Jonathan, lived on a farm not far above 

West Gorham, near the William Cotton place. The rising ground 

on which his house was situated is still known as Bramhall's Hill. 

He married Mehitable Cain of Buxton. Children : 

Sally, b. , 1799, d. unm.. Mar., 1883, in Gorham. 

Mary, b. , d. unm., in Gorham, July 29, 1842. 

Ruth, b. . m. Thos. H. Davis of Huxton, p. Oct. rg, 1831. 

Henry W., b. Feb. 24, 1809, m. Elsie Libby, Sept. 29, 1828; d. Alar. 30, 1863. 



486 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

George, b. Jan. i8. 1810, m. Nancy Smith of Standish, in 1S36. Ch : Preston, 
b. June 4, 1837, m. Mary Cannell of Windham; Benjamin D., b. Aug. 
12, 1839, m. iVlartha SkilHngs of Westbrook ; Mary E., b. July 14, 1842, 
d. Oct. 12, 1859; Joanna F., b. Aug. 27, 1844, m Jo.siah Marean, 2d, 
Winthrop Dresser of Standish; Abigail H., b. May 23, 1847, d. ag. 19; 
Roscoe (i.,b. about 1849, d. ag. 17; Lovanthia J., b. June i, 1852, m. 
Horace Cressey of Buxton ; Lendall J., b. June 30, 1854, m. Sarah Lamb 
of Windham, I's on the old Ehvell place; F"annie F., b. Feb. 4, 1857, m. 
Clarence Marean of Standish. Mrs. Ehvell d. in 1883, ag. 72; Mr. El- 
well d. July 25, 1895. 

George Ehvell was lost at sea m October, 18 10. At the time of 
his death he was mate of the vessel in which he sailed, and was to 
have gone captain on the next voyage. Mrs. Mehitable Ehvell died 
at the house of her son George, July 7, 1852, aged 76. 

William Elwell purchased a saw and grist mill of Zephaniah Hard- 
ing at Great Falls in 1792. He married, June 12, 1792, Molly, 
daughter of John and Isabella (Martin) Sawyer of Buxton. Children 
recorded in Gorham : 

Jabez, b. May 15, 1794. 
Joseph, b. June 9, 1796. 
Mary, b. July 1 1, 1798. 
John, b. Apr. 22, 1800. 

EMERY. 

John and Anthony Emery were sons of John and Agnes Emery. 
They were born in England, and came to America with their wives 
in the ship "James" of London in 1635. John finally settled in 
Newbury, Mass., and Anthony in Portsmouth, N. H., after having 
lived in Newbury, Mass., Dover, N. H., and Kittery, Me. From 
these two brothers are descended all the Emerys of Gorham and the 
neighboring towns. 

John Emery's name appears on the tax list as having been a resi- 
dent of Gorham in 1776. Dec. 21st of that year he was published 
to Sarah, daughter of John, Jr., and Rebecca Phinney of Gorham. 
They have the birth of one child on the Gorham records : Benjamin, 
born May 11, 1778. There is no further record of the family, but it 
is probable that this was the John Emery of Gorham who was a pri- 
vate in Capt. Paul Ellis's company, and a Corporal in Capt. Samuel 
Whitmore's company, in the war of the Revolution. 

James Emery, son of James and Mercy (Bean) Emery, was born 
in Buxton about the year 1763. He married Mercy Dunn, (pub. 
June 14, 1783). She was probably the daughter of Nathaniel and 
Mercy Dunn who were among the early settlers of Gorham. We 
have no perfect list of their children but there were : 



GENEALOGY. 487 

Nathaniel, b. July 15, 1786, d. in 1803. 

Hannah, b. , d. young in 1790. 

Joshua, b. Sept. 9, 1792, d. Jan. 16, 1858. 

James, b. Aug. 22, 1794, d. Nov. 22, 1844, in Tamwoith, N. H. 

James Emery married second, July 14, 1796, Sarah, daughter of 

Jeremiah and Mary Fogg of Gorhani, by whom he had : 

Martha, b. Nov. 4. 1797, m. Rev. Nathaniel Strout ; d. Feb., 1838. 

Hannah, b. June 12, 1804, d. unm. Jan. 28, 1852. 

Sarah, b. May 13, 1806, d. Apr. 29, 1877. 

Joseph, b. July 4, 1808, d. Mar. 11, 1866. 

Jeremiah, b. Aug. 13, 181 2. 

Mary, b. Nov. 4, 181 4, d. unm. Feb. 16, 1848. 

Mr. Emery moved to Limington, where most of his younger chil- 
dren were born. He died in 1844, and his wife, Dec. 22, 1840. 

Stephen Emery, son of Stephen and Sarah (Hodgdon) Emery, was 
born December, 1753, and married, Sept. 8, 1775, Sarah, daughter of 
Daniel and Sarah (Shackley) Emery, and second, Mar. 6, 1783, Mrs. 
Mary (Libby) Sharpies, daughter of Capt. Thos. Libby and widow of 
John Sharpies of Portsmouth. Mr. Emery joined the Shakers at 
Alfred, left them, retiu'ned, and again left them. He had a grist mill 
at Great Palls, and died in Gorham in 1830. He had ten children, 
none of whom were born in Gorham. Calvin, his youngest child, 
born in Biddeford, Dec. 3, 1806, married, Nov. 8, 1830, Rebecca, 
daughter of James and Rebecca (Huston) Warren of Gorham. Chil- 
dren of Calvin and Rebecca Emery : 

Elizabeth J., b. Jan. 6, i83i,m. Albert L. Matthews of Windham, Oct. 15, 1859. 

Albert, b. Feb. 7, 1833, went to sea in 1852 ; was never heard from. 

Charles F., b. Oct. 26, 1835, d. young. 

Emily F., b. Aug. 22, 1841, d. Nov. 17, 1844. 

Frank J , b. July i, 1847, d. Oct., 1895. 

Clara A., b. Sept. 3, 1850, m. John Chaffin of California. 

Calvin Emery died at No. Windham about 1882. Mrs. Rebecca 
Emery died in Waltham, Mass., in February, 1897. 

Joshua Emery, son of Stephen and Sarah (Hodgdon) Emery, lived 
for a time in Alfred where he had a pottery. He removed to Wind- 
ham and from that place to Gorham where he lived at Great Falls 
and ran a grist mill. He was a soldier in the Revolution in 1775. 
He married, Sept. 3, 1778, Tirzah Emery, by whom he had ^even 
children : 

Mary, b. 



Hannah, b. , d. young. 

Sarah, b. . 

James, b. about 1787, m. Sally Bolton, Sept. 5, 1811. 

Elijah, b. Jan. 3, 1793, m. Rhoda Parker, p. Mar. 22, r8i7 ; 2d, Mrs. Miriam 

Leavitt. 
Jane, b. about 1795, '"• Levi Hall, p. Apr. 7, 1814. 
Elisha, b. , d. about 1850, unm. 



488 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Joshua Emery married second, Mrs. Dolly (Hall) Woodward, widow 

of John Woodward, by whom he had : 

Lucretia, b. May 15, 1814, m. William Rogers of Little Falls 
Hannah, b May 16, 1816, m. Wm. Rich of Standish, Oct. 19, 1S37 ; d. Nov. 
17, 1850. 

Mrs. Dorothy Emery died Dec. 15. 18 18, and Mr. Emery married 
Mrs. Abigail Whitney of Gorham, (pub. Apr. 3, 18 19). He died in 
Gorham, Apr. 6, 1827. 

(2) James Emery, son of Joshua and Tirzah Emery, married Sally, 

daughter of \A'illiam and Ann Bolton. He was a soldier in the War 

of 181 2. He lived at White Rock, where his son Olis afterwards 

lived. Children : 

Jane, b. about 1814, m. I yng Wilson of Gray, July 2, 1837. 

William, b. .Aug. 7, 1816, d. July 7, 1817. 

Mai'tiia, b. Nov. 25, 1818, m. Elias Sweetser ; I'd in Port Huron, Mich. 

Otis, b. about 1821, m Sarah E. Dudley ; d. at White Rock, .Sept. 2 1897. 

Baxter, b. , m. Mary Haley of Biddeford ; 2ii, Jane Swazey. 

Elizabeth, b. about 1826, d. Oct. 21, 1846 
Frances, b. about 1829, d. Aug. 25, 1832. 

William, b. , m. Lydia Maddux; d. in Saco. 

France- E., b. April, 1837, m. William S. Edwards of Portland. 

James Emery died in Gorham, Mar. 19, 1840, aged 52. Mrs. 

Emery died April 9, 1879, aged 89. 

Daniel C, Emery, son of Jonathan and Jean (Stevens) Emery, was 
born in Buxton, May 2, 1803. He was of the eighth generation 
from Anthony Emery, the immigrant. He came to live in Gorham 
about 1823, and was for some time engaged in teaching. He was a 
prominent man in town affairs, and a good citizen, identified with 
the best interests of the town. He was a member of the State Leg- 
islature in 1843 and 1844. He was high sheriff in 1856 ; and was 
for some time treasurer of Gorham Academy. He married, Aug. g, 
1826, Lucia Jordan of Cape Elizabeth. Children: 

Jesse Appleton, b. May 22, 1827, m. Phebe Brown, Aug. 22, 1848; d. May 22, 

1862. 
Sarah Ellen, b. May 6, 1829, m. William S. Briggs, Oct. 5, 1847 ; d. Feb. 6, 

1850. 
Joseph Melville, b. June i, 1831, m. Kate Bartlett, Jan. 5, 1853; d. July 24, 

1855. 

Mrs. Lucia Emery died Sept. 17, 1834, aged 36. Capt. Emery 

married second, Mrs. Mary A. (Barrett) Fogg. Children : 

Eliza Barrett, b. Aug. 15, 1836. • 

George Barrett, b. June 28, 1838 ; a lawyer in Gorham ; d. unm. Aug. 11, 1898. 

Lucia Anna, b. Oct. 15, 1847. 

Capt. Emery died June i, 1881, aged 78. Mrs. Emery died Aug. 

13, 1864, aged 58. 





c 




■^- 



GENEALOGY. 489 

ESTES. 

Robert Estes and his wife Dorcas (Chestly) moved to Gorham in 
1835. They had a family of ten children all born in Windham. 
Joseph their eldest son born Feb. 3, 1805, came to Gorham from 
Windham (Ganibo). He was a stone cutter by trade. July 10, 1834, 
he married Maria, daughter of Samuel and Martha Edwards. Chil- 
dren : 

Martha M., b. July 19, 1835, m. Wm. H. Jones, Jan. 20, 1861. 

Albert S . b. Feb. 21, 1837, k'd at the battle of Manassas. Aug. 29, 1862. 

Dana, b Mar. 4 1840, m. Apr. 11, 1867, Louise S. Reid, who d. Aug. i, 1883; 
2d, Nov. 10, 1884, Grace D. Couse; served in the Union army as a pri- 
vate in ( o. A, 13th Mass. Inf.; wounded at 2d. Hull Run; senior mem- 
ber of the publishing firm of D.ma Estes & Co., Boston, Mass. 

Al)ba A., b. June 13, 1842, d. July 16, 1862. 

Mary H., b. Aug. 11, 1844, m. E. P. Fennell. 

George H., b. Jidy 10, 1847, d. young. 

Ellen M. b. June 14, 1849, m. Edward A. Hooper, N. Cambridge, Mass.' 

Harriet A., b. Aug. 12, 1851, m. A. P. Ayer of Windham. 

Joseph Estes died May 30, 1892, and his wife Martha, .Apr. 21, 
1893, aged 84. 

Levi Estes, son of Robert and Dorcas, was born Nov. i, 1S20. 
He married, Feb. 25, 1849, Hannah L. Cloudman. Children : 
Frank E., b. Aui^. 25, 1854, d. young; Ernestine, b. June 16, 1856; 
and Jesse C, b. Nov. 8, 1857. Mrs. Hannah Estes died Mar. 18, 
1897, aged 73. 

Abigail, born in 18 10, and Charles H., born in 1827, children of 
Robert and Dorcas Estes, died unmarried in Gorham in 1846 and 
1873, respectively. 

Robert Estes died at Gambo, July 16, 1872, aged 95, and his wife 
Dorcas, Nov. 17, 1867, aged 87. 

FARNHAM. 

Simeon Farnham, a descendant of Ralph Farnham, the Welch 
emigrant who settled in Andover, Mass., and married Elizabeth Holt, 
came to Gorham from Andover as early as 1786. He was by trade 
a tanner. His tan yard was about where the house of the late Mrs. 
Stephen Hinkley now stands. He owned the lot of land from the 
Pierce house (now Mrs. Chesley's) to the old Clark lot (which is the 
Hinkley tan yard). About 1805, he built on the westerly end of his 
lot the large three-story brick house which was destroyed by fire in 
187 1, at which time it was used as a hotel. Mr. Farnham married 
in 1787, Elizabeth Johnson of Andover. Children : 



490 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Simeon, b. Aug. 9, 178S. 

John. b. Mar. 5, 1790, m. Ann March, Feb. 28, 1825. 

Elizabeth, b. Feb. 18. 1792, m. Col. Samuel L. Valentine of Bangor (1st wife). 

Roxana, b. Apr. 7, 1794, d. when a young lady. 

Charles, b. May 8, 1796, m. Lucy ; I'd and d. in Newburg, Me. 

Henry B., b. Apr. i, 1798, m. Harriet May of Winthrop ; d. in Bangor. 

Frederick, b. June 30, 1800, m. ; I'd in Bangor. 

Edward, b. Sept. 4, 1802. 

Major Simeon Farnham died in Bangor. 

(2) John Farnham, son of Simeon, was long a trader here. He 
was town treasurer for several years, and was postmaster at the vil- 
lage from 1857 to 1 86 1. He married Ann, daughter of Col. James 
and Sally March. Children : 

George V'., b. Feb. 14, 1827, m. Jane Duran ; d. Nov. iS, 1863. 

Henry B., b. Mar. 16, 1828, d. young. 

Henry, b. May 10, 1829, d. young. 

Sarah E., b. Feb. i, 1832, d. Aug. 5, 1S46, in Gorham. 

Ann M., b. Nov. 15, 1835, in Bangor. 

John C. b. Aug. 15, 1836, in Orono ; m. Abbv Y. Crooker of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; 

d. Mar. i, 1888. 
William II. P., b. Nov. 6, 1838, in Gorham ; m. Annie L. M. Farliss of Salem, 

Mass.; d. Aug. 23, 1891. 

Capt. John Farnham died June 25, 1S68. Mrs. Farnham died 
Jan. 18, 1892, aged 91.' 

FILES. 

William Files, the ancestor of all the Files family in Gorham, was 
born in England in 1728. Having a step-father he ran away from 
home when but nine years old and hid himself in the hold of a sail- 
ing vessel. The captain of the vessel, finding him, landed him on 
Cape Cod where he sold him for his passage. The boy worked 
till he had paid up this debt and finally accumulated quite a property. 
He married Mrs. Joanna (Gordan) Moore of Cape Cod in 1756, and 
went to York, Me., where his two eldest children were born. From 
York he came to Gorham and bought from John Freeman thirty- 
eight acres of land, which was a part of the two hundred acres 
granted by the Proprietors to the two sons of Capt. Phinney, Edmund 
and Stephen. Here he made a clearing and built a log cabin in 
which he and his family lived. At a later date he built the two-story 
house now occupied by his great-grandson David F. Files. The site 
of the log cabin was a few rods south of that of the house, on the 
other side of the present road. 

Mr. Files was in the English army at the capture of Fort William 
Henry on Lake George. In company with Zephaniah Harding of 
(iorham he was captured by the Indians, but by superior strength 



GENEALOGY. 491 

made his escape from the two Indians who had taken him. They 
pursued him for some time through the woods but at last he, in 
company with Zephaniah Harding who had also made his escape, 
eluded them by crawling into a large hollow log. The pursuers not 
finding them elsewhere cut several holes into the log, being of the 
opinion that their prisoners were secreted within, and even went so 
far as to build fires at the ends of the log in order, if they were there 
to smoke them out, but the smoke would not draw into their hiding 
place. After trying in vain to dislodge them the Indians became con- 
vinced that they were mistaken and went off. When all was clear Files 
and Harding crawled out more dead than alive, and made their way 
through incalculable hardships through the wilderness to their homes, 
where they arrived so much emaciated and worn out that there was, 
as they said, scarce the form of a man to either of them. They were 
about a month in the woods with nothing on which to subsist save 
roots and berries, and often had to make a meal on browse ; had 
often to ford and swim rivers and make large detours to get around 
lakes and ponds, with shoes worn out and clothes literally torn from 
their backs. 

On account of Mr. Files's service in the Regiment of Rangers he 
was known as "William, the old Ranger." He was one of the oldest 
members of the Congregational church in Gorham ; and was a man 
of the strictest honor, honesty and integrity. Me is said never to 
have paid but twenty cents interest, so careful was he never to be in 
debt. He died Mar. 21, 1823, aged 95. Mrs. F"iles died January, 
1816, aged 75. Children of William and Joanna Files: 

Ebenezer, b. Feb. 24, 1758, m. Molly Elder, p. Apr. 8, 1780. 

Samuel, b. Aug. 4, 1759, m. Esther Tlionies. Sept. ?S, 1780. 

William, b. Aug. 15, 1761, m. Hannah Sturgis, Dec. 30, 1784; 2d, Mary 
McKenney. 

Robert M., b. Feb. 13, 1764, m. Kuth Woodman of Minot, p. Dec. 10, 1808; 
she d. Sept. 13. 1809, and he m. Dec. 11, 181 1, Sally, dau. of Gershom 
and Nancy Winship of Windham ; no ch. by either wife. Mr. Files I'd 
near White Rock on the farm since owned by Theodore Shackford; he 
d. Mar. 23, 1833, and his wife Sarah, Nov. 13, 1846, ag. 83. 

George, b. Feb. 2, 1766, m. Temperance Sturgis, Oct. 10, 1789. 

Joseph, b Dec. 11, 1767, m. Anna Haskell, p. Dec. 22, 1798. 

Polly, b. July 2, 1771, m. Daniel vSmall of Raymond, Nov. 14, 1819. 

Joanna, b. May 11, 1774, d. young. 

Elizabeth, b. July 29, 1779, m. Rev. Joseph Higgins of Thorndike, Jan. 3, 1804. 

(2) Ebenezer Files, son of William, lived at West Gorham, where 

Everett Files now lives. He married Molly Elder. Children : 

William E., b. Apr. 3, 1781, m. Abigail Shaw, May 8, 1803; 2d, Elizabeth 

Moulton. 
Ebenezer, b. June 7, 1783, m. Sarah Stuart of Standish, Dec. i, 1814. 
Edward, b. Feb. 11, 1786, m. Hannah Shaw, June 27, 1810. 



492 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

Molly, b. June 7, 1789. 

Joanna, b. Mar. 7, 1792, m. Peter Wardwell of Otisfield, 181 3. 

Esther, b. June 23, 1795, ^^- Jonathan Wardwell of Otisfield, 1S16. 

Ebenezer Files died Sept. 30, 1833, and his wife Molly, Feb. 28, 

1833, aged 75. 

(2) Samuel Files, son of William, was in the army of the Revolu- 
tion, having entered the service at the age of sixteen. He married 
Esther Thomes and lived on his father's place between West Gorham 
and Fort Hill, where David Files now lives. Children : 

Samuel, b. Aug. 17, 1781, m. Katie Linnell; 2d, Sarah Bryant of Raymond. 

Thomas, b. , 1783, m. June 11, 1807, Statira, dau. of Ebenezer and Sarah 

P. Phinney of Standish ; most of their ch. were b. in Raymond ; they 
were, Mercy, d. y, ; Ebenezer; Thomas, I's in Deering ; Weniworth P., 
b. in Gorham, m. Ann Lombard, d. in Portland ; Elmira, d. unm ; Eunice, 
d. unm; vSarah, m. N. E. Ridlon of Portland; Caroline, m. Nathaniel 
N. Lang of Portland. Thomas Files d. in Portland. 

Joseph, b. , 17S5, m. Peggy Wescott, Jan. 22, 1810; 2d, Sally Morton ; 

went to Thorndike. 

Robert, b. about 17S7, m. Patience Phinney. Apr. 2, 1818 ; 2d, Ann B. Thomes. 

Abigail, b. about 1789, m. Luther Libby of Scarborough, Dec. 18, 1846; 2d, 
Rev. Sargent Shaw, July 19, 1S60; d. July 27. 1S80. 

Eunice, b. about 1791, m. David Thompson of Thorndike. 

George, b. about 1793, ^- Anna Stone ; went to Thomdike. 

Ebenezer S., b. about i79n, m. Patience Phinney, May 14, 1818; went to 
I horndike. 

Stephen, b. Feb.. 1800, m. Eunice R. Freeman, Oct. 21, 1827. 

Sally, b. , 1802, m. Luther Libby, Jan. 22, 1843. 

Samuel Files died Apr. 7, 1835 ; Mrs. Files died Mar. i. 1844, 
aged 81. 

(2) Willinm Files, Jr., son of William, married Hannah, daughter 
of Jonathan and Temperance Sturgis. Children : 

Jonathan E., b. Nov. 4, 17S5, m. Esther Libby, Sept. 11, 1811 ; I'd and d. in 

Raymond. 
Betsey, b. Apr. 21, 1788, m. Benjamin Leavitt. 
Allen, b Feb. 4, 1791, was a F Bapt. minister; d. in Wales, Me. 
Abigail, b Dec. 14, 1793, d unm in Raymond. 
Nathaniel S., b. July 12, 1796, was in Capt. Bettis's Company in the War of 

1S12 ; was a farmer; went to Ohio. 
Hannah, b. May 18, 1799. d. Dec. 10, 1820. 
Sylvanus, b. Sept. 22. 1803. m. Phebe Rounds, Mar. i, 1827. 
William, b. , m. Roxana Libby, Sept 27, 1827; I'd in Gorham where 

Greenlief Fickett now I's. Ch: Dorothy E. ; Harriet; Roswell. Mr. 

Files d. in Portland. 

Mrs. Hannah Files died INIar. 13, t8ii, aged 44, and Mr. Files 
married Aug. 30, 181 2, Mary McKenney of Scarboro. William 
Files, Jr. died Apr. 8, 1834. 

(2) George Files, son of William, lived above West Gorham in the 
Blake neighborhood, on the place where his grandson Wesley Files 
now lives. He married Temperance Sturgis, a sister of his brother 
William's first wife. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 493 

Temperance G., b. June 20, 1791, m. Eli Ayer of Buxton, Feb. 9, 1814. 
Nabby, b May 3, 1794, m. Nathan Kimball of Buxton, Dec. 27, 1814. 
Tahpenes, b. Aug. 8, 1796, m. Alexander Phinney, Jan. 21, 1819. 

Sally, b. , 1S03, d. unm., Jan. 9, 1S86. 

Loui.sa R., b. , 1806, d. unm., .Mar. 21, 1896. 

Jonathan S., b. , 1811, m. Levisa A. Whitney, p. Feb. 15, 1835. 

George Files died Jan. 7, 1853, and his wife Temperance, Sept. 19, 

1824, aged 55. 

(2) Joseph Files, son of William, lived at White Rock. He mar- 
ried Anna, daughter of John Haskell. Children : 

Joanna, b. June 6, 1800, m. Daniel Fogg, Aug. 27, 1821. 

Mary H., b. Feb. i, 1802. m William Fro.st of Norway ; d. Apr. 11, 1850. 

Mercy L., b. Feb. 14, 1804, d. June 23, 1810. 

John H., b. Dec. 4, 1805, m. Dorcas Na.son of .Standish, Dec. 21, 1834; d. in 

Stoneham, Feb. 10, 1886. 
Elizabeth, b. Sept. 15, 1807, m. Ai Libby, Sept. 3, 1833; 2d, Samuel Johnson, 

Mar. 3, 1854. 
Dorothy, b. Dec. 9, 1808, d. May 29, 1827. 
Ruth W., b. Mar. 18, 1811, m. Francis Small, 3d, of Raymond, June 30, 1844; 

d. March, 1897. 
Lydia P., b. May 23, 1813, m. Thomas H. .Abbott of Saco, p, Aug. 7, 1836; d. 

June 23, 1849. 
Daniel H , b. Mar. 18, 181 5, m. Elizabeth Rich, p. Jan. 27, 1S50; d. Oct. 21, 

1891. 
Patience P., b. Feb. 4, 1817, m Gershom II. Skillings, Apr. 12, 1843. 
Mark, b. Dec. 17, 1818, d. Nov. 5, 1842. 
Martha A., b. Nov. 8, 1821, d. unm. in 1893. 
Merrill T., b. Jan. 31, 1823, m. Martha Libby, Mar., 1S53; 2d, Mrs. Mary E. 

Merrill. 

Joseph Files died May g, 1854. Mrs. Files died Oct. 13, 1862. 

(3) William E. Files, son of Ebenezer, was for two years a Repre- 
sentative to the Legislature, and in 1838 was one of the selectmen 
of this town. He married x\bigail, daughter of Sargent and Salome 
(Lombard) Shaw of Standish. Children : 

Anna, b. Dec. 12, 1804, d Jan. 22, 1807. 

Eheriezer, b. Aug. 22, 1806, d young. 

Lotlirop L, b. J. en. 19, 1808, m. .Mary P. Merrill of Buxton, 1S44; d Sept. 27, 
1870, leaving no chn. 

Salome S., b. .Apr. 29, i8fi, d. unm., Sept. 25, 1869. 

Josiah M., b Aug. 29, 181 3, d. young. 

William E., b. May 27, 181 5, m. Apphia H., dau of Timothy and Susan Bl ike, 
Nov., 1837. Ch : Almon L., b. Apr. 6, 1840, m. Eliza Lombard; 
Lothrop L., b. 1850, m. Mary Whitney, d. Aug 25, 1892, she, Ot t. 16, 
188 (. William E. Files, Jr., d. May 26, 18S4; Mrs. Files I'd with her 
son Mnion on the old homestead which had been owned by his grand- 
father William E. Files, where she d. Feb. 21, 1897, ag. 78. 

Francis, b. July 13, 1817, m. Hannah Watts of Buxton, Oct. 29, 1844. Ch : 
Frank Augustus, b. May 26, 1846, m. Cornelia A. Watson, Mar. 4, 1873; 
Henry B., b July 10, 1851, d. Mar. 12, 1876; Lewis L., b. May 24, 1856, 
m. Nellie J. Douglass, Dec. 30, 1878. Mrs. Hannah Fi es d. Oct. 17, 
i860, ag. 42, and Mr. Files m. 2d, Harriet Hasty. Ch : Frederic H., b. 
Dec. I, 1862, m. Marv H. Meserve, Feb. 11, 1890; Anna M., b. Oct. 13, 
1867. Francis Files d. Nov. 26, 1880. 

Abigail S., b. Mar. 10, 1819, d. Aug. i, 1863. 



494 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mrs. Abigail P'iles died Mar. 13, 18 19, aged 39, and Mr. Files 
married Nov. 4, 18 19, Elizabeth, daughter of Simon Moulton of 
Standish. Children : 

Lorenzo D., b. Oct. 31, 1S21, m. .Sarah Sturgis, June 17, 1855; 2d, Mrs. Elta 
Flood. 

Albion K. P., b. May 19, 1S24, m. Marilla M. Spear, Nov. 30, 1854. Ch : 
Hattie; Mary L., d. Aug. 23, 1873, ag. 15; Emma, m. (Jeo. Evan.s of 
Sometville, Mass.; Lizzie S., d. Nov. 17, 1882, ag. 17. Mr. Eiles repre- 
sented the town in the Legislature in 1867-8. He d. Oct. 21, 1872, and 
his widow m. Wm. M. Dyer. 

Elizabeth M., b. , d. young. 

Harriet E., b. Apr. 9, 1827, d. unm. Aug. 31, 1849. 

Cyrus, b. Jan. 11, 1832. 

Juliette M., b. Jan. 2, 1838, m. William E. Files. 

Mr. Files lived on the farm since owned and occupied by his grand- 
son, Almon L. Files, near W. Gorham. He died Dec. 24, 1843. 
Mrs. Elizabeth Files died Feb. 24, 1857, aged 62. 

(3) Ebenezer Files, Jr., son of Ebenezer, lived where Everett Files 
now lives, near the cemetery at West Gorham. He married Sarah, 
daughter of Wentworth Stuart, Jr. Children : 

Esther, b. Nov. 29, 18 16, m. Ithiel Blake, Nov. 29, 1838. 

Katherine, b. Oct. 28, 1819, m. Edward Boynton ; d. about 1872 or '73. 

Eunice M., b. June 11, 1S22, m. Solomon Strout of Portland, Dec. 29, 1845. 

Edward, b. July 28, 1825, m. Jane, dau. of Edward D. and Apphia (Philbrick) 
Boynton, of Cornish, 1851. Ch : Adelaide, b. Sept. 25, 1851, d. Sept. 
29, 1870; Charles G., b. 1853, m. Emma Woodman; Eugenia, b. 1S57, 
m. James Harmon; Everett, b. Apr. 13, 1859, m. Sadie Whitney; Sarah, 
b. Sept. 18, 1865, m. Levi Bemis; Ebenezer S., b. Sept., 1S68, m. Bertha 
Vogal. Edward Files I'd where his father had I'd. He d. at W. Gorham, 
Oct. 26, 1874; his wife d. in California about 1S91. 

Peter W., b. Sept. 14, 1828, m. Irene C. Higgins ; 2d, Mary Pride; 3d, Mrs. 
Mary Crockett. 

Andrew H., b. June 9, 1832, m. Sarah Louise Yeaton of Newcastle, N. H., 
Mar. 4, i8t;q. Mr. Files was for many years a successful teacher in 
Portland. He d. in that city, May 7, 1894, leaving two ch., Minnie A., 
now a teacher in Portland, and George Taylor Files, Professor of Ger- 
man in Bowdoin College. 

Ebenezer Files, Jr., died May 3, 1872. Mrs. Files died Apr. 8, 
1873, aged 78. 

(3) Edward Files, son of Ebenezer, lived in the Whitney neighbor- 
hood where his son William E. now lives. He married Hannah 
Shaw of Standish. Children : 

Ebenezer, b. Dec. 22, 1810, m. Bethiah, dau. of Joseph and Mary Bangs. May 
28, 1837. Ch : James Milton, b. Feb. 22, 1838; Lucretia A., h. Jan. 5, 
1840, m. Samuel Dingley. Ebenezer Files d. Nov. 8, 1842, and his widow 
m. William S. Elder. 

Sargent, b. Oct. 9, 181 2, d. Aug. 9, 1818. 

Ann S., b. Sfpt. 12, 181 5, m. Ezekiel Strout of Standish, p. Nov. 17, 1850. 

Edward, b. Feb. 26, 1818, ni. Hannah, dau. of Enoch and Diusilla Crockett, 
June 22, 1845. Ch: Drusilla, b. Mar. 13, 1846, m. Henry Spear of 
Aroostook; Ebenezer, b. Dec. 4, 1847 ; Herbert G., b. June 3, 1851, m. 



GENEALOGY. 495 

Nellie Douglass, 2d, Mrs. Jennie Manchester; Horace W., b. Nov. 4, 
1852 ; Atwood W., b. Dec, 1855, d. y. ; Sophia J., b. Mar. 22, 1857, d. Jan. 
27, 1895; Sargent S., b. Sept. 20, 1861 ; Frank M., b. Dec. 22, 1865. 
Mrs. Hannah Files d. June 11, 1891. Mr. Files I's in the Whitney neigh- 
borhood on a part of his father's farm. 

Sargent S., b. Apr. 8, 1820, d. in Saccarappa. 

Joseph S., b. Oct. 6, 1822, d. Dec. 3, 1846. 

Mary, b. Sept. 2, 1825. m. William Willis of Buxton, Apr. 7, 1853. 

Betsey, b. Feb. 13, 1828, m. Mitchell Leavitt of Mass. 

Salome, I,kc t-nTS/-,) 

Hannah L., \ ' '^ ' ^-^ ' ] m. Atwood Wright of Mass., Nov. 8, 1858. 

Wdham E., b. Dec. 22, 1S32, m. Juliette M. Files. 

Edward Files died Aug. 3, 1867. Mrs. Hannah Files died Nov. 

12, 1878. 

(3) Robert Files, son of Samuel, lived on Fort Hill. He married 
Patience Phinney, daughter of Ebenezer, and sister to his brother 
Thomas's wife : Children : 

Maria M., b. Apr. 9, 1819, m. Richard Sanborn of Portland, Nov. 21, 1847. 

Aurelia C, b. Apr. 12, 182 1, m. John Billings, Dec. 9, 1841. 

Joan M., b. Jan. 10, 1823, d. Nov. 17, 1843. 

Melville B. C, b. May 14, 1825. 

Ebenezer P., b. July 6, 1827, burned to death with powder, Nov. 9, 1837. 

Robert J., b. Dec. 10, 1831. 

William H. P., b. Jan. 28, 1833, m. Ora Holbrook of Rockland; d. at Cumber- 
land Mills. 

Mary Coleman, b. about 1835, d. young. 

Mrs. Patience Files died Sept. 16, 1850, and Mr. Files married 
Mrs. Ann (Berry) Thomes. He died Mar. 7, i860, aged 72. 

(3) Ebenezer Scott Files, son of Samuel, married Patience, daugh- 
ter of Joseph and Susan Phinney. Children : 

Albert, b. Feb. 19, 1819, m. Sarah Hill of Gorhani ; d. in Bangor. 

Mary A., b. Apr. 27, 1821, m. Joseph Temple. 

Adeline, b. May 10, 1823, m. Rufus Roberts. 

Harriet H., b. Dec. 3, 1825, m. Trueman Harmon. 

Joseph P., b. Mar. 24, 1828, m. Rebecca Hill of Thorndike ; 2d, Kate Libby, 

Oct. 19, 1855 ; 3d, Ada Roberts of Bangor. 
Nancy, b. Sept. 9, 1830, m. Levi Temple; 2d, Mr. Hackett ; d. in Brewer. 
Samuel, b. July 28, 1833, d. young. 

Esther, b. , m. I. S. Patten of Newport, Me. 

Robert, b. , m. and I's in Charlestown, Mass. 

Ebenezer, b. — , m. Mary Plummer. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Files died in Detroit, Me. 

(3) Stephen Files, son of Samuel, was a shoemaker. He lived 
between West Gorham and Fort Hill on the farm now owned by 
Charles E. Rolfe. He married Eunice B., daughter of David Freeman. 
Children : 

David F., b. Mar. 3, 1830, m. Fannie Curtis, Jan. i, 1857; 2d, Morgie Eastman. 
Hannah H., b. Nov. 16, 1832, m. Charles S. D. Prince, Mar. 28, 1850. 
Charles, b. 1842, d. Apr. 21, 1843. 
Susan A., b. Nov. 19, 1844, rn- P^^l R- Seavey of Bangor. 

Stephen Files died Apr. 15, 1882, and Mrs. Files Jan. 6, 1885. 



496 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(3) Sylvanus Files, son of William, Jr., was a carpenter by trade. 

He married Phebe, daughter of Abial and Mary Rounds. Children : 

James R., b. May 29, 1828, was a physician; d. in Monroe, aged about 40. 
Cyrus R., b. May 23, 1831, d. unm., Oct. 18. i860; Id on his father's place. 
Lucinda P., b. Jan. 24, 1835, m. Harvey W. Murch, Mar. 31, 1863. 
Charles C, b. Oct. 11, 1842, d. Sept. 11, 1856. 

Mr. Files died Sept. 19, 1892, and his wife, Aug. 5, 1868, aged 63. 

(3) Jonathan S. Files, son of George, lived on the place once owned 

by his father in the Blake neighborhood. He married Levisa A., 

daughter of Edmund Whitney. Children : 

John Wesley, b. Sept. 23. 1S37, m. Mary Susan Whitney. 
Abra Ann, b. Jan. 4, 1850, m. Isaiah Cobb. 

Jonathan S. Files died Oct. 9, 1890, aged 79. Mrs. Files d. Mar. 

20, 1877, aged 66. 

(3) Merrill T. Files, son of Joseph, is a trader at White Rock. He 
has been a member of the school committee, one of the Selectmen 
of the town, and Representative to the Legislature in 1873-4. In 
1868 he was appointed postmaster at White Rock, which ofifice he 
held until 1875. He married Martha, daughter of Solomon Libby 
of Naples. Child : 

Georg'! Evans, b. May 18. 1854, m. Carrie Bradeen of Limington; 2d, Mattie 
Page of Plymouth, Me. 

Mrs. Martha Files died Feb. 16. 1859, aged 29, and Mr. Files 

married Nov. 10, 1861, .Mrs. Mary E. (Meserve) Merrill. Child : 

Annie E., b. Jan. 2, 1864, is a .schonl-ieaLher. 

Joseph Files, Jr., who was the son of Joseph and grandson of 
Samuel and Esther Files, was born in Thorndike. He married Hattie 
Holbrook of Rockland and moved to Gorham. He enlisted in the 25th 
Me. regiment during the Civil War, and afterwards was sergeant in 
the 32d. He was killed at Spottsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864, aged 30. 

FLOOD. 

Edmund Flood, who was born about 1760, lived several years in 
Gorham when a young man. He came here from Portland where he 
had a mother. His father, who was a sheriff, suddenly disappeared 
— it was supposed by some foul play. Edmund married Aug. 10, 
1788, Martha, daughter of Calvin Lombard, and moved to Buxton, 
where he reared a large family of children. Simon E and Lewis 
McLellan are grandsons of Edmund and Martha Flood. 



GENEALOGY. 497 

Morris Flood came to Gorham from Buxton. He was in town as 

early as 1791. He lived at White Rock, where Ashley Plummernow 

lives. June 17, 1793, he married Lydia, daughter of Joseph and 

Hannah Roberts. Children : 

Samuel, b. Dec. 2S, 1794, m. Parmelia Libby, Dec. 4, 1817; 2d, Mary . 

Hannah, b. Feb. 28, 1797, m. Joseph Snow, p. Nov. 12, 1814. 
OUve, b. May 14, 1799, m. Capt. Jethro Libby, Dec. 26, 1819. 

Isaac, b. May 14, 1801, m. Glines of N. H. ; 2cl, Susan Hicks. 

Anna, b. Oct. 17, 1804, m. Isaac Parker, p. Sept. 13, 1823. 

Edmund, b. Sept. 16, 1806, m. Dilla Hicks, Sept. 11, 1831. 

Daniel, b. June 12, 1808, m. Harriet Bartlett of Portland; went to Portland. 

Silas, b. Nov. 10, 1812, m. Emily Parker, p. Nov. 4, 1838, dau. of Eleazer H. 

and Betsey Parker; no ch. He I'd on the old place; d. July 10, 1874; 

she d. at Great Falls, June 23, 1S82. 

Morris Flood died Sept. 28, 185 i, aged 80 years. 

FOGG. 

The family of Fogg is of Welch origin ; Samuel, the first one of 
the name known in this country, having come from Wales to Hamp- 
ton, N. H. 

There have been several families of the name of Fogg among the 
earlier settlers in Gorham. Jeremiah Fogg, son of Samuel and 
Rachel (Mariner) Fogg, born in Scarboro June 11, 1744, came to 
Gorham about 1776 and lived on the County road from Portland to 
Buxton, between the farm of Chas. Moulton and the Roberts place. 
He moved from there to the farm now owned and occupied by his 
grandson Rufus. He married Mary Warren, May 28, 1766. Their 
children were : 

Sarah, b. June 20, 1768, m. James Emery of Limington, July 14, 1796. 
Jeremy, b. Oct. 30, 1770, m. Dorcas 1-ombard, Dec. 24, 1794; I'd in Hu.xton ; 

d. Aug. 1 1, 1834. 
Betsey, b. De-c. 11, 1772, m. Christopher Dunn, Mar. 30, 1794. 
Esther, b. Feb. 24, 1775, m. Joseph Waierhouse, Sept. 13, 1705; d. Apr. 26, 

1826. 
Anna, b. Sept. 2, 1777. d. Dec. 17, 1793. 
Lois, b. Oct. 9, 1779, m. James McLellan, Dec. 5, 1802. 
(leorge, b. Jan. 11, 1784, m. Joanna Fogg, May 24, 1807. 

Mrs. Mary Fogg died Dec. 19, 1800, aged 58, and Mr. Fogg 
married, June 22, 1801, Mrs. Molly Fickett of Falmouth. Jeremiah 
Fogg died Oct. 25, 18 15, aged 71. 

(2) George Fogg, son of Jeremiah, lived on his father's homestead. 

He married Joanna Fogg of New Gloucester. Children : 

Sylvester, b. Jan. 25, iSoS, m. Dorcas Edwards, Oct. 9, 1834 ; d. in 1892. 
Harriet S., b. Aug. 8, 1809, d. Apr 12, 1810. 

Charles S., b. Jan. 15, 181 1, m. Rebekah D. Blake, Dec. 21;, 18 u; d. in Salmon 
Falls, N. H. 



498 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Asa Rand, b. Dec. 6, 1812, m. Elizabeth H. Babb in 1S40 ; 2d, Isabella Smith 
in 1845 ; d. in Dayton. 

Mary Ann, b. Aug. 8, 1S15, d. May 14, 1816. 

George W., b. Apr. 19, 1817, m. Jane McLellan, Dec. 25, 1843; d. in Litch- 
field. 

Grata Rand, b. Oct. 31, 1819, d. unm. May 27, 1S47. 

Eliza Ann, b. Dec. 15, 1821, d. unm. Sept. 6, 1855. 

Elizabeth II., b. Mar. 21, 1824, d Mar. 10, 1825. 

Samuel, b. Jan. 3, 1826, d. Aug. 3, 1S50. 

Rufus A., b. June 2, 1828, m. Mary Bray, Sept. 16, 1863. 

George Fogg died Feb. 11, 1863, aged 79. Mrs. Fogg died April 
II, 1861, aged 74. 

(i) Moses Fogg, son of Moses and Lydia (Larrabee) Fogg, was 
born in Scarborough, July 2, 1762. He was a farmer and lived in 
the north part of Gorham, opposite where the late Theodore Shack- 
ford lived. He was a .soldier in the Revolution, a lieutenant in 
Capt. Benjamin Larrabee's Scarborough Company, and drew a ■ 
pension in his latter days. He married Hannah, daughter of Daniel 
Libby of Scarborough. Children : 

Dorothy, b. Aug. 25, 1789, m. Israel Harmon of Standish, Nov. 5. 1812. 

David, b. July, 1791, d. unm. June 27, 1865; served in the War of 1812. 

Esther, b. , m. William Carsley of Harrison, July 2, 1823. 

Daniel, b. July 9, 1797, m. Joanna Files, Aug. 27, 1821. 

Sewell, b. , m. Dorcas Moody. Ch : Franklin E . b. Nov. 25, 1854, d. in 

1865; Hannah F., b. May 24. 1856; Georgia A., m. Frank LI. vvellyn 
Libby, Sept. 8, 1880. Sewell Fogg I'd across the road from his father's 
place. He d. about 1865; his wife d. in 1898. 

Abiel, b. , 181 1, m. Eliza A., dau. of Andrew Mrserve of Scarboro, p. May 

29, 1835. Ch: E-ther A., b. Jan. 13, 1837, d. y. ; Esther Ann, b. Jan. 15, 
1838, m. Wm. E. Parsons of Vt., Sept 22. 1855; Harmon, b. about 
1843, m. Frances H. Libby, Feb. 7, 1867 ; d. June 8, 1875; his widow m. 
Mar. 12, 1876, Lewis Douglass. Abiel Fogg was a farmer and I'd on the 
farm where his father I'd, until two or three y'rs before his death. He d. 
May 9, 1888, ag. 77 ; Mrs. Eliza A. Fogg d. Dec. 10, 1886, ag. 80. 

Moses Fogg died Jan. 14, 1828; Mrs. Fogg died Nov. 5, 1853, 

aged 87. 

(i) Daniel Fogg was a half-brother to Moses Fogg above. He 
was the son of Moses Fogg of Scarborough, and his second wife, 
Catherine Libby, and was born in Scarborough, Apr. 14, 1773. He 
was a carpenter by trade. After coming to Gorham he lived for 
many years on the Rice place. The last seven years of his life he 
passed at Fort Hill with his son Mo.ses. He married Hannah, daugh- 
ter of Daniel and Mary Hanscom of Kittery. Children : 

Eliza, b. , m. Samuel Lincoln, July 8, 1827. 

William, b. , 1804, m. Mary A. I'.anett, May 23, 1S30; d. Mar. 23, 1831. 

Mary G., b. Oct. 3t, 1805, m. Charles Hunt, Dec. 31, 1831. 
Moses, b. Mar. 16, 1809, m. Christiana O. Baker, Feb., 1839. 
Catharine L., b. Apr. 17, 1811, m. Moses Starbird, Nov., 1831 ; 2d, Samuel 
Libby. 




^^ ^^ 



GENEALOGY. 499 

Hannah H., b. July iS, 1813, m. Samuel R. Clement, Jan. 30, 1S3S. 
Martha, b. Aug. 19, i8i6, m. Marshall Irish, Oct. 26, 1846. 

Daniel Fogg died Oct. 23, 1829. Mis widow married Dec. 30, 
1838, Jacob H. Clement. 

(2) Daniel Fogg, Jr., son of Moses, lived during the latter part of 
his life on the farm now owned by his son William. He had pre- 
viously lived about half a mile above, nearer to Great Falls. He 
married Joanna, daughter of Joseph and Anna Files. Children : 

Joseph F., b. Nov. 25, 1822, d. Sept. 19, 182S. 

Eliza Ann, b. Mar. 27, 1824, m. Peter I lodgdon, Jan. i, 1843. 

Moses, b. Aug. 5, 1827, m. Rachel Blackwell, Dec, 1853. 

Joseph H., b. Aug. 9, 1830, m. Hannah M. Harding, Sept. 11, 1851. 

Maiy Jane, b. Dec. 19, 1832, m. Everett Cole, Dec. 13, 1853; 2d, Chas. 

Wescott. 
Tyng W., b. July 20, 1834, m. Isa Newhall of Vassalboro. 
John H., b. Oct. 19, 1836, m. Helen Strout, 1864; 2d, Mary Bingham of West- 

brooU ; 3d, Ada Odiorn of Richmond, Sept. 15, 1897. 
Almon L., b. Mar. 12, 1839, was captain in the 17th Me. Vols. ; wounded at 

Gettysburg; d. July 4, 1863. 
Mark, b. Apr. 6, 1843, m. Mary Smith of Hollis, Jan. 14, 1874. 
William C, b. Jan. 6, 1846, m. Hattie Heath, Oct. 14, 1873. 

Daniel Fogg died Sept. 27, 1880. Mrs. Fogg died Nov. 2, 1879, 
aged 80. 

(2) Moses Fogg, son of Daniel, Sr., was a farmer. He lived on 

Fort Hill, on the thirty acre lot No. i, where Capt. John Phinney 

made his first clearing. He married Christiana O. Baker of Somers- 

worth, N. H. Children : 

Elizabeth B., b. Mar. 6, 1843, '^- Aug. 24, 1849. 
Caroline B., b. Feb. 14, 1846, m. Albert Hussey, Jan. i, 1868. 
William M., b. Apr. 10, 1851, m. Caroline Tibbetts ; d. July 19, 1S84; his widow 
married, Sept. 6, 1888, Dr. W^m. Watson. 

Moses Fogg died Jan. 5, 1892. Mrs. Fogg died June 7, 1865, aged 

53- 

Daniel Fogg, son of Col. Reuben Fogg of Scarborough, married, 
Sept. 6, 1789, Eunice, daughter of Col. Samuel March of Scar- 
borough. Several of the children of this couple lived in Gorham : 

Jane, m William W^oodman of Bu.xton ; I'd for some y'rs in Gorham. 
Ivory, d. unm. of smallpo.x, June 7, 1816, aged 24. 

Margaret, m. Sanborn ; I'd in Sebago. 

Lydia, m. Scribner; I'd in Boston. 

Elizabeth, m. Timoihy Bacon, Jr., of Gorham. 
Daniel, m. Hannah Whitney, May i, 1S23. 
Desire, d. in Boston, unm., a young woman. 
Miriam, m. Elden Gamman of Gorham, May 13, 1832. 

Daniel Fogg, 3d, was the son of Daniel and Eunice above. He 
came to Gorham when quite a young man, and worked for Saul C. 



500 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Higgins. He afterwards lived in the north part of the town on a 

farm not far from Great Falls. He was frequently known as " Richard 

Daniel " to distinguish him from his neighbors of the same name as 

his own. He married Hannah, daughter of Samuel and Hannah' 

(Snow) Whitney. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. , m. James O. Longley of Waterford. 

Harriet W , b. June 17, 1825, m. Wm. A. Monroe of Waterford. 
Albert, b. Feb. 26, 1827, m. Addie Cass of Hridgton ; d. Jan., 1890. 

Jane, b. , m. Isaac Webb of Bridgton. 

Irene, b. Veh. 27, 1831, m. Geo. W. Bailey of Auburn. 

Emily, b. Jan. 22, 1834. 

Charles M., b. Dec. 27, 183s, m. Dorcas Libby of (lorham, July 11, 1S61 ; 2d, 

Agnes Coburn of Boston. 
Edwin A., b. Mar. 5, 1838, m. M>ra Dresser of I'.ridgton ; 2d, Mahala Cole. 

Daniel Fogg died in Bridgton, and his wife in Waterford. 

FOLSOM. 

Dr. Dudley Folsom was a native of Exeter, N. H. He commenced 
practice and married his wife, Miss Lucretia Swazey, in that place, 
and there his oldest child was born. He came to Gorham about 
1796, and was for many years a prominent and successful physician 
here, and a valued member of society. He was a Trustee of Gorham 
Academy, and represented the town for several years in the General 
Court of Massachusetts. He lived on South St., where Mrs. Tolford 
now lives. (See Chapter XVH.) The children of Dudley and 
Lucretia Folsom were : 

Caroline, b. Jan. 17, 1796, d. unm. 

Lucretia, b. Jan. 15, 1799, m. Stephen Waite, Jr., of Portland, Jan. i, 1S21. 

Harriet, b, .Sept. 19, 1800, m. .Samuel Crockett, June 13, 1825. 

Martha O., b. Aug. 15, 1802, m. Stephen Waite, Jr., of Poitland (2d wife), p. 

Nov. 24, 1S34. 
Rufus D., b. Aug. 16, 1804. 
Charles B., b. Mar. 18, 1806. 

Dr. Folsom died Nov. 21, 1836, aged 67 ; his wife, Sept. 27, 1837, 

aged 65. 

FOSTER. 

William H. Foster, who was born in Boston, Jan. 20, 1780, came 
to Gorham when about twenty-one years of age, making his journey 
here on hor.seback. He was a cabinet maker, and his shop which 
has stood until within a few years was close to the sidewalk and east 
of his residence on Main St. His house which he built is now owned 
and occupied by his grandson, E. H. F. Smith. He was a most excel- 
lent citizen and an exemplary man. He was town clerk of Gorham 

I Some of her descendants claim her name to have been Harriet, but the Corham town 
records give it as Hannah. 



GENEALOGY. 501 

from 1817 to 1833. He married, May 20, 1804, Betsey, daughter of 

Capt. David and Temperance Harding. Children : 

Elizabeth G., b. Oct. 14, 1805, m. Gardiner Kellogg, Nov. 9, 182S. 
Mary Ann, b. July 2, 1808, d. unm., Mar. i, t88i. 

Temperance H., b. Sept. i, iSio, m. Thomas Shaw, Sept. 7, 1835 ; d. in Ban- 
gor, Feb. II, 1866. 
Margaret H., b. Mar. 3, 1814, m. Gen. E. T. Smith, Nov., 1837 ; d. in 1897. 

Mr. Foster died Sept. 23, 1838, aged 58, and his wife Betsey, Apr. 

25. i839> aged S^- 

FREEMAN. 

Major John Freeman of Eastham, Mass., a very prominent man in 
the Colony of Plymouth, was one of the soldiers in King Philip's 
war, and to him (his heirs) belonged the right No. 34 in Narragan- 
sett No. 7, granted to the Narragansett soldiers by a resolve of the 
General Court. These rights descended to the control of the eldest 
male heir. Nathaniel Freeman of Eastham was the son of John, and 
to him the right came by heirship, \^'e know nothing of the other 
children of Major John, if any there were. Nathaniel, aforesaid, by 
his deed dated Aug. i, 1739, conveys to his three sons, Nathaniel, 
John and Eleazer, ihey being grandsons of Major John, the aforesaid 
right being the one hundred and twentieth part of the township 
Narragansett, No. 7 ; and the deed says, '" The above right or share 
being granted and made to my Honored Father, Major John Free- 
man of Eastham, deceased." 

The thirty acre lot 34 is on the road leading from Fort Hill to 
West Gorham, being the second lot on the northerly side, adjoining 
the Motley lot. John Freeman settled on this lot about the close of 
the Indian war. April 30, 1754, he purchased of John Phinney a 
hundred acres of land lying westerly and nearly joining by the cor- 
ners to his thirty acre lot 34. This John, being then quite an old 
man, we think rriust have been the son of Nathaniel aforesaid. By 
a deed dated Oct. 17, 1754, Nathaniel, Jr., John and Eleazer, all of 
Eastham, quitclaim to John Freeman of Gorham all right, title and 
interest in the thirty acre lot No. 34 near the Fort in Gorhamtown. 
The presumption is that Nathaniel, Jr., and John, last above said, 
were the sons of Nathaniel the grandson of Major John, and had the 
right of their father, which they together with their uncle Eleazer 
quitclaim to their uncle John. From the foregoing it appears that 
John Freeman who settled on the thirty acre lot 34 about the year 
1750 was the grandson of Major John Freeman of Eastham. He 
was also the first of the name who settled in Gorham and the ances. 



502 (IISTORY OF GORHAM. 

tor of all the Fort Hill families of that name. His wife's maiden 

name was Bethiah Harding. When married to Mr. Freeman she was 

the widow of Nathan Cobb of Eastham. John Freeman came with 

his family consisting of a step-daughter Mary Cobb, and two sons and 

one daughter of his own. 

Nathan, b. Dec. 5, 1744, m. Ilephzibeth Whitney, Oct. 15, 1766. 
Mercy, b. July 16, 1746, m. John Carsley, Apr. 5, 1764. 
Betty, b. June i, 1747, d. Dec. 7, 174S. 

Nathaniel, b. Jan. 7, 1749, m. Mary Chase, p. Dec. 31, 1774. 
Hannah, b. Sept. 23, 1750, m. Samuel Elder, Mar. 3, 1774. 

The step-daughter of John Freeman, Mary Cobb, daughter of 

Nathan Cobb of Eastham, was born about 1736. Her father died 

soon after her birth. In 1757 she married Joseph Melcher and 

moved to Brunswick where she died May 18, 1825. 

(2) Nathan Freeman, son of John, lived on his father's place. 
He married Hephzibeth, daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah Whit- 
ney. Children : 

Bethiah, b. Mar. 5, 1768, d. Mar. 29, 176S. 

Nathaniel, b. Dec. 4, 1769, m. Isabella Dyer of Cape Elizabeth, Aug. 26, 1792; 

this family settled in Westbrook ; one child on record in Gorham, 

Nathaniel, b. Aug. 27, 1794- 
Samuel, b. Jan. 2, 1772, m. Olive Emery. 
Elizabeth, b. Aug. 9, 1773, d. Apr. 24, 1820. 

Nathan Freeman married second, July i, 1775, Lydia Uoane of 

Gorham, by whom he had : 

Hannah, b. Aug. 11, 1776. 
Ebenezer, b. July 12, 1780. 
Nathan, b. Oct. 31, 1782, was a sea captain. 

Nathan Freeman joined the Shakers with his family and lived at 
Alfred where he and his wife died. Two of his children, Nathaniel 
and Samuel, left the Community and married. 

(2) Nathaniel Freeman, son of John, married Mary, daughter of 
Eleazer and Jane (Elder) Chase of Standish. He lived above Fort 
Hill on the old cross road which runs westerly between the thirty 
acre lots 61 and 63, nearly opposite the place where Woodbury 
Davis now lives. Children : 

Jenny, b. Nov. 5, 1775, m. Ebenezer Lombard, Nov. 12, 1794. 

Mary, b. Jan. 10, 1778, m. Joseph Whitney, Aug. 2, 1801. 

Lydia, b. Aug. 5, 1780, m. Gershom Hamblen, Sept. 12, 1802; 2d, 

Vincent. 

David, b. Nov. 26, 1782, m. Bethia Bangs, July 14, 1S06. 

Bethia, b. Sept. 12, 1785, m. Enoch Shaw, Apr. 26, 1812. 

Hannah, b. Dec. 25, 1789, m. Stephen Whitney, p. Nov, 24, 1810. 

Betsey, b. Sept. 4, 1792, m. 'Cyrus Hamblen, June 13, 1816. 

Eunice, b. Dec. 26, 1794, probably d. young. 

John, b. July 31, 1797, m. Sally Hamblen, Oct. 20, 1S16; I'd in Standish, Gor- 
ham and Poland. 



GENEALOGY. 503 

(3) Samuel Freeman, son of Nathan, when a young man lived 
with the Shakers. His wife, who was Olive, daughter of Zachariah 
and Huldah (Bean) Emer)-, was also brought up by the Shakers, 
The young couple having fallen in love with each other ran away 
from the Society and were married. Mr. Freeman lived on the spot 
where Woodbury Davis now lives above Fort Hill. He had a brick- 
yard on his farm. Beside being a farmer he was also a sailor. 

Children : 

John, b. June 2, 1S02, d. young. 

John, b. July 14, 1803, d. when quite a boy. 

Huldah, b. Apr. 23, 1805, m. Rev. Andrew Rollins; I'd in Richmond, Me. 

Samuel, b. Dec. 3, 1806, m. Martha K. Harding; I'd in Portland; d. Mar. 16, 

1870. 
Nancy, b. Feb. 19, 1808, m. Duncan Ross of Portland. 
Jane, b. May 6, 1810, d. young. 
Jane, b. May 6, 181 2, m. Nathaniel Stevens of Portland. 

Samuel Freeman moved to Windham, where he died July 15, 1842. 

(3) David Freeman, son of Nathaniel, lived above Fort Hill on 
the west side of the road, on the farm where his son William B. after- 
wards lived. He married Bethiah, daughter of Thomas and Hannah 
Bangs. Children : 

Eunice, b. Feb. 4, 1808, m. Stephen Files, Oct. 21, 1827. 

William B., b. July i, 181 1, m. Mary, dau. of Robert and Hannah Johnson , Dec, 
1835. Ch: Hannah Frances, b. Sept. 9, 1841, m. Joseph Hanson, 1890, 
d. Oct. 6, 1894; Robert J., b. June 26, 1846, d. y. Col. Wm. B. free- 
man d. Feb. 28, 1894; his wife d. June 8, 1888. 

Mrs. Bethiah Freeman died May 21, 1875, aged 92. 

Jonathan Freeman who married, Nov. 28, 1759, Sarah Parker of 
Falmouth, was the son of Jonathan, who was born in Truro, Mass., 
June 9, 17 10, and married Rebecca Binney Sept. 23, 1731. Jona- 
than, Jr., was born May 18, 1739. He came with his family from 
Falmouth to Gorham about Nov. 25, 1762. His father and mother 
also came with him at this time. 

Frederick Freeman in his " Freeman Genealogy " traces the line of 
Jonathan Freeman whose wife was Rebecca Binney to Samuel Free- 
man of Watertown (probably brother to Edmund) who came from 
England in 1630; but several authorities and the traditions of the 
family say that this same Jonathan Freeman, whose wife was Rebecca 

Binney, was the son of Jonathan Freeman and wife Mary , 

and was born in Eastham, Mass. The parents of this elder Jonathan 
were Thomas and Rebecca (Sparrow) Freeman ; and this Thomas 
was the son of Maj. John Freeman, whose wife was Mercy, daughter 
of Gov. Prence. This John was born in England in 1622, the son 



504 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

of Edmund and Elizabeth Freeman, who came over from London in 
the ship Abigail, Capt. Robert Hackwell, in 1635, to Lynn, going 
from there to Sandwich, Mass., in 1637. It is probable that similar- 
ity of names leads to this difference of opinion in genealog}\ 

Jonathan Freeman and his wife, Sarah Parker, settled in the south 
part of this town, near Stroudwater (Curtis's) river. Mr. Freeman 
purchased his farm of Mr. Morton, who lived on the Curtis farm 
(now owned by John Sanborn) and who was one of the old Proprie- 
tors ; deed dated November, 1762. This land remained in the Freeman 
name over one hundred years. Alexander, son of Joshua, sold the 
place in 1870 to Keuben Deering. Jonathan Freeman was a soldier 
of the Revolution, and was at Bunker Hill. The children of Jonathan 
and Sarah Freeman were : 

Sarah, b. May 9, 1761, m. Isaac Larrabee of Scarboro, Apr. 19, 17S1. 

Jenny, b. July 28, 1763, d. unm. 

Benjamin, b. June iS, 1765, m. Eunice Seavey, p. Dec. 15, 17S7; I'd in Scar- 
boro. 

Rebecca, b. July 28, 1767, m. Josiah Harmon of Scarboro, Oct. 27, 1785. 

Susanna, b. Oct. 8, 1769, m. Dominicus Harmon of Scarboro, Apr. 23, 1788. 

Jonathan, b. Feb. 8, 1773, m. Hannah Thompson of Falmouth, 1794. Ch : 
Samuel and William, both d. y., and were buried in Oorham; Gardner, b. 
Mar. 22, 1799, d. unm., i" Gray; Polly, b. Aug. 25, iSoi.m.Rufus Knight, 
d. in Gray. The family moved to Windham where a son, George, was 
born; other children, 'Nancy, Samuel and Ellen, were bom in West 
Gray. Jonathan Freeman was the grandfather of Mrs. Gardner Weeks, 
late of Gorham. 

Ebenezer, b. Apr. S, 1775, m. Polly Prentiss, Feb. 3, 1799. Ch: Betsey, b. July 
12, 1799, m. Plummer; Prentiss, b. May 25, 1801 ; Mary; Wil- 
liam; Ebenezer; Benjamin; Samuel. Ebenezer Freeman d. in Parsons - 
field, while still a young man. 

Affia, b. Dec. 6, 1777, d. unm. 

Joshua, b. May 4, 17S0, m. Hannah Harmon, Aug. 30, 1804. 

(2) Joshua Freeman, son of Jonathan, married Hannah Harmon 
of Scarboro. Both he and his wife were members of the Free Bap- 
tist church on Fort Hill, and charter members of the Free Baptist 
church at S. Gorham. He was a deacon of this latter church. He 
lived on the old homestead. Children : 

Arthur, m. Martha Davis of Boston ; I'd in Boston. 

Cyrus, m. Elizabeth Mosher; I'd and d. in. Farmington. 

Daniel, m. Martha J. (joldthwaite, of Biddeford, 1837 ; had two dau's, Sarah 

C, b. Aug. 25, 1839, m. Mr. Waterhouse of Fryeburg ; and Martha E., b. 

May 20, 1 84 1, m. Melville C. Burnell. Daniel Freeman was born in 

181 1, and d. in Gorham, Feb. 16, 1870. 
Moses, m. Rebecca Oliver of Boston ; d. in Somerville. 
Alexander, m. Sally Waterhouse, 1843; moved to Wayland, Mass., where he 

and his wife died. 
Samuel, d. Oct. i, 1835, aged iS. 
Sarah, d. Oct. 15, 1819, aged 6 months. 

Dea. Freeman died June 22, 1853, and his wife, June 27, 1868. 



GENEALOGY. 505 

Joshua Freeman of Harwich purchased of John Phinney a half 
share of right No. 88 in Gorham, it being the Bartholomew Hamblen 
share which Phinney had of Samuel Hamblen, dated Nov. 25, 1742. 

FROST. 

The first person by the name of Frost that came to Gorham was 

probably Nathaniel. It is supposed that he came to Gorham from 

Falmouth. He purchased the thirty acre lot No. 7 of Abraham 

Anderson and his wife Anna, (who was the widow Cloudman,) by 

deed dated Feb. 28, 1757. He was probably born Aug. 13, 1713, 

the son of James and Margaret (Goodwin) Frost of Berwick, and 

grandson of William Frost who was the son of George Frost who 

came from England to America. The name of Nathaniel Frost's 

wife was Elizabeth . Children : 

Abigail, b. about 1741, m. James Mosher, Dec, 1758. 
Benjamin, b. about 1742, m. Susanna Frost, p. June 24, 1764. 
David, b. aboutji744, m. Mary Jolmson, p. Apr. 10, 1766. 

Peter, b. about 1746, m. Margaret . 

Nathaniel, b. about 1748, m. Polly Beri-y, June 3, 1780. 

Enoch, b. about 1750, m. Alice Davis, April 24, 17S0. 

Elizabeth, b. about 1752, m. Benj. Adams, Nov. 26, 1778; 2d, Chailes Patrick, 

Jan. 19, 1810. 
Hannah, b. about 1754, m. Joshua Adams, Feb. 3, 1775. 

Nathaniel Frost died Apr. 24, 1762. His wife survived him a few 

years, and was known as " Madam Frost." She died somewhere 

about 1768. 

(2) Benjamin Frost, son of Nathaniel, owned and lived on the 

thirty acre lot No. 5, next north of his brother Col. Nathaniel, on the 

Fort Hill road. He married Susanna Frost, who is published as of 

Gorham but is said to have come from Falmouth. Children : 

Samuel, b. Oct. 3, 1765, m. Rebecca Hamblen, Apr. 5, 1792. 
Betty, b. Aug. 31, 1767. m. Thomas Morton, Aug. 23, 1787. 
Benjamin, b. Oct. 31, 1768, m. Pelina Rackley, p. Nov. 27, 1793. 
Nathaniel, b. Nov. 5, 1769, m. Esther Hamblen, Feb. 16, 1797 ; I'd in the Ehvell 
neighborhood in the north part of the town. 

Benjamin Frost was drowned in the Presumpscot river in 1769 
while engaged in driving logs. Dea. Alden records his burial on 
Oct. 19, 1769. After his death his administrator sold Nov. 16, 1774 
his lot to Nathaniel. These two lots (7 and 5) continued in the 
family till about 1846. Benjamin's widow married Lemuel Hicks 
Nov. 5, 1778. 

(2) David Frost, son of Nathaniel, lived north of the brook, on 
the road that passes northerly from the house of the late Capt, 



506 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Nathaniel Frost past the Dyer and Jacob Hamblen houses, in the 
latter of which Henry B. Johnson now lives. He married Mary 
Johnson of Kalniouth, probably daughter of John and Mary (Ander- 
son) Johnson. Children : 

Polly, b. Apr. 17, 1767, m. Joseph llanibkn, Dec. 18, 1788. 

John, b. Dec. 28, 1768, m. Jane Richmond; went to Norway. 

David, b. Keb. 5, 1771, moved to Machias. 

Jenny, b. Feb. 13, 1773, m. Nathaniel Webster, Oct. 13, 1799. 

Nancy, b. May 13, 1775, m. Zachariah Weston of Norway. 

Nathaniel, j , , i m- Content Hamblen, Apr. 4, 1802. 

Benjamin, S -^'"''' ""*' ''^^' 1 d. July 20, 1779. 

Eunice, b. Jan. 8, 1780, m. Samuel Andrews of Norway. 

Robert, b. Mar. 28, 1782, m. Betsey Jordan of Otisfield ; d. in Norway, Mar. 14, 

1868. 
Charles, b. Aug. 6, 1784, moved to Portland. 
Peter, b. Apr. 26, 1788, m. Sarah Perkins; went to Norway. 
William, b. Oct. 24, 1790, m. Abigail H. Stevens of Cape Elizabeth, July 2, 

1815; 2d, Sally Haskell, Feb. 26, 1836; 3d, Mary Files, June 3, 1839; 

4th, Eliza Hamblen, Feb. 9, 185 1 ; 5th, Lucy Witt of Norway, Mar. 9, 

1855 ; I'd in Norway. 

David Frost when quite an old man moved to Norway. 

(2) Peter Frost, son of Nathaniel, settled on the thirty acre lot 89, 
near the old Shaker farm. His farm is now owned by Ezra Rich- 
ardson. He married Margaret . Children : 

Mary, b. Nov. 26, 1772, m. Samuel Lord, June 14, 1S09. 
Betty, b. Jan. 6, 1774, m. James Mosher, Jr , p. Oct. 5, 1793. 
Benjamin, b. Apr. 0, 1775, "i- ^^ercy Hamblen, Aug. 25, iSio. 
Sarah, b. Nov. 19, 1777, m. Thomas Blake of Westbrook, Apr. 26, 1823. 

(2) Nathaniel Frost, son of Nathaniel, lived on the old homestead 
of Nathaniel his father on the Fort Hill road, the farm recently 
owned by Daniel BiUings. Col. Frost built the house now standing 
on the place. The former house is still standing on the premises 
having been moved back. He was a soldier in the war of the Rev- 
olution, being commissioned May 10, 1776, as second lieutenant in 
Capt. Alexander McLellan's company in the 3d Cumberland Co. 
regt., and marched to Boston in August of that year. He was after- 
wards an ensign in Capt. Richard Mayberry's company. On June i, 
1787, he was commissioned Lieut.-colonel in the State militia, a 
position which he held for twenty-one years. He married Polly 
Berry of Falmouth, by whom he had : 

Jeremiah, b. Aug. 31, 1780, m. Hannah A. Higgins, May 26, 1804. 
Elizabeth, b. Feb. 28, 1782. m. Colman P. Watson, July 25, 1S02. 
Miriam, b. Jan. 23, 1785. 

Col. Frost married .second, Sally Brown of Falmouth, (pub. June 
16, 1787). His third wife was Mrs. Rebecca Higgins of Standish, 
whom he married Nov. 7, 1801. She was the widow of Ebenezer 



GENEALOGY. 507 

Higgins of Standish, and came from Cape Cod. She died Dec. 25, 
1820. Col. Nathaniel P'rost died in May, 1838, aged 90. 

(2) Enoch Frost, son of Nathaniel, lived at Gorham village. He 
was a carpenter by trade and built and lived in the Nathaniel Gould 
house (now Mrs. Sawyer's). In 1779 he served as sergeant major 
in Col. Jonathan Mitchell's regiment, and took part in the unfortu- 
nate Penobscot expedition. He married Alice, daughter of Prince 
and Sarah Davis. Children : 

Rufus, b. Nov. 9, 1 78 1. 

Cyrus, b. May i, 1784, d. young. 

Rebecca, b. May 26, 1786, m. Silas White, July 10, 1804. 

Polly, b. Oct. 20, 1788. 

Mason, b. Dec. 19, 1790, ni. Sarah Knight, May 18, 1817 ; 2cl, Mary Knight. 

Colman, b. Apr. 13, 1793. 

Nathaniel B., b. Nov. 25, 1797, m. Mary Elden of Portland, p, Apr. 17, 1824. 

Patty, b. June 29, 1799, m. Edward Cobb, Nov. 24, 1825. 

Cyrus, b. June 23, 1802. 

Mrs. Alice Frost died in 1802, aged about 45 years. 

(3) Samuel Frost, son of Benjamin, lived on South St., in the old 
Waterman house. He married Rebecca, daughter of Daniel and 
Dilla Hamblen. Children : 

Susanna, b. May 15, 1793, m. Moses Stone, p. Oct. 10, 1S19; 2d, James M. 
Edwards. 

Daniel H., b. Mar. 13, 1795, m. Sally G. Smith, Dec. 16, 1818. 

William, b. Aug. 19, 1797, m. Abigail Crockett, p. Jan. 16, 1819. 

Benjamin, b. May 8, 1800, m. Sarah Davis, p. Mar. 22, 1828. 

Nathaniel, b. Mar. 19, 1S03, m. Eunice, dau. of Samuel and Tabitha Cobb, 
Dec. 28, 1826. Ch : Naaman, b. July 31, 1827, d. Oct. 22, 1846; 
Charles, b. Apr. 12, 1829; Sarah, b. Aug. 29, 1831 ; Martha, b. Jan. 8, 
1833; Samuel C, b. Jan. 11, 1837, m. a dau. of Edward and Patty 
(Frost) Cobb; Betsey L., b. Feb. 17, 1840; Franklin P., b. May 31, 
1842, d. in Chelsea. Mass., Jan. 26, 1864; Ann M., b. July 25, 1844. 
Mr. Frost was a carpenter and joiner ; he d. in Gorham ; his wife Eunice 
d. in Chelsea, Mass., Sept. 29, 18S0, ag. 74. 

James, b. Oct. 18, 1808, m. Libby of Westbrook. 

Samuel Frost died Nov. 17, 1836. Mrs. Rebecca Frost died in 
1841, aged 76. 

(3) Nathaniel PYost. son of David, lived on the southerly side of 
Main St., half a mile below the village. The two-story house which 
he built and in which he lived stood in what is now the northwest 
corner of the cemetery. When the lot was bought by the town and 
added to the buiying yard the house was purchased by the late John 
A. Waterman, Esq., and moved to the opposite side of the street. 
Capt. Frost married Content, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth 
Hamblen, and their children were : 



508 [IISTORV OF GOKIIAM. 

Martha, b. Feb. 12, 180-5, m. Meshach Rust, Nov. 25, 1S21. 

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 24, i8o_i, m, John Meserve, Feb. 2cS, 1830. 

Johnson, b. July 4, 1806, m. Sarah C. Ross, p. Aug. 30, 1828. 

Jacob, b Apr. 13, 1808, m. .Susan Wigghi. p. Oct. ig, 1834. 

Nathaniel, b. July 31, 1810, m. ; d. in Charleston, S. C, Mar. 25, 

'835- 

Almira, b. Apr. 10, 1812, d. Feb. 20, 1813. 

Charles, b. Feb. 20, 1814, d. Sept. 29, 181 5. 

Almira, b. June 5, 1816, d. unm. Mar. 28, 1S98. 

Charles, b. Sept. 15, 1818, m. Eunice J., dau. of Ai and Eunice Staples, Aug. 
14, 1848. Ch: Ellen S., b. May, 1849, d. Jan. 17, 1851 ; Charles F., b. 
May 17, 1851, d. July 12, 1871 ; George Ai, b. Jan. 19, 1853, d. Feb. 2, 
1873, in Boston, Mass.; Ellen S., m. Walter Austin, d. in Boston. Capt. 
Frost was a sea captain ; he built the house on State St., since occupied 
by his widow, and now owned by Mr. Adams ; he d. in Liverpool, Eng., 
May 29, 1859. 

David F., b. July 31, 1S20, m. Margaret J. (Libby) Cates, dau. of Jona. and 
Abigail Libby, and widow of James P. Cates. Ch: Howard S., b. May 
12, 1849 ; Margaret A., b. 1853, m Wm. Ridlon, d. Nov. 9, 1874. David 
F. Frost I'd on his father's place ; he d. Apr. 8, 1859. 

Mary J., b. Feb. 13, 1824, m. Henry L. McNish, June 17, 1862. 

Capt. Nathaniel Frost died Feb. 9, 1830, aged 53; Mrs. Content 
Frost died Dec. 4, 1845, aged 67. 

(3) Benjamin Frost lived and died on the farm of his father, Peter. 

He married Mercy, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Hamblen. 

Children : 

Peter, b. Feb. i, 1812, d. June, 1816. 

Benjamin, b. Oct. 12, 1S13, d. Feb. 7, 1836. 

Randall, b. Nov. 5, i8i5,d. May 13, 1840. 

Joseph H., b. June 12, 181S, m. Francina Jackson, Dec. 6, 1840; d. July 12, 

1845. 
Margaret A., b. Mar. 30, 1S20, d. Nov. 12, 1S42. 
Peter, b. June 10, 1822. 

Benjamin Frost died Mar. 7, 1833, aged 58 years. 

(3) Jeremiah Frost, son of Nathaniel, lived and died on the farm 

owned by his father and grandfather before him. He married 

Hannah A., daughter of Ebenezer and Rebecca Higgins of Standish, 

and step-daughter to Mr. Frost's father, Col. Nathaniel. Children : 

Mary, b. Aug. 4, 1804, m. James Paine, May 4, 1831. 

Harriet, b. Feb. 16. 1806, m. Charles Wyman, Jan. 14, 1836. 

Elizabeth W., b. Nov. 17, 1807, m. William E. Brown, June 23, 1S29. 

Abigail H., b. Dec. 6, 1809, m. Isaac Johnson, Aug. 20, 1829 ; d. Apr. i :;, 1S52. 

Hannah, b. May 5, 181 2, m. Abner Wescott, 1836. 

Miriam, b. June 15, 1814, d. Jan. 9, 1816. 

Miriam, b. July 12, 1S16, m. William Merrill, Jan. 9. 1S40. 

Emeline, b. July 20, 1818, m. Asa Leavitt, Jan. 13, 1S39; he d. in 1857, and she 

m. Isaac Johnson (2d wife). 
Francis S., b. Apr. 23, 1820, m. Rebecca Libby, Oct. 15, 1842 ; d. in vScarboro, 

Nov. 23, 1900. 
Catherine, b. Feb. 17, 1823, d. unm. Dec. 20, 184S. 
Charles H., b. Aug. 8. 1826, d. unm. Oct. 29, 1855. 

Jeremiah Frost died Feb. 7, 1845, aged 64. His wife Hannah 
died Sept. 27, 1856, aged 74. 



GENEALOGY. 509 

(3) Mason Frost, son of Enoch, was a carriage maker at (lorham 
village. He married Sarah, daughter of George and Rebecca (Davis) 
Knight of Windham. 

Alice, b. June 16, 1S19, m. Ezekiel Bradbury, 1847. 

Mrs. Sarah Frost died in May, 1820, aged 29, and Mr. Frost 
married, May 20, 1821, her sister Mary Knight, by whom also he had 
one child : 

George, b. Apr. i, 1822, d. Aug. 31, 1840. 

Mrs. Mary Frost died Sept. 16, 1838, aged 45. 

Moses Frost came from Berwick to Gorham. He was born June 

3, 1766, the son of Thomas who was born July 17, 1744, and was of 

the sixth generation in descent from George Frost the emigrant. He 

lived about a mile from West Gorham on the western line of the town. 

His farm joined the old Ward farm, where Abraham Dow and Albion 

Wood afterwards lived, and it also joined the farm of Timothy l>acon. 

He married, April 15, 1790, Sarah, daughter of Humphrey and 

Elizabeth McKenney of Limington, who was born Mar. 10, 1766. 

Children : 

Dorcas, b. Mar. 2, 1791, m. Nahum Patterson of Saco; d. ()ct. 19, 1832. 
Thomas, b. July 18, 1792, m. Esther Harmon, Nov. i, 181 5 ; I'd in Limington ; 

d. in Cornville. 
Dominions, b. Feb. 15, 1794, m. Susan I^arker, Oct. 17, 1816; 2d, Mary A. 

Harding ; 3d, Susan I3enson 
Charles, b. Jan. 12, 1796, m. Lydia Feriiald, May 11, 1S19 ; 2d, Lucinda Smith 

of Portland; d. in Bethel, where for thirty y'rs he was a Cong'l minister. 
Henry, b. Jan. 8, 1798, m. Sophronia Irish, Nov. 28, 182 1. 
Eliza, b. Nov. 3, 1799, d. May 28, 1814. 
James, b. Jan. 11, 1802, m. Ruth Pennell, Mar. 31, 1826; I'd and d. in Skow- 

hegan. 
Susan, b. May 10, 1804, m. Calvin Kinsman, Oct. 8, 1840; d. in Gorham, May 

7. 1842. 
Mary Ann, b. June 5, 1806, m. lames Bickford ; d. at Buxton Centre, Aug. 7, 

1868. 

Moses Frost died Sept. 20, 1850, and his wife Sarah, Nov. 10, 
1839. 

(2) Dominicus Frost, son of Moses, married Susan Parker. 
Children, the oldest born in Waterford, the others in Standish : 

Charles, b. Dec, 1818, m Mary Jones of Brooks; d. in Morrill, Oct. 12, 1875. 
Samuel P., b. Apr. i, 1S20, m. Harriet Hooper in Bangor, 1853 ; d. in Rockland, 

July, 1871. 

Whitman S., b. , 1822, I'd in lona, Mich. 

Sarah Jane,b. Apr. 16, 1826, m. Isaac C. Walker in Bangor, Nov. 19, 1849; 2d, 

Thomas T. Tabor. 
Maria F., b. June 12, 1829, d. in Oakland, Cal., Jan., 18S6. 
Isaac, b. Apr. i, 1833, d. in Iowa. 
Moses W., b. Oct. 26, 1835, m. Margaret Smith; d. in Belfast, Jan. 10, 1900. 



5i0 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mrs. Susan Frost died in Thorndike about 1838, aged 41, and 
Mr. Frost married, Mary A. Harding of Jackson. She lived but a few 
months, and he married, Sept. 12, 1843, Susan, daughter of James 
and Abigail (Dow) Benson of Limington. Children: 

James B., b. in Gorham, July 20, 1845. 

Justin, ) I ■ r- u II o o ( d- June 6, 184Q. 

i. J . > b. in Gorham, July Q 184S, { ■' > -+y ,,,,,, 

Edwm, ) ' •' - ^ ^ ' ( m. Jones of Belfast. 

Mary Susan, b. in Gorham, , m. Albion Rowe ; d. in Gorham. 

Dominicus Frost died in Gorham Dec. 6, 1862, aged 6g. Mrs. 
Susan B. Frost died Feb. 6, 1897, aged 83. 

(2) Henry Frost, son of Moses, married Sophronia, daughter of 

Gen. James and Rebecca Irish. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 4, 1822, m. Theophilus Waterhouse of Standisli, Feb. 25, 

1845 ; d. in 1848. 
Caroline E., b. Aug. 17, 1824. 

Henry Frost died July 13, 1826, aged 28. His widow married, 
Sept. 23, 1829, Capt. John Wingate. 

Love Frost, who married, Dec. 25, 1791, Nathaniel Wing of 
Limington, was probably a daughter of James Frost who lived for a 
short time in Gorham, and who was an uncle to Moses. She was 
born Dec. i, i 77 i. 

GAMMON. 

Philip and Joseph Gammon, brothers, came from England to 
America, when quite young, and lived for a while in Cape Elizabeth. 
In 1757. Philip, then of Scarborough, moved to Gorham, where he 
bought, July 7, 1757, the hundred acre lot, 45, of David Gorham. 
His wife was Joanna . We find no perfect record of his fam- 
ily, but there were : 

Philip, m. Sarah Crockett, p. Feb. i, 17-77; ^ soldier of the Revolution; on 
Windham tax list of 1790. 

Nathaniel, bought land of Uriah Nason and I'd for a time in the upper part of 
the town ; left Gorham in i/Si, going to Raymond. He m. Mary Lowell, 
Nov. 20, 1777 ; 2d, .Sarah Ilodgdon (?) ; had three sons and a dau. Sally. 
Mr. Gammon died in the town of Naples. 

Joseph, b. in Gorham in August, 1758, was a soldier of th6 Revolution, and a 
member of Capt. McLellan's company in the expedition against Baga- 
duce. After the defeat, he and John Lomljard made their way to Gorham 
through the wilderness ; they were without arms, and suffered great 
hardships, but finally, after a long time reached home in safety. Mr. 
Gammon and Mr. I.omljard went together from (Jorham to Otisfield, and 
afterwards 10 Norway, where they settled on adjoining farms, and there 
spent the remainder of their days. Mr. Gammon m. in Otisfield, Drusilla 
Reed, who was b. in Groton, Mass., in 1769. Ch : Charlts, Harriet, 
Seba, Maria, Pomelia and Jose])h. Mr. G. d. in Norway, in 1855, ag. 97. 

Ruth, m. Thomas Clay, p. Oct. 15, 1781. 



GENEALOGY. 511 

Jonathan, m. Lydia Millett of Cape Elizabeth, p. Dec. 31, 1785; one child on 

record, Pelina, b. in Cape Elizalieth, Dec. 12, 178S, m. Thomas Akers, Sept. 

25, 1806. Mr. Gammon prob. m. 2d, (p. Mar. 3, 1796,) Nabby Gammon 

of Cape EHzabeth. 
Benjamin, m. Betty, dau. of Joshua and Hannah Crockett, Oct. 21, 1787 ; two 

ch. recorded, Hannah and Betty. Mr. Gammon left town about 1792. 
Betsey, m. Benjamin Bodge of Windham, Jan. 29, 1789. 

Aug. 10, 1770, Philip Gammon sold to David Gorham his hundred 
acre lot 45, and bought of Gorham the thirty acre lot 96 and the 
hundred acre lot 49, and apparently moved on to the former lot, for 
in 1784 he deeded to his sons Jonathan and Benjamin one-half of 
this lot with half of his dwelling house and barn. The hundred acre 
lot 49 he sold in 177 i to John Brackett of Falmouth. He afterwards 
owned and lived on the seventy acre lot 63, which lot he and Thomas 
Clay bought of David Harding, Jr., in 1797. His half he and his 
wife Joanna gave in 1801 to their daughter Ruth Clay, " in consider- 
tion of the love he bore her." Philip Gammon moved to Windham, 
where his old cellar may still be seen. P>om \\'indham he went with 
his son Nathaniel to Raymondtown. 

Joseph Gammon lived on a farm of twenty acres adjoining that of 
his brother Philip. This land he bought on Jan. 26, 1763 of John 
Phinney, it being a part of the hundred acre lot 44. This lot was 
one which was laid out to Phinney by the Proprietors, Sept. 26, 1751. 
Capt. Phinney had previously sold the northern half of this lot to a 
William Gainmon of Falmouth who sold the land the following year, 
and of whom we have found no further record. Joseph Gammon and 
his wife Elizabeth were living on this farm (No. 44) as late as 1801. 
This is the farm afterwards owned by Daniel Gammon, and since 
known as the David Elder place. About the year 1792 Mr. Gammon 
purchased of Dr. Barker his dwelling house, which he hauled across 
the fields to his farm where it stood till destroyed by fire Dec. 21, 
18S9. For several years Joseph Gammon was constable and tax 
collector of Gorham. His children were : 

Samuel, m. Susanna Perkins, p. Oct. 5, 1776. 

David, m. Mary, dau. of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Skillings) Doane, of Cape 

Elizabeth, p. May 3, 1777. One ch. on Gorham records : Daniel, b. Apr. 

I, 1779. David Gammon was a soldier of the Revolution — a member 

of Capt. Whitmore's militia company in 1777. He left Gorham about 

1782. He d. in Buckfield. 
Daniel, m. Mary BlancharcH Apr. 8, 1781 ; 2d, Polly Elder. 
Joshua, m. Elizabeth Millet of Cape Elizabeth, May 17, 1787. 
Joseph, m. Polly Patriik, p. Mar. i, 1795; d. in Norway. 
Chrstiana, m. Robert Knight of Otisfield, Dec. 22, 1796. 
William, m. Molly Hasty of Scarborough, Dec. 8, 1798; d. in Stoneham. 
John,, m. Sarah Cook of Windham, June 15, 1797 ; d. in Casco. 



512 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mary, m. John Brown, Nov. 29, iSoi ; d. in Turner. 
Abigail, d. in Buckfield. 

Apr. 29, 1799, Joseph Gammon gave to his son John Gammon of 
Gorham thirty acres, parts of the hundred acre lots 44 and 46. 

(2) Samuel (jammon, son of Joseph, served in the Revolutionary 
army. In 1775 he was a corporal in Capt. Williams" company. He 
married Susanna, daughter of John and Charlotte Perkins. A few 
years after his marriage he moved to Otisfield, and from thence to 
Hartford, Me., where he resided many years and where he probably 
died. His children were Edmund, married, Dec. 24, 1809, Sarah 

Whitney; Stephen, married Beard of Yarmouth ; Samuel ; John ; 

Perkins, went South ; Susan, died, unmarried ; Lavina, married Mr. 
Spurr of Otisfield ; and Nancy, married. May 4, 1809, John Phinney. 

(2) Daniel Gammon, son of Joseph, was a member of Capt. Whit- 
more's militia company in 1777, and a soldier of the Revolution. He 
lived on the hundred acre lot 44 on the east side of the road leading 
from James Phinney, Jr.'s to Queen street. He married Polly Blan- 
chard. They had one child : 

Simeon, b. June 13, 17S2. 

Mr. Gammon married, Jan. 4, 1787, Polly, daughter of Isaac Elder, 
by whom he had : 

Hannali, b. Mar. 17, 1788. 

James, b. July 8, 1790, soldier in the War of 1S12. 

Isaac, b. July 21, 1792. 

Anna, b. Mar. 13, 1794, m. Thomas. 

Samuel, b. May 14, 1797, m. ; had four sons and one daughter; 

son Elijah II. (lammon was the founder of the (Jammon Theological 

School at Atlanta, Ga. 
Elijah, b. Jan. 6, 1799, m. ; moved to Wilton and afterwards to 

Weld; had thiee sons and two daughters. 
Ansel, b. Feb., 1806, ni. Mehi'able Young of Talermo, 1824 ; 2d, 1S34-5, Elinor 

Young; had nineteen children, sixteen of whom lived to maturity. 
Eliza, b. , ni. Eben Stowers. 

In 181 o Daniel Gammon sold his farm to Elijah and David Elder, 
brothers of his wife, and moved from town. 

(3) Edmund Gamman, son of Samuel, and grandson of Joseph, 
v/as born in Gorham Apr. 7, 1778. About the year 1805 he returned 
to Gorham from Hartford, Me., w'here his father was then living. He 
opened a grocery store near the mouth of the Black Brook road and 
nearly opposite the house of the late Rufus Mosher, where was quite 
a settlement at that time. He afterwards removed to the village and 
lived for many years in the old Jacob Hamblen house, which stood 



GENEALOGY. 513 

east of the house of the late Mrs. Stephen Hinkley. He married 
Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Betty Whitney. Their children were : 

Elden, b. Nov. 5, 181 1, m. May 13, 1832, Miriam, dau. of Daniel and Eunice (March) 
Fogg of Scarborough. Ch : Helen, b. Apr. 21, 1833, d. Aug. 25, 1849 ! 
Edwin, b. Aug. 14, 1835, d. July 26, 1900, unm. Mr. Gamman was a 
skilled machinist, noted for the fine quality and accuracy of his work. 
He d. Mar. 15, 1S84 ; his wife d. Feb. 10, 1895, ag. 87. 

Elizabeth, b. Feb. 20, 1824. 

Edmund Gamman died Aug. 4, 1841. Mrs. Gamman died Mar. 
19, 1875, aged 86. 

GILKEY. 

James Gilkey, who came here about the year 1750, was the first of 
the name in town. He married, Sept. 11, 1748, Martha Morton. He 
was a weaver by trade, came from the north of Ireland, and in relig- 
ious belief was a strong Presbyterian. At the time he came here he 
was probably about forty years of age. He first settled on the thirty 
acre lot, 29, which is the second lot westerly from the Fort Hill road, 
on the southerly side of the two rod road running westerly above the 
Isaac Dyer farm. Here marks of the old house and cellar are still 
to be seen. By his deed to Wentworth Stuart, then of Berwick, dated 
Jan. 23, 1753, he conveys to said Stuart this tliirty acre lot, with the 
building and fences on the same. After this he settled on South St., 
on the thirty acre lot, 18, where he built a house, the same occupied by 
the late Dr. Dudley Folsom. This house was burned while occupied 
by Dr. Folsom. Mr. Gilkey's children by his first wife were : 

Joseph, b. Apr. 27, 1751, m. Phebe Larrabee, Aug. 18, 1774. 
Rebecca, b. Nov. 17, 17^3. ni. James Small, Apr. 4, 1787. 
James, b. Apr. 29, 1756, m. Polly Marr, May 17, 1782. 

Nov. 9, 1759, he married Mrs. Margaret Watts, widow of Samuel 

Watts of Falmouth, and daughter of Samuel Elder. By her he had : 

Samuel, b. Oct. 21, 1761, d. at sea, unm. 

John, b. Jan. 23, 1764, m. Susan Bacon, Mar. 14, 1789. 

Isaac, b. July 14, 1768, m. Catherine Staples, Aug. 26, 1792. 

Mr. Gilkey, a short time before his death, deeded half of his lot, 
18, to his son John, who probably owned it with his mother, for in 
1797, Mrs. Margaret Gilkey, with her son John, deeded to her son 
Isaac an acre from this lot near where the railroad bridge now is. On 
this acre Isaac built the two-story house known as the Baxter house, 
lately owned by Jonathan Fogg. This house Isaac Gilkey sold to Rev. 
Jeremiah Noyes, the fourth settled minister in the town of Gorham. 
Then Isaac built the two-story house on the thirty acre lot, 17, on the 
easterly side of South St., which he sold to Rev. Asa Rand. This 
house is the same lately owned by Dr. H. H. Hunt. 



514 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

James Gilkey died at his own house on South St., about the year 1 790, 
being over eighty years of age ; and his wife Margaret soon after, or 
about the year 1800. aged about eighty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. 
Gilkey were honest Christian people and members of the old church, 
but becoming much dissatisfied under the ministrations of the Rev. 
Mr. Thacher, they joined the Free Will Baptists. 

(2) Joseph Gilkey, son of James, married Phebe Larrabee : 

Betty, b. July 29, 1775, "^- Frederick Stevens of 25 Mile Pond, Mar. 3, iSoi. 
Martha, h. Apr. 23, 1777, m. Benjamin Ciiandler of Pepperellboro, Oct. 20, 

1 799. 
Sarah, b. Sept. 27, 1779, m. Hezekiah Chase of Sandy Stream, p. June 17, 1803. 

Phebe, b. June 3, 1782, m. Whitney ; I'd in W. Troy, Me. 

Samuel, b. May 25, 1784, I'd in Troy, Me. 

James, b. June 4, 1786. 

Mary, b. June 11, 1788, m. James Patterson, Jan. iS, 1813 

William, ) , ., 

Isaac, '}b- May 17, .790. 

Joseph settled on a part of the thirty acre lot 115, and built a 
large two-story house a little east of where Mrs. Rufus Mosher now 
lives. This house was taken down soon after the death of Mr. and 
Mrs. Gilkey, about the year 181 5. 

Mr. Small, who married Rebecca, daughter of James Gilkey, 

moved to Gray. These are the ancestors of Samuel Small, Esq., 

now ([878) cashier of the Cumberland Nat'l Bank, Portland. James 

Gilkey, Sr., who married Polly Marr, moved to Limington. John 

Gilkey, who married Susan Bacon of Barnstable, had three children 

born in Gorham. 

Ebenezer B., b. Sept. 14, 1790. 
vSally, b. Aug. 8, 1792. 
John, b. Aug. 10, 1794. 

About the year 1794 John, with his family, moved to New Port- 
land, where he had descendants living, a few years since. 

(2) Isaac Gilkey, who married Catherine Staples, lived in his house 
on South St., till he sold it, about the year 18 to, to Rev. Asa Rand, 
the fifth minister settled in Gorham. lie then moved on to his farm 
above Fort Hill where Ezra Thomes lately lived, the old place of Dr. 
Stephen Swett. The children of Isaac and Catherine Gilkey were : 

.Samuel, b. Sept. 22, 1793, m. Hannah Phinney, May 5, 1816. 

Josejjh, b. July 26, 1795, m. Mary Johnson, Jan. 5, 1824. 

Charles, b. July 11, 1797, d. Nov. 12, 1827. 

Harriet, b. Sept. 2, 1799, d. young. 

Frederick, b. May 22, 1802, m., 1829, Lydia Bangs; I'd at the north part of the 

town. Ch : Isaac, b. Jan. 7, 1830; Mary M., b. Oct. 19, 1832, m. Mr. 

Nason at Great Falls, d. leaving no chn. ; Charles, b. Apr. 19, 1834, m. 

Elder of Portland; Harriet, b. May, J845, d. unm. Nov. 7, 1885. 



GENEALOGY. 515 

Mrs. Gilkey d. Apr. 6, 1851, ag. 45, and in 1856, Mr. G. m. Margaret 
Wescott, by whom he had: Carrie, m. George Perkins of Kennebunk. 
Mr. G. d. in May, 1877. 
Harriet, b. May 2, 1804, ni. David Johnson, Jan. ji, 1S25; 2d, Enoch Boothby 
of Buxton, in 1828. 

Isaac Gilkey was in his day a famous carpenter or joiner. He 
was second under Wentworth Stuart in framing the First Parish 
meeting house, in Gorham, in 1797. He built a number of the old- 
fashioned ropewalks in Portland. The long-walk that stood on the 
shore of Back Cove, under the hill, was built by him, and framed at 
Gorham in the road (now South St.), in front of his house, in three 
sections, each reaching from his house to the old hay scales, which 
stood in the road opposite to where the new schoolhouse now stands. 
In those days there was no square rule, or framing by patterns : each 
stick had to be framed and fitted to its place, marked and draw- 
bored, separately. 

Mr. Gilkey died on his farm May 14, 18 14. His wife Catherine 
died Nov. 27, 1845, at the age of 75. 

(3) Reuben, the son of James and Polly (Marr) Gilkey, was born 

in Limington, Dec. 19, 1788. He moved to Gorham in 1838, and 

built and occupied the cottage house at West Gorham, just southeast 

of the house of the late Reuben Lowell. He married first, Eliza 

Marr, by whom he had several children born in Limington. His 

second wife was Phebe Marr, sister of P^liza, whom he married May 

8, 1 83 1. Their children were: 

Eliza C, b. in Limington, , 1S33, m. Albion Sawyer. 

Mary, b. in Limington, July, 1836, d. young. 

Capt. Gilkey died in Portland, May 35, 1868. Mrs. Phebe Gilkey 
died in Gorham, Dec. 22, 1867, aged 62. 

(3) Joseph Gilkey, brother to Reuben, married Louisa, daughter 
of Zebediah F. and Margaret (Clark) Jackson of Limington. Mr. 
Gilkey and his father-in-law Jackson came to Gorham in 1835 and 
purchased of Thomas S. Bowles the old Prentiss place at West 
Gorham. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jackson had a family of six daughters : 

Salome, m. Abner Libby ; I'd in Limerick. 

Almira, m. Peletiah Gove, of Limington. 

Louisa, m. Joseph Gilkey. 

Tryphena S., m. Chesley D. Gove of Limington. 

Olive F., m. Micajah C. Strout ; I'd in Limington. Gorham and Portland. 

Jane, m. George Waterhouse of Gorham ; d. in Portland. 

Mr. Jackson died in Portland, Jan. 14, 1862, aged 87. His wife 
Margaret died Jan. 17, 1864, at West Gorham, with her daughter 



516 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Tryphena. The old place descended to Mrs. Gove's daughter, Mrs. 
Cyrus Cressey, who sold it to Joseph Harrison. 

Joseph Gilkey and his wife Louisa had but one child, AlphonsoL., 
who was born in Limington, Nov. 7, 1829, married Susan Bradford 
Cook Jan. i, 1856, and lives in Portland, where he has been a fur 
dealer. Joseph Gilkey died in Gorham, and his wife in Portland, 
Sept. 30, 1888, aged 82. 

There was a Mary Gilkey in town at an early date, but of what 
family we do not know. She married, Dec. 7, 1775, Daniel Moxey, 
or Mussey. 

GORHAM. 

Capt. John Gorham, who commanded a company of the colonial 
troops in the King Philip war, and was at the taking of the fort in 
the swamp in the Narragansett country, Dec. 19, 1675, the capture 
of which crushed the hopes of King Philip and his allies, was the son 
of Ralph Gorham. 

The Gorhams trace their genealogy back to the De Gorrams, of 
La'Tanniere, near Gorram in Maine, on the borders of Brittany, 
where William, son of Ralph de Gorram, built a castle in 1128. 
During the reign of William the Conqueror several of the family 
removed to England, where certain ones of the name became persons 
of some standing; but the immediate ancestors of Captain John do 
not appear to have been of much note. James Gorham of Benefield, 
Northamptonshire, England, who was born in 1550, married Agnes 
Bernington in 1572 and died 1576. Ralph Gorham his son was 
born in 1575. He married in England and came with his family in 
ship Philip to New England about 1635. Of his family but little is 
known ; the only record being of his son John. It is probable he had 
other children, and a son by the name of Ralph, as he was called 
the " elder," which shows that there must have been one other of the 
same name. Ralph Gorham died about the year 1643, leaving no 
widow and only one son, John, who inherited his father's estate. No 
other Gorhams are known to have been in the colony during the 
seventeenth centuiy, after the death of Ralph, besides John and his 
descendants. 

We have no record of the birth of Capt. John Gorham, but he was 
baptized in Benefield, Northamptonshire, England, Jan. 28, 1621. Of 
his early history, little is known. He had a good common school 
education, was brought up in the Puritan faith, and during life was a 



GENEALOGY. 517 

consistent and exemplary Christian. His occupation was tiiat of 
a tanner and currier of leatlier, which business he attended to in the 
winter, and carried on his farm in the summer. He was an honest 
boy, and grew up to be an honest man. In 1643, when about 
twenty-two years of age, he married Desire Howland of Plymouth, 
daughter of John Howland, and granddaughter of John Tilley, both 
of whom came over in the Mayflower. Desire was one of the first 
children born at Plymouth ; she was a Christian woman both in name 
and spirit. 

John Gorham moved from Plymouth to Marshiield in 1646 ; June 
4, 1650, he was made a freeman of the colony. In 1652, he moved 
to Yarmouth, where he purchased a house lot adjoining the line of 
Barnstable. From this time we find him adding to his estate until 
he became a large land owner, which with his grist mill and tannery 
must have kept him well employed. In 1677, in consequence of the 
good service Capt. Gorham had rendered the country in the war in 
which he lost his life, the Court confirmed to his heirs and succes- 
sors forever the hundred acres of land at Papasquash Neck, in 
Swanzey, which had been selected by him in his lifetime. He was 
one of the selectmen of Barnstable in the year 1674, and was 
appointed a Lieutenant of the Plymouth forces in the Dutch war in 
1673. Oct. 4, 1675, he was appointed Captain of the second com- 
pany of the Plymouth forces in the King Philip war, and ordered to 
rendezvous his company at Providence, Dec. 10, 1675. The battle 
was fought Dec. 19, 1675, and was decisive in its result. This was 
the second expedition sent against the Narragansetts in which Capt. 
Gorham bore a part. The first was not successful, the English suf- 
fering a defeat, a fuller account of which can be found in the histories 
of the times. To the officers and soldiers of this war the grant of 
seven townships of land was made by the General Court of Massa- 
chusetts about the years 1728 and 1732. Capt. Gorham did not live 
long after the battle. He was seized with a fever, brought on in 
consequence of fatigue and exposure, and died, while in command of 
his company, in Swanzey, where he was buried, Feb. 5, 1676. His 
wife Desire svu-vived him, and died in Barnstable, Oct. 13, 1683. 

In the distribution of the seven townships amongst the Narragan- 
sett soldiers. No. 7 was awarded to Capt. John Gorham and one 
hundred and nineteen others, to their heirs and assigns forever, 
according to the rules fixed by the General Court providing for 
descent or heirship. For a list of the co-holders in the proprietary, 
reference may be had to Chapter II of this work. 



518 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

The children of Capl. John and his wife Desire (Howland) Gorham 
were Desire, Temperance, Elizabeth, James, John (born in Marsh- 
field, Feb. 20, 1652), Joseph, Jabez, Mercy, Lydia, Hannah and 
Shubael. Lieut. Col. John Gorham, the fifth child of Capt. John and 
Desire, was brought up to work at the trade of his father. His tan- 
nery was near his father's grist mill. He inherited a part of his 
father's estate, and became wealthy, ranking second in town, next to 
his brother James. He was with his father in the King Philip war. 
He was afterwards much engaged during the French and Indian 
wars, from 1689 to 1704, on the eastern coast, under Col. Benjamin 
Church. Connected with these expeditions there was a whaleboat 
fleet, manned by whalemen, sailors and friendly Indians, which dur- 
ing most of the time was under the sole management and command 
of Col. Gorham. During the fourth and fifth of these expeditions, he 
was commissioned Lieut. Colonel and second in command, and in 
case of accident was named as commander. This fleet was of great 
service in transporting supplies, and in moving the troops from point 
to point when marching through the wilderness, which was nearly 
impassable. Lieut. Col. Gorham ranked as a captain in the unfortu- 
nate Canada expedition in 1690, under Maj. Walley. In this expedi- 
tion he commanded the whaleboat fleet, without which it would have 
been still more disastrous. Subsequently he was a Lieut. Colonel 
in the militia. He was a man of sound judgment, good business 
capacity, much employed by his fellow-townsmen as a conveyancer, 
writing wills, and in drawing public documents. He married, Feb. 
16, 1674, Mary Otis, daughter of Mr. John Otis. Their children 
were born in Barnstable, and were as follows : John, Temperance, 
Mary, Stephen, Shubael (born Sept. 2, 1686), John, Thankful, Job, 
and Mercy. Col. John Gorham died Dec. 9, 17 16, in the 65th year 
of his age. His widow Mary died April i, 1733. 

Col. Shubael Gorham, who was the fifth child of Lieut. Col. John 
and Mary (Otis) Gorham, was like his father, something of a military 
man. He was Colonel of the 7th Mass. in the Louisburg expedition ; 
his commission bearing the date of Feb. 2, 1744; and he was also 
Captain of the Pirst company. His son John was Lieut. Colonel 
and Captain of the Second company. Shubael Gorham was a man 
of enterprise, who persevered in whatever he undertook till he failed 
or succeeded. Much in public business, he was esteemed by all who 
knew him. It was principally through his instrumentality and the 
efficient part he took, that the grants were made by the General 
Court, of the seven townships of land to the officers and soldiers of 



GENEALOGY. 519 

the Narragansett, or King Philip war, or their lawful representatives. 
When the assembly of grantees was held on Boston Common, June 
6» i733> Hon. Shubael Gorham was made chairman of the Committee 
for Narragansett No. 7. By an order in Council, Shubael Gorham 
was empowered, July 5, 1736, to call together the grantees of Narra- 
gansett No. 7. Col. Gorham spent much time and money in for- 
warding and fostering the settlement of Gorhamtown. He bought a 
great many shares of those who did not wish to emigrate, but his 
speculation proved unfortunate. He died insolvent in the year 1746, 
his children being his principal creditors. He married his cousin 
Mary, daughter of Col. John and Lydia (Gorham) Thacher of Yar- 
mouth. Their children were John, born Dec. 12, 1709, married 
Elizabeth Allyn ; David, born April 6, 17 12, married Abigail Sturgis ; 
Mary; William; Lydia; Hannah; Hannah; Shubael; Joseph; Ben- 
jamin. Mrs. Mary Gorham died June 28, 1778, aged 89. - - .. ; :'- 

Daniel Gorham, born Sept. 24, 1708, was the son of Shubael 
Gorham (the youngest son of Capt. John Gorham) and his wife 
Puella Hussey, and bore the same degree of relationship to John the 
elder as the Hon. Shubael, viz., that of a grandson, but by a different 
branch. He was a mariner by profession. He was the owner of 
four rights in Gorhamtown. On Aug. 9, 1739, he was in Gorham- 
town, and acted as Proprietors' Clerk at a meeting when two hundred 
acres of land were voted and granted to Edmund and Stephen Phin- 
ney. He died in London, of the small pox, in 1745. He was 
unmarried, and by his will left his estate of land in Gorhamtown to 
his brother and sisters, George, Abigail, Lydia, Hannah, Theodate, 
Desire, Ruth and Deborah. It does not appear that any of them 
came to Gorham. 

Col. John Gorham, the first child of the Hon. Shubael Gorham, 
was a distinguished officer in the colonial forces in the later French 
wars. He was present at the capture of Louisburg, and rendered 
efficient service to the country during the war. In the Louisburg 
expedition he was Lieut. Colonel of the 7th Mass. and Captain of the 
Second company. His commission was dated Feb. 20, 1744. Col. 
Gorham resided in Barnstable till the year 1742, when he removed 
to Falmouth, Me., now Portland. While his residence was in Fal- 
mouth, he spent much of his time in Gorhamtown attending to his 
lands, and promoting the interests of the settlers. He married, 
Mar. 9, 1 73 1, Elizabeth, daughter of James Allyn, who is said to 
have been one of the most accomplished ladies of her time. They 
had fifteen children. No complete list of them is on record. Those 
born in Barnstable were: 



520 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Susannah, b. Nov. 21, 1732, d. Mar., 1733. 

Mary, b. Dec. 3. 1733, d. Jan. S, 1738. 

Anna, b. July 28, 1735. 

John, b. Dec. 26, 1736. 

Christopher, b. Jan. 10, 1738, d. at sea unm. 

Elizabeth, bapt. Dec. 16, 1739, m. Daniel Rogers of Gloucester. 

Daniel, bapt. Mar. i, 1741. 

The other children were born after their removal, in 1742, to 
Falmouth. The eighth child was Sea Deliverance, a daughter, 
named thus as she was born at sea ; she was christened at Barnstable, 
July 22. 1744. Three of the other children were: Mary, married 
Eben Parsons, Susannah, and Solomon, who died Dec. 20, 1795. 

It does not appear that any of Col. John Gorham's family settled 
in Gorham. After the close of the 1-rench war, Col. Gorham and 
his wife visited Europe, were presented at the court of St. James, and 
had an audience with the King, a distinction then attained to by but 
few of the subjects of royalty. In 1749 Col. Gorham was a resident 
of Boston. He died about the year 1750, of the small pox, in Lon- 
don, while engaged in prosecuting his claim for expenses in the 
Louisburg expedition. His widow Elizabeth married, in 1775, Col. 
John Stevens of Gloucester, and died Dec. 25, 1786, in her 73d year. 

Col. David Gorham, the second child of the Hon. Shubael Gorham, 
had three wives, namely : Abigail Sturgis, whom he married Aug. 2, 
1733, and who died Feb. 11, 1775, aged 63; second, Elizabeth 
Stevens of Truro, in 1775 ; third, Hannah Davis, whom he married 
June 17, 1783, and who died Oct. 3, 1810, aged 79. David Gorham 
died in Barnstable, in 1789, aged 77. He resided on the old home- 
stead in Barnstable. He was with his brother John at Cape Breton 
and the taking of Louisburg, and was engaged in other military 
services. In the time of the Revolution some charged him with 
being a tory, as he would not advocate some extreme measures, but 
the charge was unjust. For many years he was Register of Probate 
for the County of Barnstable, was much in public life, and was an 
energetic and capable man. The children of David Gorham, Esq., 
were : 

David, b. Aug. 24, 1735, ^- young. 

Elizabeth, b Aug. 22, 1737, d. young. , 

Edward, b. Aug. 23, 1739, d. about 1756. 

Lydia, b. May 30, 1741, m. Edward Bacon, Jr. 

William, b. July 12, 1743, m. Temperance White; 2d, Temperance Garret. 

Shubael, b. Feb. 3, 1745, d. in 174S. 

Benjamin, b. Feb. 23, 1747, m. Desire Thacher, Oct. 15, 1775. 

Abigail, b. Mar. 5, 1749, m. Jeremiah Barker. 

Shubael, b. Feb. 18, 1752, d. at sea, unm. 

Mary, b. May 21, 1754, m. Wm. Prentiss of Barnstable, 1778; d. July 8, 1784. 

Lydia married Capt. Edward Bacon, Jr. ; she died in Gorham at 

the house of her brother, Hon. William Gorham, Apr. 14, 1803, a 



GENEALOGY. 521 

widow. William married, in 1769, widow Temperance White of 
Scituate, who died in Gorham, Apr. 14, 1788; for his second wife 
he married Miss Temperance Garret of Gorham, Mar. 8, 1789. 
Abigail married, Oct. 12, 1775, Dr. Jeremiah Barker, and died in 
1790. 

It appears that the contract made, Mar. 28, 1743, by the Proprie- 
tors with Col. John Gorham to complete the mills was not fulfilled by 
him in consequence of his decease, and the mills were finished by his 
brother David, when the following proceedings were had by the 
Proprietors : 

York ss. 

At a meeting of the proprietors of Gorhamtown, or Narragansett 
No. 7, held at the house of Jacob Hamblin, in said town, January 
nth, 1759 — 

Voted, The report of the Committee be accepted, VIZ: 
We the subscribers being a Committee chosen by the Proprietors 
of Gorhamtown or Naraganset Township No. 7, at their meeting held 
at said township on thursday last, the eleventh instant, to search 
the records of said Proprietors with regard to Four hundred acres of 
land formerly granted to Jn° Gorham by way of- exchange on condi- 
tions, having fully enquired and examined the Records, and find that 
it stands clear for the proprietors, to grant the same to his brother 
David Gorham, Esq., according to the following draft of a vote, and 
do report that the proprietors vote accordingly, VIZ : Whereas 
on the 28'^ of March 1743, at a meeting of the Proprietors, 
it was voted and granted to Jn° Gorham, four hundred acres of the 
common land in Gorhamtown or Naraganset township No. 7, on 
Presumpscot river next Falmouth line. Upon certain conditions &S 
as per said proprietors records fully appears; and whereas the said 
Jn° Gorham since deceased not having fulfilled said conditions, in 
said vote mentioned, and whereas David Gorham of Barnstable in the 
county of Barnstable, Esquire, has clone and performed all and every 
article that was enjoined the said Jn" Gorham to entitle him to said 
grant, and has given surety to lay down and remit four hundred acres 
of his land in the last division, and also having been at great charge 
in bringing forward the settlement and of great advantage thereto at 
his own cost and charge : therefore, for and in consideration of said 
services, and giving security as aforesaid, Voted and Granted to him 
the said David Gorham, Esq., his heirs and assigns forever, the said 
Four hundred acres of Land adjoining to Falmouth line, as the same 
is surveyed. Delineated and planned, on the plan of the township 
now on file in y*^ Clerks Office of said Proprietors Office, Falmouth. 
January 13th 1759 Enoch Freeman 

Ephraim Jones 

Wm Cotton 

j ere pote 

J no Waite. 



522 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Benjamin Haskell, in behalf of his father Th"^. Haskell dissented 
against the foregoing Report and Vote of acceptance thereof. 
Recorded Per Moses Pearson, Clerk. 

David Gorham, of Barnstable, sold to Lemuel Rich, of Truro, 
thirty acres in the whole (thirty acre lot 64), with one-half of the mill, 
mill-dam, stream, and all material for building mills on said thirty 
acre lot, and one half the privilege of the stream running through 
part of said lot, also the whole of the thirty acre lot laying opposite 
the first 63. The sale was completed Feb. 11, 1762. 

Hon. William Gorham, the son of David Gorham, Esq., came to 
the town of Gorham about the year 1760, when he was eighteen 
years of age, several years previous to his marriage, and settled on the 
thirty acre lot 1 14. His house was near the corner made by the Port- 
land road and what was called the Black Brook road, the then principal 
road to Horse Beef Falls, opposite the house where Mrs. Rufus 
Mosher now lives. His home farm consisted of the thirty acre lot 
114 and the hundred acre lot 45, lying northerly of the thirty acre 
lot. His large two-story house and out-buildings, with the improve- 
ments thereto pertaining, constituted one of the best appointed estab- 
lishments to be found on the road from Gorham to Portland. The 
Hon. William (iorham was a gentleman in his manners, hospitable, 
and polite to all, a good neighbor much beloved and respected by his 
fellow townsmen. He had a good common school education. In 
his early life, by aiding his father in his office. Register of Probate, 
he became a good penman well versed in law proceedings, and 
understood the import and meaning of law and public documents, 
which fitted him to fill a conspicuous and useful place in the town of 
his adoption. He was chosen Proprietors' Clerk and Treasurer, and 
after the incorporation of the town held more or less of the municipal 
offices, till his Judgeship and other engagements compelled him to 
decline. He was often chosen to the several offices of town clerk, 
treasurer, selectman and committee on accounts. He was chosen 
a Delegate, with Col. Edmund Phinney and Stephen Longfellow, 
Esq., to attend Conventions held at Portland, in the years 1785 and 
1786, to take into consideration the separation of the then District of 
Maine from Massachusetts. He was President of the Conventions. 
During the Revolutionary .struggle, in 1776, Solomon Lombard, Esq., 
being on the Committee of Correspondence and Safety, was thought 
to be not sound and true. He was immediately censured and 
deposed by the town, and the Hon. William Gorham put in his place, 
where he made himself an active and efficient man. In 1782 he was 



GENEALOGY. oL'S 

appointed Judge of Probate, and in 1787 was made Judge of the 
Court of Common Pleas, which offices he filled acceptably until his 
death. 

Judge (jorham was occasionally inspired by the Muse of Poetry, as 
this little poem, written by him, and published in the Falmouth 
Gazette and Weekly Advertiser of F'eb. 19, 1785, will show : 

" Of wealth, ye Powers, I want but little store, 

One cent per annum, and I ask no more ; 
Give me content enough thro' life to pass ; 

By turns a friend, a thought, a book, a glass ; 
A verdant walk inductive to some shade. 

Not formed by art, but by kind nature made, 
A pond, and on its bank a wood -bine bower, 

A little garden, stock'd with every flower ; 
A female mate, with virtue sparkling eyes. 

Her face not handsome, let her mind be wise ; 
Of conversation innocently gay, 

And manners gentle as the breath of May ; 
Friend to my friends, a bitter foe to strife, 

Kind to my children, and to me a wife." 

Judge Gorham had but one child, a daughter, Frances, by his first 
wife, born Apr. 22, 1774. She married James Tyler, Dec. 11, 1796. 
The Hon. William Gorham died at his house in Gorham, July 22, 
1804, aged 61. His second wife survived him, and married Dr. 
Barker. 

Benjamin Gorham, the son of David Gorham, Esq., to distinguish 
him from the other Ben Gorhams, there being five of the same name 
in town (Barnstable) was called " Ben the Turkey-Foot." After his 
marriage with Miss Thacher, his father built him a house on Dimmock 
Lane, where he lived a while. In the year 1789 he had removed to 
Gorham, and in January, 1791, had returned to Barnstable, and died 
soon after. His children are not named in the Records of Barn- 
stable ; some of them were probably born while the family were in 
Maine. The first, Edward, bapt. Apr. 28, 1776, married widow 
Joanna Poland (Webbj. The second, William, bapt. Jan. 25, 1778, 
married Charlotte Beals, resided in Portland, and kept a grocery 
store for many years on the north side of Middle St., near where the 
hardware store of King and Dexter now is, and had William, 
Charlotte, and Joseph B. The third, Christopher, died at sea 
unmarried. The fourth, Polly, died unmarried. The fifth, David, 
bapt. April, 1786, resided in Maine. The sixth, Shubael, bapt. July 
II, 1790, died unmarried in 1840. 

There was a Hannah Gorham, who was in some degree related to 
the Hon. William Gorham, and lived in his family. She married, 
Nov. 19, 1789, Sylvanus Davis, son of Mr. Josiah Davis. 



524 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

GOULD. 

Nathaniel Gould was the son of Mager and Abigail (Goodhue) 
Gould. He was born Feb. 3, 1767, in Ipswich, Mass., in the Che 
bacco District, now Essex. In 1792 he settled in Gorham. Mr. 
Gould was a saddler, harness maker and chaise trimmer by trade. 
His shop stood where the house of Mrs. Geo. W. Lowell now stands, 
and his house was the one built by Enoch Frost and now occupied 
by Mrs. Martha Sawyer. 

Mr. Gould had a brother Moses Gould (senior) who married, Sept. 
28, 1805, Susanna, daughter of George and Sarah Hamblen of Gor- 
ham, and lived in Portland. They were the parents of Moses Gould, 
Esq., and Daniel Gould of Portland. 

Nathaniel Gould married, Nov. 28. 1793, Betsey, daughter of Rev. 
Paul Coffin of Buxton. She died Oct. 2, 1794, aged 26, leaving no 
children, and Mr. Gould married, May 6, 1798, Elizabeth, daughter 
of Samuel and Ann (Dyer) McLellan of Cape Elizabeth. Mr. Gould 
was a member of the Congregational Church for many years. He 
died Nov. 12, 1853. Mrs. Gould was a most exemplar)' Christian 
wife and mother, beloved by all who knew her. She died Feb. 8, 
1836, aged 62. The children of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Gould 
were : 

Eliza, b. Feb. 12, 1799, 111. Humphrey Hight of ^Yayne, Jan. 22, 1S22 ; d. May 

24, 1 888. 
Jane McL., b. Feb. 4, 1801, d. Sept., iSoi. 
Jane, b. .Sept. 20, 1802, m. Rev. Asa Mead, May 9, 1825. After the death of 

her hiLsband and her little son, John Mooney Mead, she came back to 

Gorham with her two daughters in 1831. One of these, Maria, m. July 

ID, I S50, Thomas C. Welch of Buffalo, N. Y. ; the other, Isabella, m. 

May 3, 1S55, Rev. I.aurentine Hamilton of Western New York, and d. 

in Oakland, Cal., June 24, 1870. The noted Mt. Hamilton of California 

was named for Rev. Mr. Hamilton, the husband of Isabella Mead. Mrs. 

Mead d. at Buffalo, N. Y., Sept. 2, 1893. 
Edward, b. Jan. 27, 1S05, m. Althea Chase. 

Nathaniel, b. , 1807, d. in 1807. 

Samuel McL., b. Jan. 24,1809, was a Presbyterian minister; d. in Ambler, 

Penn., .^pr. 11, 1894, and was buried in Norristown, Penn., the scene of 

his longest pastorate. 
Margaret McL., b. Oct. 18, 1812, drowned at Wayne, June 21, 1822. 

Edward Gould, son of Nathaniel, was married to Althea Chase, 
June 18, 1834. He was a deacon of the Third Parish Church in 
Portland, Me., from 1847 till the disbanding of the church, a year or 
two after the great hre of 1866. Dea. Gould was the cashier for 
sixty years (1833-1893) of the Manufacturers and Traders Bank, 
and its succe.s.sor, the National Traders Bank, of Portland. He died 
May 1 1, 1894. 




EDWARD (,(_)ULD. 



GENEALOGY. 525 

GREEN. 

John Green was the first school-master in the town of Gorham. He 
was an Englishman, and came to this country when about eighteen 
years of age. In the time of the Revolution he enlisted in the Amer- 
ican army, in Col. Patterson's regiment. During the war he was 
wounded in the face by a musket ball, which made a hole into his 
mouth through his cheek, and this did not close up for many years. 
His enlistment was for the war, but on account of his wound he was 
invalided and honorably discharged at West Point, two years prior to 
the close of hostilities. He lived on the Scarborough road, on a part 
of what is now the Burnell farm, nearly opposite the house of Dea. 
Rufus A. Fogg. His wife, whom he married Mar. 5, 1760, was Eliz- 
abeth, daughter of John Sharp of Biddeford. Children: 

Jonathan, b. Aug. 29, 1761, m. Joanna . Ch : Rebecca, b. in Falmouth, 

July 3, 1780, m. EHjah Evans (?) of Portland, Mar. 19, 1799; Samuel, 
b. in Gorham, Aug. 6, 17S4 ; John, b. in Gorham, Oct. 2, 1786; Hannah, 
b. in No. Yarmouth, Oct. 15, 1791. Mrs. Joanna Green d. Jan. 24, 
1794. We find on record the marriage of Jonathan Green and Rebecca 
Young, Sept. 18, 1796. Mr. Green moved to eastern Maine and d. in 
Jackson, May 26, 1834. 

Thomas, b. Mar. 11, 1763, m. Oct. i, 1787, Mary Durgin of Scarborough. Ch: 
Jeremiah, b June 16, 1788 ; Polly, b. Aug. 16, 1792; Josiah, b Mar. 13, 
1794. 

Josiah, b. Dec. 26, 1767, m. Eunice Newcomb, Aug. 26, 1790. Ch : Betsey, b. 

in New Gloucester, June 16, 1791, m. ^Gould of Portland, had a 

son Josiah; William, b. in Gorham, Apr. 4, 1793; Abigail, b. Sept. 30, 

1794, m. her cousin, Parker ; Sarah, b, in Gorham, Aug. 29, 1798, 

d. Nov. 22, 1798; John, b. in Gorham, .Sept. 22, 1799 ; Thomas, b. , 

m. Polly Libby ; Alpheus and Abner, twins, went to Portland. Josiah 
Green was a blind man. He died in Scarborough. 

Moses, b. Mar. 5, 1769. 

Cary, b. , d. young. 

Isaac, b. , m. Susanna Rowe, Nov. i5,-i8oi ; went East. 

Mr. Green married second, Nov. 27, 1802, Elizabeth Rand of 
Scarborough, by whom he had one child, Hannah, born May 20, 
1804, who married, Sept. 10, 1826, Samuel Meserve of Scarborough; 
Mrs. Gardner M. Parker and Mrs. Merrill T. Files of Gorham are 
among her children. 

John Green died in Scarborough. Oct. 25, 1809, aged about 84. 

In 1770 Joseph Libby of Gorham sold the seventy acre lot 109 in 
equal shares to John Green and Benjamin Green, both of Gorham. 
What the relationship of John and Benjamin was, and who were 
their parents is not certain, but the supposition is that they were 
brothers, and the sons of Joseph and Hannah (Conant) Green, 
whose marriage at Cape Cod, Mar. 8, 1749, is recorded on the Gor- 
ham town records. 



526 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

John Green married, July 3, 1770, Maiy, daughter of Wentworth 
Stuart. Children : 

Salome, b. Feb, 3, 1771,111. Ebenezer Shaw of Standish (2d wife). Mar. 4, 1793 ! 
d. in Bangor, in 1847. 

Stuart, b. May 27, 1773, m. Apr. 14, 1806, Patience, dau. of Decker and Han- 
nah Phinney. Ch : James P., b. Jan. 2, 1808, was a sea captain, d. on 
board ship; Martha P., b. Jan., 1810, m. Dr. Dow of Hiram; Gardner, 
d. at sea ; Infant, b. iS[4, d. 1815. Mrs. (Ireen d. Oct. 22, 1814, ag. 32, 
and Mr. Green m. Sept. 13, 1S35, vSusan Thomes of Gorham. Mr. 
Green I'd on Fort Hill, in the house since occupied by Dea. Chas. 
Jordan. 

Wyer. b. Apr. 30, 1775, "^- Ruhamah Morton; I'd on Standish Neck. 

John, b. June 12. 1777, m. Esther Shaw of Standish, Nov. 2, 1799; I'd on Ray- 
mond Cape ; m. 2d, , and went down East. 

Molly, b. Dec. 15, 1779, m. Nathan C. Penfield, Dec. 11, iSoo. 

Rebecca, b. May 26, 1782, m. Philip Cannell of Standish; d. in Canton, aged 
about 92. 

Joseph, b. Aug. 24, 1786, m. Eliza Marean of Standish, Nov., 1811; d. in 
Standish, Nov., 1836. 

Elizabeth, b. May 6, 1789. 

Sarah, b. , m. Benj. Morton of Standish, Aug. 15, 1818 ; d., aged about 

90. Mr. Morton d. Nov., 1858. 

Susan, b. , m. Pierce. 

Benjamin Green purchased from the executors of the Rev. Solomon 

Lombard the thirty acre lot 94, and on this lot he made his home. 

In May, 1783, he sold this land to Josiah Lakeman. Mr. Green 

married, Sept. 29, 1774, Sarah, daughter of Jedediah and Susan 

Lombard. Children : 

Joseph, b. Mar. 3, 1775. 

Benjamin, b. May 15, 1777. 

Jedediah, b. Jan. 30, 1780. 

Hannah, b. Oct. 4, 1781. 

Hezekiah, b. Feb. 22, 1784, m. Lydia Lombard, July 18, 1807. 

This family moved to Harrison and Otisfield. 

GUTHRIE. 

The Guthrie family is of Scottish descent. Michael Guthrie was 
born in the south of Ireland in 1800. He came to this country when 
a young man, and lived many years in Gorham, where his brother 
Thomas also resided for a time. Michael Guthrie married Mary 
Fitzpatrick. Their children were Bridget, Daniel, Thomas, Roger, 
Simon B., Mar)', Kate, Michael and Lizzie. Mr. Guthrie died in 
1883. His wife died Dec. 13, 1898, aged 73. 

Simon B. Guthrie, son of Michael, was born in Gorham, Dec. 10, 
1853. For many years he was engaged in the retail shoe business 
at the village, at one time in partnership with his brother Daniel. 
In 1893 he was appointed postmaster at Gorham village, and Avhen 
this office was made a presidential one he received a commission 



GENEALOGY. 527 

from President Cleveland. He also served two terms as an assessor of 
the Gorham Village Corporation. He married Margaret E. Manning 
of Augusta. Children : Roger Hunt and Annie Elizabeth. Mr. 
Guthrie died Aug. 30, 1901. 

HALL. 

As early as 1741 an Ebenezer Hall and family were living in 
Gorham, where he owned the thirty acre lot No. 31. At the time of 
the breaking out of the French and Indian war in 1745 he left the 
town, going probably to Falmouth. Who this Ebenezer Hall was is 
not quite certain, but the weight of such evidence as we have been 
able to procure seems to point to his being identical with Ebenezer, 
son of Samuel, and grandson of George Hall. This Ebenezer was 
born in 1677, married Jane Bumpus in 1714, and in 1735 was living 
in J'almouth. He was a member of Capt. Moses Pearson's Falmouth 
company, raised in March, 1745, to take part in the expedition 
against Louisburg. Parson Smith records in his Journal, under date 
of Feb. 25, 1747, ''We hear father Hall of this place lately died at 
Annapolis." His estate was settled by his widow Jane in October, 
1747. There is no record of his family, but there was a Charles 
Hall living in Gorham in 1756 who may possibly have been his son. 
In 1765 this Charles was living in Standish. 

Hatevil Hall and his wife, who was Sarah Furbish, came from 
Dover, N. H., to Falmouth about 1753 or 1754. He was of the 
fourth generation from John Hall, who came from England and 
settled in Connecticut. 

Ebenezer Hall was the son of Hatevil and Sarah (Furbish) Hall 
and was born July 20, 1741. In 1764 he purchased in Gorham the 
hundred acre lot 104, one-half of which he bought of Seth Webb 
and the remainder of Joseph Whitney. This was wild land, on the 
east side of King street, and is now a part of the farm owned by the 
late Albion Johnson. In 1769 he bought of Ephraim Jones of Fal- 
mouth one-third of the whole right No. 66, which Jones purchased in 
1744 of John Waite. Oct. 18, 1764, Ebenezer Hall married Hannah, 
daughter of Abraham Anderson of Windham. Children : 

Abraham, b. Dec. 29, 1765, m. Elizabeth Sanborn, Apr. 18, 1790; 2d, Mary Giles. 

Bathshuah, b Aug. 14, 1768, d. young. 

Isaac, b. May 23, 1770, m. Anna Whitney, May 19, 1793. 

Dorothy, b. Mar. 9, 1772, m. John Woodward, Oct. 6, 1791 ; 2d, Joshua Emery. 

Israel, b. Mar. 10, 1774, m. Abigail Hutchinson, p. Sept. 11, 1795. 

Ebenezer, b. .Sept. 19, 1777, m. Susanna Hunnerwell, Dec. i, 1799. 

Bathshuah, b. Feb. 21, 1781, m. Edmund Hall of Falmouth, Mar. 2, 1805. 

Daniel, b. July 29, 1783, m. Abigail Bragdon. 



528 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

In 1774 Ebenezer Hall was licensed as an inn-holder in Gorham. 
He died in this town, Aug. 26, 1807. 

(2) Abraham Hall, son of Ebenezer, married Elizabeth, daughter 
of Joseph and Esther Sanborn. Chlidren : 

Hannah, b. Sept. 2, 1790, m. William Smith of Buxton, Nov. 14, 1S16. 

Esther, b. Jan. 12, 1793, m. Moses Hanscom, Apr. 10, 1814. 

Achsah, b. June 15, 1795, m. Sewall Libby, May 18, 1817; I'd in Durham; d. 

Feb. 13, 1869. 
Dorcas, b. July 6, 1798. 
Joanna, b. Feb. 11, 1800. 
Elizabeth, b. Mar. 23, 1802. 
James, b. Apr. 8, iSof'i. 

Abraham Hall married second, Mary Giles. 

(2) Isaac Hall, son of Ebenezer, married Anna, daughter of Joseph 

and Mehitable Whitney. Children : 

Mehitable, b. Nov. 6, 1793. 
•Mercy, b. Jan. 31, 1796. 
Mary, b. Oct. 16, 1798. 
Joseph W., b. June 29, iSor. 
Betty, b. Mar. 18, 1803. 

(2) Israel Hall, son of Ebenezer, lived in the corner of the road, 
opposite where the house of Albion Johnson now stands. He mar- 
ried Abigail Hutchinson. Children : 

John, b. Apr. 14, 1796. 

Stephen, b. Jan. 19, 1798. 

Sarah, b. Mar. 23, 1800, m. Ebenezer Spencer of Bu.xton, Oct. 14, 1S21. 

Levi Hall, the eldest son of Winslow and Maiy (Hussey) Hall of 
Windham, was born Jan. 28, 1787. His grandfather was Daniel Hall 
(brother to Ebenezer, and son of Hatevil Hall spoken of above) 
who married Lorana Winslow, and lived in Falmouth. Col. Levi 
Hall settled in Great Falls, (North Gorham,) and was an influential 
citizen of this town. He was one of the selectmen in 1828. He 
married Hannah Harmon of Standish, May 31, 1812. She died July 
25, 18 13, aged 27, and he married, Jane, daughter of Joshua and 
Tirzah Emery. Children : 

Winslow, b. Mar. i, 181 5, m. in'Dover, N. H.; I'd and d. there. 

Cyrus, b. Dec. 27, 1816, went West in 1S38; d. in California. 

Hannah N., b. Jan. 20, 18 19, m. Rev. Almoii Libby of Poland, Jan. 19, 1842 ; d. 

in Stroudwater about 1897. 
Emeline, b. June 5, 182 1, d. Sept. 29, 1828. 
Joshua E., b. Dec. 15, 1823, m. Lucy A. Kilborn, 1851. 
Ellen Jane, b. 1826, d. Oct. 10, 182S. 

Erneline, b. , m. Wm. R. Tapley of Dover, N. IL, Nov. 26, 1857. 

Levi, b. Apr. 20, 1S32, m. Caroline Harding of (Joihani; I'd in Mass.; d. Dec. 

24. 1895. 
Freeman, b. 1834, I's in Kalamazoo, Mich. 
John Milton, b. Oct. 25, 1836, m. Marion Whipple; I's in Providence, R. L 



GENEALOGY. 529 

Mrs. Jane Hall died Jan. 19, 1845, aged 50, and Col. Hall married 
in 1845 Mrs. Elizabeth (Leavitt) White of Standish, widow of Rev. 
Joseph White. Col. Levi Hall died Feb. 9, 185 1, aged 64. 

(2) Joshua E. Hall, son of Levi, lived at Great Falls. He was on 

the board of selectmen in 1854, '55 and '56 ; and was Representative 

to the State Legislature in 1857-58. He was a man of considerable 

prominence, and a respected citizen. He married Lucy A. Kilborn 

of Minot. Children : 

Augusta, b. 1853, d. Dec. i, 1864. 

Edwin II., 1). Nov. 7, 1855, is a professor at Harvard College. 

Emeline T., b. 1858, d. June i, 1859. 

Frederick, b. about i860, I's in Oakland, Cal. ; is a lawyer. 

Horace G., b. about 1862, d. Feb. 28, 1865. 

Col. Joshua E. Hall died Apr. 12, 1864, aged 40, and his widow 
moved to Cambridge, Mass. 

Daniel Hall, brother of Col. Levi, was born Aug. 17, 1789. He 
married in 1815, Margaret Harmon of Standish. He resided for 
some years in Windham, where he held various town offices, and was 
also State Senator. At one time he was a general in the militia. 
He removed to Gorham about 1836-40, and in 185 1 was a member 
of the board of selectmen of this town. He carried on the business of 
brick making at the brick yard about half a mile from Great Falls. 
Children of Daniel and Margaret Hall : 

William M., b. Dec. 31, 181 5, m. Ann E. Reed of Westbrook. 

J. Porter, b. June 26, 181 7, m. Sarah J. Gammon. Ch : James H., b. Aug. 14, 
1839, m. Julia Buxton; Cyrus M., b. Mar. 28, 1841, k'd at Gettysburg, 
July 3, 1S63; Sarah E., b. Dec. 27, 1843; Lydia J., b. Mar. 11, 1847. Mr. 
Hall I'd for some time in Naples; then went to the State of New- 
York, where he and his wife died. 

Otis T., b. Apr. 30, 1819, m. in 1844, Sarah Maria, dau. of William and Annie 
Harris. Ch : Anna H., b. Nov. 5, 1846, d. y. ; William H., b. Nov. 29, 
1849, d. July 5 1830; F"lora E.. b. Nov. 10. 1851, m. Mr. Foote of Port 
Henry, N. Y. Mrs. Sarah M. Hall d. Nov. 13, 1854, ag. 32, and Mr. Hall 
m. her sister, Harriet E. Harris. She d. at Port Henry, N. Y., May 21, 
1895. M''- '^^l' d. some y'rs ago. 

Valentine M., b. Apr. 8, 1821, d. Aug. 22, 1841. 

Abigail H., b. May 31, 1824, d. Aug. 18, 1841. 

Esther, ), (j^,^ _ jg . (d. young. 

Peter R., j ' ■ "■'' " ' ( d. in Portland, July 28, 1869; was a lawyer. 

Frances, b. Dec. 25, 1828, m. in Dover, N. H. 

Maria, b. July 26, 183 1, d. in Saco. 

Helen M., b. Nov. 13, 1834, d. Nov. 23, 1852. 

Sarah C, b. Aug. 27, 1839, m. Noah Ladd, July 4, 1856. 

Daniel Hall moved to Sebago and went into the lumbering busi- 
ness. Fie died Jan. 9, 1864. His wife Margaret died July 31, i860, 
aged 68. 



530 HISTORY OK GOKHAM. 

David Hall of Windham moved to Gorham, and li\ed for about 
twenty years on the Ephraim Lombard place. His wife died soon 
after moving to Gorham. Their children, born in Windham, were : 

Porter, m.- 



Benaiah, m. Ann S. Cummings of Norway, Mar. 20, 1S49; 2d. Sarah Hawkes ; 
returned to Gorham about 1S50, and I'd at (ireat Falls. He was dep- 
uty sheriff and tax collector at one time. Mr. Hall d. June S, 1872. 
Mrs. Sarah Hall d. May 31, 18S4, ag. 57. 

Mary, m. Folder James Crockett. 

Harriet, m. Luce; I'd in the eastern part of Me. 

Sarah M., m. Daniel H. Baker, 1S46. 

Alonzo, m. Mrs. O'Neil. 

Lawson, killed by a falling tree. 

Elizabeth, m. Nelson ; I'd at Westbrook. 

Lucius, b. . 

Ebenezer Hall, son of Thomas, lived in Gorham on Hall's Hill. 

He married Christiana Knox, Dec. 26, 1832. Children: 

Iraac M., b. Apr. 4, 1834, went into ihe army. 
Harriet S., b. Nov. 13, 1838, d. Sept. 13, 1842. 
Ebenezer W., b. Oct. 5, 1844. 
Daniel R., b. 1851, d. Sept. 4, 1S51. 

Mrs. Hall died Nov. 28, 1851, aged 44, and Mr. Hall married Mrs. 

Nason of Saccarappa, and moved West. He had a sister Hannah, 

and a brother Isaac. Hannah married. May 26, 1832, Isaac Morton 

of Gorham. Isaac Hall went West. 

HAMBLEN. 

Jacob Hamblen, who was cotemporary with the Phinneys, 
McLellans and Moshers in the early settlement of Narragansett No. 
7, or Gorhamtown, was the grandson of James and Anna Hamblen, 
who were among the early settlers of Barnstable, Mass., and probably 
the first of the name in America. They came from London about the 
year 1639. It was the fashion of the day for all good people to have 
their children baptized as soon as convenient after their birth. Mr. 
Hamblen appears to have been one of those who conformed strictly 
to the ordinances of the church. His first child that received bap- 
tism in Barnstable was Bartholomew, Apr. 24, 1642. He had older 
children who, we presume, were baptized before they left England. 
There were probably ten children : James, Sarah, Mary, James, 
Hannah, Bartholomew, John, Sarah, Eleazer, and Israel, who was 
baptized June 25, 1652, the same day he was born. Rartholomew 
and Eleazer, two of the sons, were soldiers in Capt. John Gorham's 
company, in the Narragansett, or King Philip's war, and their names 
appear on the list of names of the original proprietors of Gorhamtown. 



GENEALOGY. 531 

Israel, the aforesaid tenth child of James and Anna, resided in the 
east parish of Barnstable. His house stood by a pond yet known as 
Israel's pond, on Dimmock's lane, about a mile and a half south of 
the county road. His nearest neighbor was more than half a mile 
distant. He lived- in a solitary spot, and had but a small clearing 
which has again grown over with trees. Farming could not have 
been his principal occupation ; the fact that he was entitled to be 
called " Mr.," in those days would indicate that he was a man of 
property, and a person of some note. As he did not come to this 
distinction from any civil employment, or office held by him, it is pre- 
sumed that he was employed as Master, or Captain, of some of the 
numerous fishing or whaling vessels employed on the coast of Maine 
in the summer, and in trading voyages to the West Indies in the 
winter. 

Israel was twice married ; iirst to Abigail, probably a daughter of 
Joshua Lombard. She must have died about the year 1700, when 
for his second wife he married Jemima, whose surname is not 
recorded. By his first wife he had six children, first a child not named, 
then Thankful, Prudence, Israel, Joseph and Jemima. By his second 
wife he had ivfo, Jacob and Anna. Jacob was born May 28, 1702. 
He married Content, the daughter of Jonathan Hamblen, the son of 
James the second ; consequently she was his second cousin. She 
was born Dec. 12, 1707 ; they were married Aug. 18, 1731. They 
both joined the East Church in Barnstable, March 4, 1733, and were 
dismissed from that church and recommended to the church in Gor- 
ham, Oct. 28, 1750, to which town, as the records say, they had pre- 
viously removed. The name of Jacob Hamblen disappears from the 
records of Barnstable about the year 1733, and it was said he moved 
to the eastern country. He could not have moved direct from Barn- 
stable to Gorham, for at that time (1733) there was no settlement in 
Gorham. It is probable that he remained in Falmouth, or some of 
the adjoining towns, a few years ; for the first we find of him as a 
proprietor and resident of Gorhamtown is about the year 1743. We 
cannot fix the number of his first lot or right, but his final settlement 
was on Nos. 16 and 25. These were not his lots by a proprietor's 
right, but were purchased by him at auction, at a tax sale, July 2, 
1752, for the sum of five pounds, eighteen shillings, being three shil- 
lings, four pence less than the tax. The purchase of these two lots 
or rights would indicate him to be the proprietor of at least four 
hundred acres, even if he owned no right previous to this 
purchase. 



532 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Jacob Hamblen was one of the early settlers. He was here 
certainly as early as 1743, and was here during the Indian war of 
1745. He and his family, with the other settlers, were confined to 
the fort nearly seven years, where they sufifered great privation and 
hardship. They had not only the Indians, and at times nearly a 
famine, to contend with, but a dreadful disease broke out in the fort, 
said to have been brought on in consequence of lack of food : many 
of the children died, and every dweller in the fort was affected by it. 

We should judge that Mr. Hamblen was a good business man and 
a useful citizen, one in whom his fellow settlers had confidence. His 
name is prominent on the old Proprietors' records ; he was always at 
their meetings, often on the important committees for surveying the 
lands, running lines, fixing boundaries, making roads, getting min- 
isters, and the general business of the proprietary. His homestead 
consisted of the two thirty acre lots, 16 and 25. By the old plan of 
the thirty acre lots, they were bounded northerly by Hamblen street 
and easterly by King street (now High and School streets), extending 
southerly from the corner -now occupied by Joseph Ridlon's store, to 
the line of the railroad, and westerly to Harding's Hill, so called. 
His dwelling house was on 16, where the store of R. G. J-Jarding 
lately stood. Here he kept a "house of entertainment" from 1757 
to the time of his death. The meetings of the old Proprietors were 
often held at his house. A part of this old tavern house was moved, 
and with some additions, used by Maj. Simeon Farnham as a dwelling 
house. The old house of late years was known as the old Gammon 
house, and stood near where the late Mrs. Stephen Hinkley's house 
now stands. 

Mr. Hamblen, in the year 1770, made a present to the town of 
the burial ground at (iorham village, which has since become the 
quiet resting place of so many of the worthy old proprietors. Near 
the northeasterly corner of this lot stands a time-worn and broken 
monument oif slate stone, bearing the following inscription : 

In Memory of 

M"- JACOB HAMBLEN, 

Who Died June 3^^ 

1774, 
Aged 72 Years. 

Mrs. Hamblen in her day was a famous comber of wool for the 
purpose of making worsted. Few of the present generation have 
ever seen this operation of combing wool on the old-fashioned ketchel, 
or flax comb, laying the fibers all one way, straight and smooth, and 



GENEALOGY. 533 

winding it into balls in order to spin it on the small, or tiax wheel, 
into very fine thread. In an old account book we find Mrs. Hamblen 
has credit for combing worsted, five shillings, and for one hundred 
cabbage plants, two shillings. At this time there were no factories, 
and imported cloth was rare and expensive. Every household was 
expected to manufacture its own cloth and clothing, and the lady who 
came to the possession of a worsted goiv/i, colored with dye made 
from the bark of trees or roots of the forest, and manufactured by 
her own hand, had a treasure of which she was deservedly proud, and 
was thought to be well dressed. 

In our notices of the early settlers of Gorham it is possible we may 
sometimes not do them justice in relation to their religion and piety. 
In those days matters of neglect and dereliction were subject to 
penalties of the civil law, and we fear sometimes, conscience had but 
little to do in those matters. But in speaking of old Mrs. Content, 
the wife of Mr. Jacob Hamblen, from what we have heard of the old 
lady we are inclined to believe her conscientious in some things. 
She made it strictly the rule of her house, for herself and every 
member of her family, to attend all the meetings on the Sabbath 
day, or keep close within doors. • Fast and feast days were rigidly 
observed according to law and the ordinances of the church. No 
person within her house was allowed to eat a morsel of food on fast 
days between early morning and evening, if she could prevent it. 
Even the cattle within her barns had to come under the rule ; they 
were fed the night before, and allowed no more till the day had 
passed, and consequently were allowed an abundance of feed on 
Thanksgiving day. Whether the old lady was one of those who 
believed that all dumb animals would be found on their knees at 
twelve o'clock on Christmas eve, in thanksgiving for the birth of the 
Savior, we cannot say ; nevertheless it was once the current belief of 
the day, and some there be at this time who are unwilling to give it 
up. 

Of the children of Jacob and Content Hamblen, there is no 
record. They had two sons, Joseph and Daniel. Tabitha, who 
married Samuel Crockett. Jr., of Gorham (pub. Feb. 2, 1771), is 
believed to have been their daughter. 

Mrs. Content Hamblen, the widow of Jacob, married. Mar. 1, 1780, 
Mr. James Miller, from Cape Elizabe"th. She lived with her husband, 
Miller, in a house which stood in the Alexander McLellan garden, 
directly back of what is now the Joseph Ridlon store. In an old 
record, kept by the Rev. Caleb Jewett, we find that " Mr. Miller died 



534 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

May i6, 1787." After his death Mrs. Miller lived alone in her house 
for several years, and was held as a fortune teller. She was often 
visited by the young people to learn their future destiny. Of her 
decease there is no record, but we conclude that she died about the 
year 1790, certainly before 1800. 

Soon after Mrs. Miller's death, the old house was torn down, leav- 
ing the cellar open. Old Mr. Trundy, who lived in Buxton, came to 
meeting one Sunday, making his horse fast to a post near by. The. 
old horse became frightened, and in his struggles broke his fastening 
and went over backwards into the cellar, where he remained till 
meeting was over, and he was found by his owner. As Trundy was 
a quaint, queer old character, his talk to his horse and efforts to get 
him out afforded much amusement to the boys. When he came out of 
the meeting-house, and discovered his animal looking out over the 
cellar wall, a similarity between his situation and that of the Rev. 
Minister looking out over his pulpit, seemed to strike the old man. 
He walked up to his head and addressed him : " Faith, and old 
horse, you have got a pulpit of y'r own, but to my mind it's not half 
so fine as Parson Jewett's and yer can't preach half the sermon he 
can, and yer had better get out of that before the tiihing-man gets 
after yer." (The pulpit in the old church in those days was thought 
to be a fine affair and a nice piece of workmanship, with the big 
sounding board hanging overhead.) After procuring ropes, and 
throwing in a part of the wall, by the aid of the men and the pulling 
back of the boys, the horse was extricated from his pulpit, much to 
the satisfaction of his owner.' 

(2) Joseph Hamblen, son of Jacob and Content, was probably 

born in Barnstable. He was married by the Rev. Solomon Lombard 

in October, 1755, to Hannah, daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah 

Whitney. Children : 

Jacob, b. Aug. 6, 1756, m. Elizabeth Watson, p. Oct. 4, 1777. 

Esther, b. June 30, 1758, m. Joseph Roberts of Cape Elizabeth, Nov. 28, 1777. 

Sarah, b. Den. 7, 1759, m. Edmund Phinney, Mar. 26, 1780. 

Joseph, b. June 10, 1763, m. Polly Frost, Dec. i8, 1788. 

Joseph Hamblen lived on the hundred acre lot 42, below the village, 

through a part of which the Gray road now passes. His house was 

~i~The Mr. Trundy mentioned here was a sea-faring man. He lived in Buxton, but con- 
stantly attended church at Gorham village, riding on horseback, with his wife behind 
him on a pillion. There were no wagons or carriages in town at that time. Mr. Trundy 
was a native of Cape Cod, but when quite young moved to Cape itlizabeth. He followed 
tishing, coasting, and making voyages to the West Indies, till quite along in years, when 
he moved to Buxton, The Cape rocks which lie about two miles and one-fourth south of 
Portland Head Lighthouse, known as Trundy'n Reef, are supposed to have V)een named 
from him. 



GENEALOGY. 535 

on the high land over the brook, on the northerly side of the lot, near 
Queen street. It was near the route usually traveled by the early 
settlers through the woods in going from the fort to P'almouth. The 
Hamblen brook at that time was much more of a stream than now, 
and was spanned by a footbridge made of a log. It is said that 
once, when one of the setlers was crossing this bridge with his gun 
on his shoulder, he was fired upon by an Indian lying in ambush ; he 
was not hit, but knowing his danger, immediately fell as if shot, when 
the Indian came running to secure his scalp. That Indian never 
returned to his tribe. 

Mr. Hamblen died when comparatively a young man, June 17, 
1763. His widow Hannah, married, June 27, 1765, Moses Fowler 
of Falmouth, and third, Apr. 21, 1S04, Dea. Andrew Cobb of Gor- 
ham, and died in Limington, Feb. 10, 1820, aged 83. 

(2) Daniel Hamblen, son of Jacob and Content, lived previous to 
the year 1779, on the thirty acre lot 16, either in the house of his 
father, or in one near by. Probably his house was just back of the 
spot where R. G. Harding's store lately stood, and a part of it was 
used by Cary McLellan in building the old .tavern house, which with 
some additions constituted the Harding store. At the decease of his 
father, his mother, Content Hamblen, had a right in this estate, either 
by dower or by will, and when Daniel exchanged farms with Cary 
McLellan, Apr. 5, 1779, he reserved to her all her rights in and to 
the two lots and the buildings during her lifetime. He also made a 
reserve of the land occupied by the town as a burying-ground, one 
acre, beginning at the southeasterly corner of the orchard, and run- 
ning southerly twenty rods, eight rods wide. He exchanged farms 
with Caiy McLellan because he thought the land of the latter was 
easier to cultivate, and more productive than the land of his father's 
old farm at the village, and for many years believed he had made the 
best trade. He always boasted that one bushel of corn cost Cary 
more than two did him. At that time there were but few men that 
had any way of living except by their crops. Mr. Hamblen moved 
to the one hundred acre lot No. i, which he had of McLellan, where 
he lived for many years in the house built by Cary McLellan in 1767. 
He died in a fit, supposed to have been heart disease, in Samuel 
Edwards's wood lot, while felling a tree in the year 1805. His wife 
survived him and lived with her daughter Mrs. Rebecca Frost, in the 
same house, and died Feb. 9, 181 2, at the age of 73. Samuel Frost 
and his wife continued to occupy the -old Hamblen house till their 
death, when the property went out of the family. 



536 HISTORY OF GORllAM. 

The mysterious well found a few years since under the sidewalk 
in the village was the same used in early times by the Hamblen 
family, and by an old lady known as (Grandmother Cole, whose house 
stood in the road near the brick store owned by Lewis McLellan. 

Daniel Hamblen married Dilla Pettengill, about the year 1761. 
Children : 

Ruth, b. Jan. 24, 1763, m. Nathaniel Lombard, June 7, 1783. 
Rebecca, b. Mar. 13, 1765, m. Samuel Frost, Apr. 5, 1792. 

Abigail, b. , 1767, m. Stephen Larry, Nov. 29, 1788. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 22, 1770, m. Jeremiah Jones, Aug. 26, 1798; was the grand- 
mother of ihe sculptors Paul and Charles Akers. 
Dilla, b. June 30, 1776, m. Stephen Edwards, Oct. 4, 1798. 
Betsey, b, , m. Chandler Oakes of Canaan. 

(3) Jacob Hamblen, son of Joseph and Hannah, married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Dea. Eliphalet Watson, and lived on the hundred acre lot 
42, the same owned by his father, and recently by Wm. Johnson who 
came to Gorham from Cornish. Jacob Hamblen built the two-storied 
house now standing on the farm. He was not much in public busi- 
ness; he was an honest man, a successful farmer, and a good citizen. 
He died Oct. 15, 1826, at the age of 70. I lis wife died Sept. 7, 1838, 
aged 81. Their children were: 

Content, b. Jan. 5, 1779, m. Nathaniel Frost, Jr., Apr. 4, 1802. 

Eliphalet, b. Feb. 17, 1781, m. Eliza Edgley of Buxton. 

Mercy, b. July 8, 1783, m. Benjamin Frost, Aug. 25, 18 10. 

Joseph, b. Apr. 25, 1785, m. Mary Burton, p. July iS, 1S12; 2d, F:iiza Elder, 

May 21, 1844. 
Martha, b. May 6, 1787, m. John Bradbury, Dec. 2, 1821. 
James, b. May i, 1789, m. Lucrelia Carsley, of Scarborough. 
Jacob, b. Nov. 19, 1792, m. Sarah Hopkinson, Mar. 26, 1817. 
Eliza, b. Apr. 19, 1796, m. Moses Hopkinson, Mar. 6, 1821. 

(3) Joseph Hamblen, son of Joseph and Hannah, married Polly, 

daughter of David Frost. He was a blacksmith by trade, and worked 

many years at the business at Gorham village. His shop stood near 

where Mr. Benson's house now stands. His house was a little easterly 

from his shop, near where the late Stephen llinkley, Jr., lived. The 

Hinkley house was then called the Dr. Bowman house. Mr. 

Hamblen's old house now stands above the Seminary, and is owned 

and occupied by Mrs. Eli Clay. After he gave up business at the 

village he moved to his farm at Fort Hill which he bought in 1805 

of James Phinney. His homestead was the thirty-acre lot No. 4, the 

same which was first taken up by Daniel Mosher about the year 1739. 

Here Mr. Hamblen brought up a large family, and by industry and 

prudence became quite wealthy. Mr. Hamblen died on his farm Oct. 

21, 1832, aged 6g. His wife survived him many years, and died 

March 8, i860, at the good old age of 93, much respected and 

esteemed by all who knew her. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 537 

Cyrus, b. Oct. 5, 1789, m. Betsey Freeman, June 13, 1S16; 2d, Martha Thomes. 

Charles, b. Sept. 19, 1 791, m. Susan Cotton, May 25, 181 7. 

Sarah, b. July 7, 1793, m. John Freeman, Oct. 20, 1816. 

Nathaniel, b. Nov. 8, 1794. m. Sally Shane, Nov. 6, 1826. 

Mary, b. Sept. 7, 1796, m. Thomas Johnson, Nov. 28, 1S14. 

Isaac, b. Sept. 6, 1798, m. Martha Phinney, Oct. 27, 1825 ; 2d, Temperance Sturgis, 

of Danville, 1842 ; moved to 111. and died in the West. 
Joseph F., b. Nov. 26, 1800, m. Phebe Libby, June 14, 1827 ; was a sailor; d. 

.Sept. 18, 1831 ; his widow m. Thom.is Davis. 
Levi, b. Apr. 12, 1803. m. and lived in Oldtown. 
Hannah, b. July 15, 1805, d. unm. Sept. 13, 1S77. 
Sabrina, b. July 7, 1809. m. John Lewis, Jan. 26, 1833. 
Eleanor, b. 181 2, d. Aug. 14, 18 14. 

(4) Joseph Hamblen, son of Jacob and Elizabeth, owned and 

occupied the homestead after the decease of his father : he was a 

prominent citizen, and held several offices in town, and represented 

the town in the Legislature. He married Mary, daughter of William 

and Mary Burton. Children : 

Sewall, b. May 17, 1816, d. Mar. 21, 1846. 

Esther R., b. May 26, 1818, m. William M. Harding, July i, 1844. 

Arthur M., b. July 12, 182c, d. Dec. 13, 1S45. 

Martha B., b. Nov. 4, 1822, m. Marshall H. Woodman, Dec. 4. 1844; d. May 

13. 1848. 
Mary E., b. July 20, 1826, d. May 30, 1845. 
Emeline L., b. Sept. 11, 1828, d. Nov. 6, 1840. 

Mrs. Mary Hamblen died April 26, 1843, aged 49, and Mr. Hamblen 

married May 21, 1844, Eliza (Thomas) Elder, daughter of William 

and Anna Thomas, and widow of John Elder, by whom he had one 

child Mary, born April 8, 1845. Mr. Hamblen died Jan. 30, 1849, aged 

64, and his widow Eliza married, in 185 1, William Frost of Norway. 

She died Aug. 22, 185 1, aged 48. 

(4) Jacob Hamblen, son of Jacob, lived in Buxton just over the 
Gorham line, on the farm now owned by John McLellan. He was a 
farmer, an honest man, well-to-do in the world. He married Sarah 
Hopkinson, and had a family of sons and daughters. One of the 
sons lives in Portland, James H. Hamlen,' of the firm of Hamlen 
and Son. Another son, Frank A., lived for a time on State St., in 
Gorham village. Mr. Hamblen died Dec. 18, 1874, aged 82. His 
wife Sarah died in Gorham, at the house of her son Frank, Dec. 3, 
1893, aged 96. 

(4) Cyrus Hamblen, son of Joseph, married Elizabeth, daughter 

of Nathaniel and Mary Freeman. Children : 

Joseph F., b. May 6, 1817, m. Temperance .Sturgis of Danville; 2d, Hall; 

is a clergyman ; I's in the West. 
Mary, b. June 7, 1820, m. Daniel Clay of Buxton, 1840. 

1 We find the name variously written by the several l)ranche9 of the Hamblen family, as 
Hamblen, Hambliii, Hamlen, Hamlin and Harnbllng. 



538 HISTORY OF gokham. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Hamblen died Nov. 30, 1844, aged 52. Mr. 
Hamblen married, April 29, 1846, Martha B., daughter of Charles 
and Anna Thomes. He died Dec. 25. 1853, aged 64, and his wife 
Martha Feb. 13, 1872, aged 77. 

(4) Nathaniel Hamblen, son of Joseph, lived on his father's farm, 

which is now owned by his son Archelaus L. Hamblen. He married 

Sally H. Shane. Their children were : 

Cyrus, b. Jan. 23, 1827, d. Dec. 27, 1895. 

Levi, b. June 30, 1828, m. .Sarah CaiU of Buxton, July 8, 1855. ^h : George, 

is dead; Maria C; Lewis, m. Je.ssie Belknap; Lillian G. m. Chas. Elkins; 

Henry S., d. Apr. i, 1897, ag. 28. Mr. Hamblen lived on the Daniel 

Hanscom place opposite to where Chas. A. Brackett now I's. He d. Feb. 

8, 1871, and his wife d. Jan. 14, 1896, ag. 61. 
Archelaus L., b. Aug. 31. 1S31, m. Harriet E. Carll, sister to his brother Levi's 

wife, Jan. 29, 1865. Ch : Ida M., b. Jan. 21, 1866, m. Frank H. Rumery, 

May 7, 1890 ; Fred L., b. July 10, 1S6S, m. Mary E. Blake, Dec. 24, 1892 ; 

Sarah M., b. Dec. 23, 187 1, m. William Howe; Eva C, b. Apr. 15, 1882. 

Mrs. Hamblen d. Nov. i, 1SS9, ag. 47. 
Maria L., b. Nov. 13, 1836, m. Leonard Roberts, Jan. i, 1857. 

Nathaniel Hamblen died May 7, 1867, aged 73 ; his wife died May 

6, 1880, aged 80. 

In the old burial-ground at Gorham village there is a .stone with 
the following inscription : 

Here lies the body 
of Hannah Hamblen 

wi/^ of 

Gershom Hamblen 

of Barnstable 

who died April 14(11 1797 

Aged 77 years 

Ebenezer Hamblen who was born May 12, 1683, was the son of 
John, and the grandson of James and Anna, the first settlers of the 
name in Barnstable. He married, May 11, 17 10, his cousin, Thankful 
Hamblen, who was born, Aug. 24, 1689, and who was the daughter 
of Israel, and half sister of Jacob, who settled in Gorham. He died 
in 1736, at the age of 53. In his will he names his wife Thankful, 
sons Gers/iotn, Ebenezer, Timothy, Nathan, Daniel and Samuel, and 
daughters Elizabeth, Dorcas, and Thankful Bangs. His widow 
Thankful died Jan. 15, 1768, aged 78. 

Gershom, the aforesaid son of Ebenezer, and husband of Hannah, 
from whose monument we have copied, was born July 19, 17 13. He 
was a shoemaker and fisherman. He served four campaigns in the 
old French and Indian wars — one for himself, and one for each of 
his sons. He was married in Barnstable, Aug. 9, 1739, by the Rev. 
Mr. Green to Hannah Almony. They had five children born in 
Barnstable, four of whom are there recorded : 



GENEALOGY. 539 

Martha, b. May ii, 1740, m. James Phinney, Jan. 12, 1763. 
Timothy, I b. Jan. 3, 1742/3, m. Anna Harding, Sept. 14, 1769. 
Gershom, b. Sept. 16, 1745, m. Deborah Jenkins, p. Der. 17, 1774. 
George, b. Feb. 3, 1749/50, m. Sarah Rich, Dec. 20, 1773. 
Hannah, 1). Mar. 22, 1753, m. Decker Phinney, Dec. 30, 1773. 

Gershom Hamblen, the father, died, probably of small pox, in 
Barnstable, about 1756. About the year 1763, Mrs. Hamblen moved 
with her family to Gorham. They came from Barnstable in a sail 
boat, and sailed up the Presumpscot river. It is said that the family 
.made their first settlement near the foot of Fort Hill, on the road 
leading to West Gorham, on the thirty acre lot 34, west of what is 
now the Motley farm. The house in which they lived was the same 
which was afterwards hauled by Gershom Hamblen across the fields 
to his farm on the Gray road. 

(2) Timothy Hamblen, the second child of Gershom and Hannah, 
purchased in 1765 the thirty acre lot 121 ; but made his first settle- 
ment on the northerly half of the hundred acre lot 92, which he 
purchased of Mr. Ross of Portland in 1767. This lot he sold to Mr. 
Rich ; afterwards it was owned by Robert R. Johnson, afterwards 
occupied by Wm. S. Brown, and is now owned by Charles Rolfe ; 
it is situated on the road leading from Fort Hill to West Gorham. 
When he sold the lot, No. 92, to Rich, he purchased of him, probably 
in exchange, the thirty acre lot No. 63, which joined his other lot, 
and built his house on the hill above the bridge, on the westerly side 
of the road on No. 121. In this house, it is said, was the second 
plastered room in town. The old house was taken down, about the 
year 1850, by Jacob C. Baker, Esq. About the time Mr. Hamblen 
built his house he purchased the northerly half of the mill privilege 
at the bridge, where he built a saw mill and a grist mill. On the hill 
near his house Mr. Hamblen built a store where he did quite an 
extensive business. The road passing his store was then the only 
road to the Pequawket country and the White Mountains. He was 
much engaged in the lumber business, and was a smart, energetic 
man. He married Anna, daughter of John and Thankful Harding. 
Children : 

Martha, b. July 17, 1770, d. unm. June 10, 1787. 

E<;ther, b. July 22, 1772, m. Nathaniel Frost, Feb. 16, 1797. 

Enoch, b. June 7, 1773, m. Happy Whitney, June 6, 1802. 

Timothy, b. Jan._ 18, 1775, m. Pomley; I'd in New Portland; d. May 15, 

1857, and is buried in Gorham. 

Nicholas, b. June 29, 1777, m. Gates; 2d, Rich. 

Gershom, b. Jan. 22, 1779, "i- Lydia Freeman, Sept. 12, 1802; I'd in New 

Portland. 

I Erroneously recorded " Enoch." 



540 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

John, b. Feb. 21, 1781, m. Olive Murch, March, 1806. 

Anna, b. Jan. 16, 1783, m. Benjamin Skillings, Mar. 14, 1S04. 

Allen, b. Dec. 14, i 784, d. May 10, 1806. 

Timothy HamblcMi died suddenly at New Portland while on a visit 
to his son Timothy, and while aiding him in putting up buildings on 
his farm, June 4, 1805, at the age of 63. His wife Anna died in 
Gorham at the house of her son John, July 9, 1820, at about the age 
0^73- 

(2) Gershom Hamblen, the third child of Gershom and Hannah, 
settled on a piece of what was called common land, near and adjoin- 
ing Little river. (The common lands were gores and other pieces 
of land that were left after lotting the town into one hundred and 
twenty-two thirty acre lots, one hundred and twenty-two one hundred 
acre lots, and one hundred and twenty-two seventy acre lots. One of 
each of these lots constituted a proprietor's share of two hundred 
acres.) Mr. Hamblen's farm contained about sixty acres of excel- 
lent land. It is the same, or a part of that, now owned and occupied 
by William Cloudman, whose house is the old Hamblen house which 
stood when Gershom owned it and for many years afterwards on the 
low ground about forty rods northerly from the place where Albert 
Hamblen lives. This old house dates far back in the history of the 
town. It was built by the Hamblen family (Hannah Almory 
Hamblen) on the land owned by them on the road from Fort Hill to 
West Gorham, probably soon after their settlement in town (1763), 
and was hauled by Gershom from thence to his farm near Little 
river. Any one examining into the topography of the country 
between the two points would at once say that it was a job that 
would not pay, and no sane man of the present generation would 
undertake it ; but the thing was done, and the old house still makes 
a respectable habitation. When this hauling took place, cold water 
was not considered a respectable drink to be used on such an occa- 
sion. Gershom's farm was separated from that of his brother George 
by the two rod road, the same being the old road to Horse Beef Falls 
that was used before the Gray road was made. In April, 1797, 
Gershom sold his farm to Almery, the son of his brother George, and 
with his family moved' to Limington, where he purchased a large 
tract of land on the western side of Saco river, where he and his 
wife lived and died : they were buried side by side, with other mem- 
bers of the family, near what is called the Wheelwright place. 

Gershom Hamblen married Deborah, daughter of Samuel and 
Mary Jenkins, by whom he had nine children, probably all born in 
Gorham. They were : 



GENEALOGY. 541 

Hannah, b. Nov. 14, 1775, m. Joab Black. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 12, 1778, m. Daniel Mann. (2d wife.) 

Ebenezer, b. July 9, 1780, ; soldier in War of 1812; d. vnim. in Canada while 

in the service of his countiy. 
Samuel, ( 1 ,, k ( "^- Hannah Whitniore. 

Jacob, f ''• ^^^y 4, i7«3- >m j^ne Small, Nov. 24, 1S08; 2d, Mrs. Susan 

r Usher, Mar. 18, 1838. 

Daniel, b. Dec. 7, 1785, m. Mary Clark. 
Mary, b. June 18', 17S8, d. unm. 

Ichabod, not recorded, m. Lydia Fickett ; d. in Lovell about 1S74. 
Statira, not recorded, m. Andrew Hobson, then of Buxton. 

Of these children of Gershom and Deborah, Daniel, the fourth 
son, who married Maiy Clark, daughter of Ebenezer Clark of Lim- 
ington, died Aug. 27, 1841, aged 56; his wife Maiy died in Lovell 
(to which town the family had removed), March 27, 1845, aged 59. 
Their children were : Julianna, Ebenezer, Henry, Moses, Andrew 
and Daniel. Hannah, who married Joab Black had seven children, 
Elizabeth four, Samuel seven, Jacob ten (all by his first wife), Icha- 
bod ten, and Statira five. 

(2) George Hamblen, fourth child of Gershom and Hannah, came 
with the other members of the family to Gorham. We put the date 
of their arrival at about 1763. Of the precise date we are not certain, 
but Martha married James Phinney in that year, and she was mar- 
ried as of Gorham. Consequently George was then thirteen years 
old. Before he left Barnstable, he served awhile to learn the painter 
and glazier's trade, which business he followed in Gorham when not 
engaged in his farming operations. He lived with his mother on the 
lot near Eort Hill about ten years after his marriage. Dec. 5, 1772, 
he purchased of John Cotton by deed a part of the hundred acre lot 
78. This land was adjoining to the lot owned by his brother Timo- 
thy, and near to his mother's residence ; but it does not appear that 
he ever settled on this land. He married Sarah, daughter of Lemuel 
Rich. The marriage ceremony was performed by William Gorham, 
Justice of the Peace. He purchased of Gary McLellan and Decker 
Phinney, by deed dated Jan. 30, 1783, the one hundred acre lot 50, 
near Little river, where he built a log house and commenced farm- 
ing. In this deed he is styled a "glazier." The same farm is now 
owned by Albert M. Hamblen, the great-grandson of George. When 
he moved on to his new farm his son Joseph was an infant about 
three weeks old. He took his mother with him, where she died at 
the time stated on the monument in the old cemetery. She was of 
Scotch descent, and was a woman of strong mind and great energy, 
and by her counsel and example endeavored to bring up her children 
to be good citizens and honest people, and we think by the record we 



542 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

are enabled to show of them, that her care and attention were not 
lost. Mrs. Hamblen's name on the old records of Barnstable is 
Hatinah Alntouy : the surname probably should be Almory. The 
family in naming children have somewhat changed the spelling, and 
now have it Almery. The children of George and Sarah Hamblen 
were : 

Almery, b. Jan. 24, 1775, m. Sally Clark, Oct. 8, 1797; I'd in Portland; was a 
prominent mechanic and painter, as were also his sons. Mr. Hamblen 
d. in Portland, Jan. 25, 1830; his wife Sally d. May 19, 1822; they were 
buried in Portland, but at the death of George their remains were removed 
to Gorham, and buried on the old farm in a place near the orchard. The 
Hamblen block on Danforth St. was built in 1835 and 1836, by 
Nathaniel, Eli, and Joseph G. Hamblen, Almery's sons ; and that on 
State St. by the same in 1838. Soon after this they bought a large farm 
•in Scarborough, where Kli d., and very soon afterwards the brothers, 
Nathaniel (who contributed this item), J. G., and Sturtevant J. Hamblen 
(a younger brother) removed to Uoston ; two of them residing in East 
Boston, and the other, Joseph fJ., at Hyde I'ark, near Boston. 

Susanna, b. Nov. 21, 1776, m. Moses Gould, Sept. 28, 1805 

(Jeorge, b. Apr. 15, 1779, d. unm Sept. 16, 1805. 

John, b. May 7, 1781, m. Hannah Bangs, p. Jan. 12, J804. 

Joseph, b. Feb. 5, 1783, m. Esther Bangs, p. Nov. 28, 1807. 

Sarah, b. May 19, 1785, m. William Cloudman, p. Jan. 12, 1804. 

Amos, b. Apr. 8, 1787, m. Betsey Burton, 181 1 ; I'd in Farmington. 

Allen, b. Feb. 27, 1789, m. Lydia Winslow; I'd in Windham; parents of Byron 
Hamblen, late of Gorham. 

Solomon, b. Feb. 24, I79i,m. Sally Russ ; d. May 22, 1825. 

Patty, b. May 16, 1793, "i- Jo'i" Russ; d. Aug. 12, 1828. 

William, b. Aug. 16, 1796, m. Susan Bartlett ; d. Nov. 19, 1862. 

Gorham in its early days was one of the old-fashioned territorial 
parishes, compelled by law to settle and support a " learned orthodox 
minister." Every inhabitant was taxed for that purpose, no matter 
what his religious belief might be. During the ministrations of the 
Rev. Mr. Thacher, he became very unpopular, and there was much 
trouble in collecting the minister's tax ; often distraint had to be 
resorted to, which, instead of decreasing the troubles, only made 
them worse. A large congregation of Come-outers, or New Lights, 
as they were called, embracing many of the best citizens, was formed ; 
their meetings were generally held around at the dwelling houses in 
different parts of the town, — mostly, however, at Fort Hill, or in that 
neighborhood. Time and place seemed to be but a small object ; 
the meetings were held day and niglit, and carried on with great 
energy and zeal. No doubt speakers and hearers thought themselves 
honest and right ; they certainly were earnest and zealous. They 
would travel iniles to attend the meetings ; rain or sunshine made no 
difference. Men would start on the run from their fields, without 
coat, hat, or shoes, warning all they met on the way to go with them ; 
excitement would beget excitement, and soon a crowd would be 



GENEALOGY. 543 

raised. Women have been known to travel three miles on snow- 
shoes to attend the meetings. It is not our intention or wish to 
make any misstatements, or give too high a coloring to these doings, 
for they were high enough and singular enough in themselves. (See 
article on the " Come-outers, or New Lights.") 

George Hamblen and some of his family were greatly wrought 
upon, and took a deep interest in this movement, and we have 
reason to think that they conscientiously believed it was all right. 
On the blowing over and cooling down of the excitement, there appears 
to have been a division even among the faithful. The old society 
having settled the Rev. Caleb Jewett, who was a very popular man, 
some returned to their old home, but the Free Will Baptists took the 
largest share, and a large and flourishing society grew up on Fort 
Hill, which included many of our best and most substantial citizens. 
"J'he Shakers carried off quite a number, and some joined the Society 
of Friends, among whom were George Hamblen and his family, 
where he and his wife were honest and upright members as long as 
they lived. Mr. Hamblen, being a Quaker, did not aspire to any 
military oifice ; and being an honest man, had but little to do with 
political affairs. Living quietly on his farm, his whole aim seemed 
to be to love his neighbor as himself, and to do justice to all, and to 
serve his God according to the dictates of his own conscience and 
the rules laid down in the Scriptures. 

Mrs. Hamblen died Sept. 2, 1830, at the age of 74, and Mr. 
Hamblen, Dec. 18, 1834, aged 85. Their graves are side by side on 
the old farm, and on the spot where they erected their first log house, 
and commenced their clearing, more than lifty years before the death 
of Mr. Hamblen. 

(3) Enoch Hamblen, son of Timothy, lived for many years in 

Gorham, where he and his brother John carried on the mills above 

Fort Hill, which had formerly belonged to their father. He was also 

a farmer and sailor. He married Happy, daughter of Zebulon and 

Hannah Whitney. Children : 

Abigail, b. Mar. 21, 1803. 
Martha, b. Dec. 16, 1805. 
Allen T., b. Aug. 8, 1807, m. Hannah J. Wentworth; was a cooper in Gorham; 

d. in 1888. 
Eunice S., b. Apr. 2, 1809. 
Hannah, b. Sept. 21, 181 1. 

Esther, b. Sept. 11, 1S14, m. Daniel Wentworth, June 3, 1840 
Mary E., b. Feb. 4, 1820, d. July, 182 1. 

Enoch Hamblen moved to Baldwin. He died Nov. 28, 1843, 
aged 70. His wife Happy died July 20, 1852, aged 74. 



544 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(3) John Hamblen, son of Timothy, lived on the north side of 

Horse Meadow road, in the two-story house still known as the 

Hamblen house. He married Olive Murch of Buxton. Children : 

Hannah, b. May 20, 1808, d. unm. Dec. 13, 1S79. 

Susan, b. Oct. 21, 1809. 

William, b. Apr. 15, 181 1. 

Stephen, b. Feb. 10, 1813, d. Aug. i, 1814. 

Grata R., b. May 9, 181 5, d. Feb. 27, 1816. 

Grata R., b. Nov. 17, 1816, d. Dec. 23, 1853. 

Rebecca, b. Dec. 11, 1818, m. Royal Whitney of Bu.xton, Apr. 29, 1846. 

Timothy, b. Dec. 17, 1820, d. Nov. 17, 1861. 

Arthur, b. Jan. 11, 1823, d. Oct. 27, 1895. 

Martha Ann, b. Feb. 12, 1825, m. Henry Murch of Biddeford ; d. Aug. 19, 1865. 

Emeline, b. Jan. i, 1827. 

John Hamblen died Feb. 28, 1842, aged 61. Mrs. Hamblen died 

March 17, 1845, aged 55. 

(3) John Hamblen, son of George, married Hannah, daughter of 

James and Deborah Bangs. He lived on the Gray road, where his 

son George afterwards lived. Children : 

James, b. |an. 9, 1805, lost at sea, Feb. i, 1833. 

Decker P.," 1). Sept. 18, 1806, d. July 16, 1828. 

Caroline, b. Sept. 6, 1808. 

Martha, b. July 17, 1810. 

Elias, b. Mar. 3, 1812. d. April, 1838. 

George, b. Apr. 3, 1814, m. Sarah J., dau. of Morrill and Hannah Elder of 

Windham. Ch: Edwin, b. Aug. 2, 1844; Elkn, b. Sept. 17, 1848; 

Martha, b. June 23, 1850; Nathan D., b. Jan. 7, 1853, I's in Winthrop. 

Mr. Hamblen I'd on the Gray road on the farm lately occupied by 

Melville C. Johnson. Mrs. Hamblen d. in Gorham, Jan. 4. 1854, ag. 36. 

Mr. Hamblen m. 2d, Christiana Farr of Winthrop, and moved to thai 

town. 
Elizabeth, b. Feb. 18, 1816, m. William B. Libby, 1838. 
Ruth, b. Oct. 21, 1818, d. Oct. 9, 1S50. 
Sarah, b. Aug. 28, 1820. 
Hannah, b. Oct. 25, 1823, m. and d. in Winthrop. 

John Hamblen died in Winthrop, Dec. 22, 1858, and his wife, 

Feb. 7, 1847, aged 65. 

(3) Joseph Hamblen, son of George, lived on the old farm which 
his father cleared. He married Esther Bangs, sister of his brother 
John's wife. Children, from their family Bible : 

Evelina, b. Dec. 19, 1809, m. Jacob Coburn. 

Almery, b. July 31, 1812, m. Betsey Butterficld of Farmington ; I'd in Gorham 
on the old George Hamblen place. Ch: Adeline, b. Nov. 5, 1835; 
Esther, b. Mar. 26, 1837; Emily, b. Dec. i. 1S38; Eveline, b. June 14, 

1842; Elizabeth Jenette, b. ; Marshall Smith, b. Sept, 1847; Mary 

Louisa, b. in Farmington. This family moved to Farmington. Mr. 
Hamblen d. in Windham, Feb. 2^, 1862. 

Allen, b. May 6, 1814. m. Mary Lunt of Westbrook; d. in Minneapolis. 

Adeline, b. Oct. 15, 1816, d Oct. 15, 1834. 

Albert, b. Sept. 10, 1819, m. Cynihia W., dau. of David and Hannah Silla, Oct. 
30, 1842. Ch: Henreich, b. Sept. 23, 1843, d. ^^^- 3' '843; Eliza J., 



GENEALOGY. 545 

b. Nov. 23, 1844, d. Mar. 19, 1845; Hannah M., b. Feb. 3, 1846, d. Sept. 
8. 1847; Albert M., b. Aug. 5, 1848, m. Ida O. M. Libby, Jan. 6, 1875; 
Marcena, b. Nov. 18, 1850, d. Apr. 29, 1S57 ; Eveline M., b. Dec. 25, 
1852, m. Edward B. True of Windham ; Infant son, b. May 2, 1S56, d. y. ; 
Adella, b. Oct. 5, 1857, m. Lorenzo F. Davis of Cumberland Mills, Oct. 
5, 1881 ; Joseph E., b. Feb. 17, 1S63, d. Mar. 24, 1S64. Mr. Hamblen 
I'd on the old place. He d. Apr. 2, 1890; Mrs. Hamblen d. Mav 14, 
1889. 
Andrew R,, b. Sept , 1828, d. Oct. 4, 1831. 

Joseph Hamblen died Aug. 3, 1851, aged 68, and hi.s wife, April 12, 
1867, aged 80 years, 11 months. 

The family of Samuel Hamblen claim to be cousins to Timothy, 
George and Gershom. It is known that the father of Samuel and 
Prince was a deaf mute, and that his name was Samuel ; none seem 
to remember the name of his wife, but there is a tradition in 
the family that they had a maternal ancestor who was a Lewis. The 
records are somewhat complicated as to the Samuels, but we find a 
Samuel Hamblen, son of Ebenezer, born Jan. 7, 1723. In the will 
of John Hamblen, dated Oct. 25, 1735, he says : " I give to my three 
deaf cousins (children of my brother Ebenezer, viz : Nathan, Samuel 
and Dorcas Hamblen) " &c. We also find a Samuel Hamblen who 
married, Dec. 13, 1750, Temperance Lewis. She was probably the 
daughter of Seth and Sarah (Revis) Lewis of Barnstable, and was 
baptized April 7, 1734. From the foregoing facts we must infer that 
the Samuel Hamblen who came to Gorham with his family about the 
year 1768 was the seventh child of Ebenezer Hamblen and his wife 
Thankful, and the brother of Gershom Hamblen, the husband of 
Hannah Almoiy. 

The name of Samuel Hamblen is not on a Gorham tax bill for 
1763. It is probable that he came here about the year 1768. Mrs. 
Hamblen died soon after the family came to Gorham, and it is said 
she was buried on the old Prentiss lot, near the place where the 
Methodist church now stands. As there were no monuments erected 
to mark the place, all traces of her grave and others of the early 
settlers (among which was the grave of one of the early ministers, 
the Rev. Mr. Townsend), are now entirely obliterated by the plow 
and spade. The last recorded baptism in Barnstable of a child of 
Samuel and Temperance Hamblen is Mar. 10, 1765. Mr. Hamblen 
was alive in 1779, for in that year we find Samuel and Samuel, 
Jr., but do not find his name after that date, which is probably 
near the time of his death. Children of Samuel and Temperance 
Hamblen were : 



540 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



Tabitha, b. 



Samuel, bap. Apr. ii, 1753, m. Molly Clay, p. Nov. 29, 1777. 

Ebenezer, , m. Deborah Crockett orLovell. 

Elijah, bap. Nov. 28, 1756, wa.s a Revolutionary soldier; d. in the army, Apr. 

12, 1778. 
Prince, b. Mar. 4, 1758, m. Bethiah Webb, Mar. 22, 1781. 

Nathan, b. , d. at sea, in Revolution; unm. 

Temperance, bap. Apr. 18, 1762, m. Richard Dresser of Saco, Apr. 5, 1796; I'd 

in Buxton. 
Seth L., b. Jan. i, 1765, m. Jerusha Sawyer of Buxton, in 1791 ; Revolutionary 

soldier; I'd in Brownfield; went to Shenango, N. Y. ; d. Nov. 10, 1834. 
Sarah, b. Mar. 31, 1767, m. Joshua Crockett, Jr., Nov. 29, 1787. 

The first settlement of Samuel Hamblen and his son Samuel, for 
they seem to have lived together, was on the thirty acre lot, situated 
one range westerly from South St., on the right-hand side of the 
Weeks road, so called. This lot was common land and not num- 
bered, and has since' been owned by the late Nathaniel Gould. The 
old house stood near the head of the brook which we used to know 
in our yoimger days as the first, or Samuel Hamblen brook, and 
where is the man or boy that has been raised at Gorham village, that 
does not know where to find the first, second or third brook, always 
famous for little speckled trout? Here Mr, Hamblen and his wife 
died. 

(2) The son Samuel, after the death of his father, moved the old 
house out to the main road, where it now stands about half a mile 
from the village, on South St. ; and is owned by William Hanscom. 
He married Molly, daughter of Richard and Rachel Clay of Buxton. 
Children : 

Elijah, b. Apr. 2. 1779, m. Jane, dan. of Daniel Murch of Buxton, Nov. 12, 

i8or , d. in Raymond Mar. 20, 1866 ; she in Sept., 1870. 
Jonathan, b. Jan. 3, 1781, m. Deborah, dau. of Daniel Murch of Buxton, June 

17, 1 8 10; 2d, her sister Hannah, widow of Phineas Parker, I'd in Raymond; 

d. in Gorham, and she, in Otisfield, Dec. 10, i860. 
Rachel, b. Dec. 21, 1782, m. Toppan Sawyer, Apr. 12, 1801. 
Temperance L., Jan. 11, 17S5, d. young. 

Samuel, b. May 13, 1787, m. Mary Davis Hayden ; I'd in Raymond and Bridgton. 
Stephen S., b. June 1 1, 1789, m. Rachel Dunbar of Hingham, Mass., p. Mar. 19, 

1S14; slie d. Oct., 1844; he d. in Top-ham, Me. 
Polly, b. Oct. 7, 1791, m. Robert Weeks, July 10, 1843. 

Benjamin, b. Nov. 29, 1793, m. Barbara Hamblen in Paris, Me., Nov. 19, 181S. 
Temperance !>.. b. Jan. 30, 1796. m. Richard Lombard, Mar. 17, 18 iS. 
Sojihia, b. Mar. 13, 179S, m. Jonathan Bean of Ilollis, p. May 20, 1838. 
Rebecca, b. Sept. 16, 1800, m. Stephen Larry, Oct. 20, 1822; d. in Paris. 

Samuel Hamblen, Jr., died Dec. 24, 1834, aged about 82, and his 
wife, Aug. 12, 1833, aged 77. 

(2) Ebenezer Hamblen, son of Samuel, came to Gorham from 
Barnstable about the year 1773. We find that he purchased Jan. 8, 
1773, of Jacob Hamblen the seventy acre lot 40, on which it is prob- 



GENEALOGY. 547 

able he afterwards lived. Aug. 12, 1805, he purchased of Judith 
Gorham of Boston, an undivided half of the seventy acre lot 41. 
He was published in Barnstable, Nov. 21, 1772, to Deborah Lovell, 
but is said to have married Deborah Crockett of Otisfield. Possibly 
she was a widow, and one and the same person. Children : 

Susannah, b. Aug. 7, 1774, m. John Sawyer, Jr., of Standish, Jan. 22, 1797 ; d. 

in Knox, Me., June i, 1825. 
Sarah, b. Aug. 13, 1776, m. Robert Mayo, Jan. 17, 1796. 
Dorcas, b. Aug. 15, 1778, m. Michael Rand, Oct. 18, 1798; d. in Bu.xton, Dec, 

1801. 
Ebenezer, b. Sept. 13, 1780, m. Betty McCorrison, Jan. 23, 1799; I'd in Knox 

and Orono. 
Dennis, b. Oct. 19, 1782, m. Eunice Carsley, Apr. 7, 1S05; moved to Wayne 

Co., N. Y.; d. in Angola, Ind., Sept., 1851. 
Betty, b. Aug. 12, 1784,111. Benjamin Brown, p. Nov. 27, 1803. 
Lovell, b. Sept. 4, 1786, d. Apr. 20, 1787. 
Love, b. Mar. 17, 1788, d. young. 
Levi, b. Aug. 13, 1789, m. Susanna Hamblen of Otisfield, Oct. 24, 1812 ; went 

to Ohio. 

Temperance, | 1 ^t ^r ( 

\Ar-ir L)- Nov. 6, 1791, < J 

William, ) ' /y ) ( d. young. 

William G., h. Feb. 23, 1794, m. Relief Tuell, Dec. 3, 1818; a cooper in Bath; 

d. June 9, 1853, in Watertown, N. Y. 

Deborah, b. Mar. 29, 1796. 

We suppose that Ebenezer Hamblen died in 1812. Jan. 29, 1812, 
he made his last conveyance of property; and March 16, 1812, his 
widotv relinquished her right of dower in "Knox Plantation," in 
favor of her son Ebenezer. The family, a few years afterward, sold 
out and left town. They settled somewhere near Belfast, probably 
on the Knox land. 

A story is told of Sarah, daughter of Ebenezer, who married 
Robert Mayo and lived in Gorham near the old folks. They had no 
children, but a waif was found one Sunday morning on their door- 
step in the shape of a fine male child, good looking, healthy and 
well dressed, and what was more, an accompaniment of cash, to the 
amount of five hundred dollars. This, under the circumstances, 
made everything pleasant. The child was at once adopted and well 
cared for and grew up to be a good man. It is said that he lived in 
Windham or Standish. The old lady was of rather grasping dispo- 
sition, and when she found that there was money in this transaction, 
she wanted it, and at once claimed the child : she said there was a 
mistake, and that the intention of the parents was evidently to leave 
the boy to her. It made quite a stir in the family, but Sarah kept 
the boy and the money. No one ever knew who were the parents 
of the child. 

(2) Prince Hamblen, son of Samuel, senior, lived for many years 
on the old Portland road about two miles from the village, where he 



548 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

occupied a small piece of land. He purchased the old Thurrell 

house and moved it on to this. This house was recently standing in 

a dilapidated condition, nearly opposite the house of Merrill W. 

Mosher. We do not know its age, but it was one of the oldest houses 

in the town. When owned and occupied by the Thurrells it stood 

near to the place where the house of Freeman Richardson now 

stands ; some say on land which is now Mr. Richardson's garden. 

Prince Hamblen married Bethiah, daughter of David and Dorothy 

Webb, who lived near the Westbrook town line. Children : 

Dorothy, b. Mar. 25, 1782, m. John Wallace of Falmouth, p. July 27, iSi i. 

Nancy, b. June 20, 1783, m. Ezekiel Bishop, Aug. 18, 1804. 

Joseph, b. July 4, 1784, d. m 1784. 

Solomon, b. Apr. 27, 1785, d. in 1785. 

Fanny, b. Mar. 12, 1786, m. Isaac Chesley, in 1803; d. in Sept , 1856. 

Sally, b. June 17, 1788, m. Levi Wallace of Falmouth, Apr. 10, 1808. 

Katy, b. Sept. 3, 1791, m. Thos. Wallace of Falmouth, Feb. 7, 181 1. 

Bethia, b. Oct. 22, 1795, "i- Nathaniel Watson, Mar. 24, 1S25. 

David, b. June 13, 1797, d. unm. in Gorham at his sister's (Mrs. Partridge's). 

Dennis, b. Apr. 12, 1799, m. Sally Crockett, 1824; d. in W^ilton, Sept. 12, 1846. 

Mary, b. Dec. 16, 1800, m. John W. Partridge, Oct. 13, 1825. 

Prince Hamblen probably died Dec. 19, 1834, aged about 76. 

Mrs. Hamblen survived her husband, dying April 18, 1836, aged 78. 

He was a soldier of the Revolution, a private in Capt. Williams' 

company, and marched to Ticonderoga, under Col. Phinney, in 1776 ; 

he also served in Capt. McLellan's company in 1779, in the Bagaduce 

expedition. In the latter part of his life he received a pension from 

the General Government. 

HANSCOM. 

George Hanscom came to Gorham from Scarborough about the 

year 1760, and settled on the thirty acre lot 109, which he purchased 

of John Williams. His wife was Abigail, daughter of John and Mary 

(Hanscom) Fogg. She was born in Scarborough, July 20, 1736. 

Children, the two oldest born in Scarborough : 

George, b. Oct. 6, 1754, m. Eunice Whitney, p. Jan. 27, 1776. 

Moses, b. Jan. 15, 1759, m. Phebe Crockett, Apr. 23, 1781 ; 2d, Esther Hall. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 12, 1761, m. Josiah Swett, Apr. 27, 1783; 2d, John Martin, Nov. 

5' '794- 
John, b. May 19, 1763, m. Mary Hanscom, p. June 2, 1792. 
Katherine, b. Aug. 9, 1765, m. Ezra Hanson of Windham, Aug. 3, 1788. 
Joseph, b. Apr. 30, 1774, m- Polly Bacon, June 3, 179S. 

(2) George Hanscom, son of George, married Eunice Whitney. 

Children : 

Abigail, b. Sept. 16, 1776, d. young. 

Abigail, b. Oct. 8, 1778. 

Eunice, b. Oct. 25, 1780, m. Elisha Sanborn, Dec. 22, 1799. (.') 



GENEALOGY. 549 

Patience, b. 1782. 
John, b. June 10, 17S4. 

Nancy, b. May 3, 1786, m. Solomon Newbegin, p. Apr. 3, 1813. 
Catherine, b. June 8, 1788, m. Meltiah Bourne, p. May 28, 1808. 
Cyrus, b. Oct. 2, 1790, m. Abigail Hutchins of Gorham, Dec. 29, 1816. 
Lewis, b. Oct. 26, 1792, m. Rebecca Johnson, Apr. 14, 1S16. 
Mattie, b. Oct. 10, 1794. 
George, b. Dec. 7, 1797. 
« Marrett, b. Dec. 27, 1799, m. Polly Thompson, of Buxton, p. Oct. 22, 1S19. 

Mrs. Eunice Hanscom died May 22, 1820. 

(2) Moses Hanscom, son of George, at one time owned a farm 

near the North meeting house. This he sold, and then moved on 

to the farm, now occupied by Mr. Fenderson, near the Westbroolx 

town line. He married Phebe, the daughter of Pelatiah Crockett. 

Children : 

Sally, b. June 16, 17S2. 

Hannah, b. Sept. 8, 17S8, m. George Rice, p. Apr. 8, 1S07. 
Mary, b. July 23, 1791, m. John Rice, Nov. 12, 1812. 
Rebecca, b. 1797, m. Almon Hanscom, Oct. 26, 1826. 

Moses Hanscom married, April 10, 1814, Esther, daughter of 
Abraham and Elizabeth Hall. He died Oct. 2, 1841. 

(2) John Hanscom, son of George, lived on the farm now owned 

by Chas. A. Brackett. His son Daniel lived on the place just across 

the road where Mrs. Levi Hamblen lately lived. John married Mary 

Hanscom of Kittery, and their children were : 

Betsey Hill, b. Sept. 26, 1795, "^- ^^'^ Baker, Oct. 23, 1825. 
Daniel, b. June 15, 1799, ™- Mahala Virgin; d. Mar. 18, 1833. 
Rufus, b. Dec. 23, 1801, d. Nov. 20, 1873. 

John Hanscom died May 10, 1836, aged 73, and his wife Mary, 
Feb. 20, 1830, aged 56. 

(2) Joseph Hanscom, son of George, lived on the Moses Hanscom 
place. He married Polly, daughter of Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., by whom 
he had two children : 

Almon, b. Mar. 18, 1799, ™- Oct. 26, 1826, his cousin Rebecca Hanscom; I'd on 
his father's place, near Saccarappa. Ch. : Mary Ann, b. Jan. 5, 1829, 
m. Joseph Ellsworth of Ellsworth, d. in 1870; Almon W., b. Apr. 2, 
1831, m. Abby PI. Strout, Dec. 3, 1857. Mrs. Hanscom d. July 4, 1835, 
and Mr. Hanscom m. Oct. 9, 1836, Isabella, dau. of Jeremiah and Mary 
Deering; she d. May 17, 1870, aged 60. Mr. PI. d. Sept. 28, 1S68. 

Miranda, b. Sept. 14, 18-0, d. young. 

Humphrey Hanscom, son of Elisha and Keturah (Fogg) Hanscom, 
was born in Scarboro, Jan. 28, 1754. In November, 1791, he bought 
of Briant Morton, then of Berwick, forty-seven acres of land in the 
south part of the town of Gorham, near the land of Chas. Morris and 
Wm. McLellan. The place is on the cross-road running easterly 



550 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

from near Chas. Strout's, and is now owned by Mr. Barker. Mr. 
Hanscom moved on to this farm shortly after purchasing it. His 
wife was Esther, daughter of Dea. Joshua and Hannah Libby, of 
Scarboro, whom he married Sept. ,20, 1781. They had four children : 

Joshua, b. 1782, m. Abigail Libby. 

Keturah, b. 1784, m. William Libby, May 18, 1S06. , 

Hannah, 1). 17S7, m. John Bradbury. 

John, b. , m. Fanny Riggs, Oct., 1S13, and 2d, Eunice Sloane. 

Humphrey Hanscom died Sept. 19, 1836, aged 82, and his wife 

Esther, July 3, 1830, aged 72. 

(2 ) John Hanscom, son of Humphrey, married Fanny, daughter of 

William and Polly (Parker) Riggs, by whom he had : 

William, m. Eunice Hanson; 2d, Mrs. Charlotte Flynn ; d. Sept. 6, 1900. 
Humphrey, d. young ; and another Humphrey who also d. young. 

Mrs. Fanny Hanscom died Nov. 22, 1823, aged 40, and Mr. 

Hanscom married Mrs. Eunice Sloane of VVestbrook, by whom he 

had four children, all born in Westbrook. He was a soldier in the 

War of 18 12, serving as a private in Capt. Toppan Robie's company. 

He drew a pension from Government for his services at Portland in 

18 1 4. After living for a time in Westbrook, he returned to Gorham 

and lived on the old Hamblen place on South St., where his son 

William afterwards resided. He died there Nov. 27, x88o, aged 89. 

His wife Eunice died June 27, i860, aged 69. 

Nathan Hanscom's name appears on the Gorham tax bills as early 

as 1773. He married, Nov. 14, 1776, Abigail Moody of Scarborough. 

Children : 

Molly, b. Feb. 27. 1778. 
Edward, b. Sept. 27, 1779. 

HARDING. 

John Harding, who settled on the thirty acre lot, 46, lately owned 
by Mr. E. P. We.ston, on the Flaggy Meadow road, and Seth who 
settled on the hundred acre lot, 12, on South St., lately owned by Mr. 
Phillips, were brothers. They came to Gorham from Eastham, Mass., 
about the year 1750. 

John Harding was a man of busines capacity. After coming to 
Gorham he was for several years Collector of the Province taxes, 
assessed before the incorporation of the town ; and quite a land 
owner. In the year 1757 he was a private in Capt. Woodman's com- 
pany of Provincials in the Northern Army, in the French war. In 



GENEALOGY. 551 

the drawing of the seventy acre lots, Mr. Harding drew No. 91, on 
which Great Falls is located. This lot he sold to his son Zephaniah. 
In 1767 Mr. Harding and his son John were the possessors of the 
thirty acre lot 24, known till the present day as " Harding's woods." 
June 26, 1735, Mr. Harding married Thankful Rich of Eastham. 
She died there, and he married, Mar. 24, 1757, Margaret Cole of the 
same place, who came to Gorham with him. Children of John and 
Thankful Harding : 

Zephaniah, b. 1737, m. Mary Davis, Nov., 1759; 2d, Lucy Harding. 

Nicholas, b. 1739, d. in the army at Lake George, about 1759. 

Anna, b. 1747, m. Timothy Hamblen, Sept. 14, 1769. 

John, b. 1748, m. Abigail Harding, p. Sept. 13, 1777. 

Mary, b. 1750, m. John Butteifield, Nov. 25, 1773; d. Sept. 3, 1830. 

Thankful, b. 1752, m. WilUam Murch, Jan. 20, 1774. 

There is no record of the death of Mr. Harding, or of his wives, 
but from examination of the tax bills and other documents, it is prob- 
able that he died in 1792, aged about 90. 

(2) Zephaniah Harding, son of John, was probably a native of 
Eastham, Mass. He married his first wife in Gorham in 1759. It is 
not now known at what time he came into town, but from certain cir- 
cumstances it is probable that it was at the same time with his father 
John. Zephaniah Harding was one of the levies from the town of 
Gorham in the Colonial or British army at Fort William Henry on 
Lake George, at the unfortunate and disastrous surrender of that fort 
to the French in the year 1757. He and William Files of Gorham 
were together in the same company, and were marched out of the 
fort at the same time with the other troops. The disgraceful neglect 
of the French commander. Gen. Montcalm, to furnish the guard sol- 
emnly .stipulated for in the capitulation, and the awful massacre and 
butchery committed in consequence of this neglect by the Indians, 
their allies, on the unarmed prisoners, are matters of histor}' ; but 
the personal and providential escape of our townsmen are matters in 
which we may be pardoned for having an extra interest. 

In the general assault on the unarmed and comparatively helpless 
prisoners the utmost confusion and terror took possession of all. 
No one had any definite idea of what was the best course to pursue. 
Some stood still and were coolly cut down, some were made captives, 
as the whim took their Indian butchers; some made a rush for the 
woods through the Indian lines ; in this many were cut down or cap- 
tured. Harding and Files succeeded in breaking through their foes, 
but not without being twice in the power of the enemy as prisoners ; 
by powerful efforts, however, they shook them otiE, and in the confu- 



552 .HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

sion finally reached the woods. The Indians pursued them and they 
were often on the point of again falling into their hands, but being 
young and powerful men they were able to keep ahead, and as night 
came on they secreted themselves in a large hollow tree that had 
fallen to the ground. This they had hardly accomplished before they 
heard the much dreaded footsteps of their pursuers in full chase. 
The Indians passed directly over their hiding place, and on farther 
into the woods. Harding and Files knew that the most prudent 
course for them was to remain still, as their pursuers not finding 
them would early return and beat the woods, and if they came out 
their capture would be certain ; it could be no more where they were. 
Their predictions and calculations proved true, for soon the enemy, 
finding they had lost the trail, came back with a dreadful howl or 
whoop. Harding said it was enough to freeze any man's blood, and 
turn black hair gray, and he said that although Files was a remark- 
ably dark-skinned man, he was quite white for a while. When the 
Indians returned, one of them immediately came to the log, and after 
looking about him for a minute raised his voice in one of the whoops 
which only an Indian can make, which brought all his companions 
around him — some six or eight in all — when a most exciting con- 
versation was carried on by them in their own language, accompanied 
by a continual stamping on and running around and over the log; all 
this time the prisoners hardly let a breath escape them ; their suspense 
was dreadful ; they thought there was barely the thickness of rotten 
hemlock bark between them and an awful death, but it was no time for 
exposure, they lay still. Soon operations were commenced by their 
enemies. Holes were cut and poles run in, but fortunately the pris- 
oners were not hit by them, and they were not discovered. Still their 
enemies could not give it up ; they had been through the woods and 
had not found them — if they were not in the log, where were they ? 
Another consultation was held ; the result was soon known. By a 
process known to the natives, fire was quickly made, wood and com- 
bustible materials were then procured and smart fires made at the 
ends of the log, which were kept up till well into the night, when as 
no victim was smoked out, the Indians became convinced that they 
had fairly lost their game and slowly left for the neighborhood of the 
fort to join their friends and find other victims on whom to wreak 
their vengeance. 

After waiting till all was still, and becoming sure that all their pur- 
suers had left, the prisoners crept out of their hiding place, not in the 
least injured by the smoke as none of it had found its way into the 



GENEALOGY. • 553 

log, and the holes cut by their enemies had afforded sufficient air for 
perfect respiration. In their rapid Hight they hardly knew the posi- 
tion of their hiding place ; after looking about they found themselves 
on the side of a mountain or hill, but a short distance from the fort ; 
the plain, fort, and Indian camp fires were plainly in sight : this view 
they did not remain long to enjoy. They were more dead than alive 
but they knew that much was still before them before life and liberty 
would be sure things, nor were they certain that another hunt would 
not be made for them in the morning. After a hurried consultation 
and observation, they took their way toward home, as near as they 
could judge, with all the speed they could make in order to put all 
the distance possible between themselves and their enemies before the 
time came for another pursuit, should the Indians conclude upon one ; 
nor did they relax as long as their strength held out. They had not 
a mouthful of anything to eat, nor any arms by which to procure pro- 
visions, and their clothing was nearly torn from their bodies in the 
many encounters they had had with the enemy, but they were all 
the lighter to travel. They made their way, suffering incredible 
hardships and privations, through the woods to Boston and from 
thence home, living on berries, bark of trees, roots and even browse. 
They were obliged to swim rivers and make long marches to get 
around ponds and lakes. They were about a month in the woods ; 
their shoes were worn from their feet, and they had scarcely a rag to 
cover their nakedness when they arrived among civilization, emaciated 
skeletons with just the form of men. Notwithstanding all this, they 
lived to a good age, much respected men, and both Mr. Harding and 
Mr. Files died at their homes in Gorham. Mr. Harding during all 
his life took no pains to make any one believe that he loved an Indian. 
He did not disguise the thing in the least, that he had in him a mortal 
hatred to the whole race : he was a good husband, kind father, oblig- 
ing neighbor, but wanting, as he said, "nothing to do with Indians." 
Zephaniah Harding lived on the cross road, where Charles Whitney 
lately lived. He was married in Gorham by Rev. Solomon Lombard 
to Mar}', daughter of Capt. Simon Davis of Barnstable. Mass. 
Children : 

Priscilla, b. Uec. i6, 1760, m. John Lombard, Jr , Aug. 13, 1780. 

Thankful, b. Jan. 14, 1763, d. unm. at Gorham, June 2, 1S43. 

Nicholas, b. Feb. 28, 1765, m. Miriam Bacon, June 14, 1789; 2d, Annah Bacon. 

Barnabas, b. July 5, 1767, m. Apr. 19, 1798, Mehitable, dau. of Dr. Clement Jordan 
of Portland, and his second wife, Mrs. Sally (Gray) Dunham. Ch : Achsah 
H., b. Feb, 6, 1799, d. in 181 1 ; Jos. Davis, b. Feb. 20, 1801, d. in 181 1 ; 
Sally Gray, b. Jan. 24, 1803, d. at Samuel Ward's in 1812 : Edward P., 
b. Feb. 6, 1807. Mr. Harding moved to Portland, where he d. in 1809, 
and his wife in 1807. 

John, b. Dec. 16, 1769. 



554 HISTORY OF gorham. 

Mrs. Mary Harding died Oct. 27, 1770, aged 30 and Mr. Harding 

married. January, 1773. Lucy Harding, sister of Capt. Samuel 

Harding of Buxton. Children : 

Mary, b. , d. young. 

Lucy, b. Oct. 5, 1774, m. Elias Fogg of Bu.xton, Sept. 29, 1799. 

Content, b. Apr. 24, 1776, m. Daniel Meserve of Scarboro, Dec. 11, 1796. 

Elizabeth, b. Feb. 4, 1778. d. in Gorham, unm. 

Zephaniah, b. Feb. 17, 1780. 

Samuel, b. Dec. 16. 1783, left home and was never heard from. 

Joseph, b. Dec. 18, 17S5, m. Louisa Bryant, Nov. 8, 1821. 

Zephaniah Harding died Feb. 13, 1807, and his wife Lucy. July 

15, 1828, aged 83. 

(2) John Harding, son of John, lived on the Flaggy Meadow road, 

on the place now owned by Samuel Dolley. The hill where the 

Water Company's standpipe is located was on his farm, and is still 

called Harding's Hill. Mr. Harding was a man having considerable 

ability for business, and died worth quite a property. He was very 

religious and eccentric, and desired solitude. For several years 

previous to his death he would not remain with his family unless 

compelled by force of circumstances. His farm extended back from 

the road nearly a mile. On the back end, about a mile from any 

inhabitant of the town, whatever, he cleared a field and built a camp, 

cultivating a small piece of land, and holding no communication with 

any one. He married his cousin Abigail, daughter of Seth and 

Elizabeth Harding, Children : 

Nicholas, b. Jan. 3, 1779, d. unm. Apr. 14, 1829. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 30, 17S1, d. unm. Mar. 22, 1864. 

John.b. Feb. 15, 1783, d. unm. Jan. 6, 1855. 

Abigail, b. Mar. 8, 1785, d. unm. May i, 1842. 

Seth, b. July 23, 1787, d. unm. Nov. 2, 1831. 

Anna, b. Dec. 10, 1789, d. unm. July 26, 1865. 

William, b. Nov. 28, 1792, d. June 28, 1796. 

Salome, b. Dec. 28, 1794, d. Aug., 1796. 

Joseph, b. June 17, 1797, m. Lydia Vamey of Windham, 1S43; no ch.; he d. 

Feb. 8, 1878 ; she d. June 8, 1S99, aged 92, 
Hannah, b. June 22, 1800, d. unm. Dec. 27, 1838. 

John Harding died Jan. 20, 1818, and his wife Abigail, Oct. 2, 
1829, aged 73 years. 

(3) Nicholas, son of Zephaniah Harding, was a farmer. He lived 

on the farm now owned and occupied by his grandson, Frank C. 

Harding. He married Miriam, daughter of Joseph and Miriam 

Bacon. Children : 

Alexander, b. Jan. 12, 1790, m. Mrs. Ro.xanna Smith, May 22, 1831. 
Edward, b. Jan. 28, 1792, d. young. 

Polly, b. Aug. 31, 1794, m. Joseph Rice of Buxton, Nov. 20, 1S17; d. in S.Paris, 
Dec. 4, 1868. 



GENEALOGY. 555 

Peggy, b. Dec. 17, 1797, m. Hoiton Adams of Buxton, Feb. 22, 1826. 

Robert, b. Apr. i i, 1800, d. unm. 

William B., b. July 23, 1802, m. Mary Ann Edwards, Dec. 21, 1826. 

Charles, b. Jan. 15, 1805, m. Eliza A. liailey, June, 1S3-;. 

Lucy, b. July 15, 1808, m. Holmes Thomas, May 11, 1S28. 

Colman, b. Dec. 17, 181 1, m. Mrs. Angelina Chadvvell, 1842. 

Mrs. Miriam Harding died July 27, 18 18, aged 53 yeans, and Mr. 
Harding married, July 22, 1819, her sister Annah. He died Mar. i6, 
1837, and his wife Annah, f'eb. 14, 1861, aged 93 years. 

Mrs. Miriam Harding recollected distinctly the night, Dec. 26, 
1778, when the American privateer, General Arnold, commanded by 
Capt. James McGee, went on shore in Plymouth harbor, and all, or 
nearly all, perished with the cold. She was at a party, or as they 
were in those days called, company, on the floor dancing with the 
others of the young people, when they heard the alarm guns. All 
the men rushed to the shore, but on account of the storm and cold, 
no succor could be gotten to the poor fellows, till, in the morning, 
the storm abating, boats got off to the vessel and found all, or nearly 
all, frozen to death. She recollected seeing the dead bodies brought 
on shore the next day, and laid in rows along the beach. She said 
that it was a horrible sight to see the dead bodies of the strong men, 
lying as they died, frozen hard as stones ; some with distorted coun- 
tenances ; some placid, as if they died perfectly at peace ; some 
straight and comely; others bent into all manner of forms; many 
locked in each others' arms and thus frozen. Those who drank 
spirits froze. Some put the rum in their boots and shoes. There 
were over one hundred men ; few of them were saved, and these by 
the loss of limbs were maimed for life. 

(3) Joseph Harding, son of Zephaniah, married Louisa Bryant. 
They lived on the hundred acre lot No. 62, which John Harding, Sr. 
bought of Joseph Weston in 1754. This was the same place on 
which his father Zephaniah lived before him. Children : 

Rebecca, b. Aug. 22, 1822, m. Samuel Cressey, June, 1S47. 

Lucy,b. Mar. 30, [824, d. young. 

Eunice, b. Aug. i, 1826, m. Charles Whitney. Jan. 21, 1844. 

Lucy, h. June 26, 1827, m. William Prince of Yarmouth. 

Mary, b. Mar. 15, 1829, m. Albion Paine of Mass.; d. in Gorham, Jan. 3, 1899. 

Infant, b. Feb., 1831, d. young. 

vSamuel F., b. June 9, 1833, went West, and is probably dead. 

Josiah, b. Sept. 25, 1835, d. May 6, 1842. 

Edward, b. Dec. 24, 1837, d. May 6, 1842. 

Frederic, b. Mar. 13, 1840, d. May 6, 1842. 

Josiah. b. June 6, 1843, I's on the old place. 

Joseph Harding died Feb. 8, 1845, aged 59, and his wife Loui.sa 
June 4, 1875, aged 71. 



556 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(4) Alexander Harding, son of Nicholas, married Mrs. Roxanna 

(Adams) Smith, daughter of William Adams, and widow of Elliot 

Smith. Children : 

Robert B., b. June 12, 1833, m. Nancy Lewis, Feb. 24, 1852. She d. Nov. 9, 

1868, ag. 31. Son Ale.xander who m. Emma Bean of Buxton. 
Tmeman \V., b. July 16, 1835, d. young. 
Angelina T., b. Apr. i. 1839. ni. John Wallace. 

Frances E., b. Jan. 2, 1844, m. Joseph Baker of Portland, Aug. 30, 1859. 
Eliza E., b. Mar. 17, 1847, d. prob. Aug. 27, 1853. 

Alexander Harding died Oct. 8, 1862, aged 73, and his wife 

Roxanna, Jan. 19, 1873, aged 69. 

(4) William B. Harding, son of Nicholas, was a much respected 
citizen of Ciorham. He was a contractor and builder. He served nine 
years as town clerk. In the militia he held the rank of Colonel. Col. 
Harding married Mary Ann, daughter of Samuel Edwards. Children : 

Martha E., b. Jan. 21, 182S, m. William W. Lowe of Buckfield (2d wife). 

Mary C, b. May 23, 1S32, m. William W. I>owe, Feb. 9, 1857; d. Mar., 1858. 

Koscoe G , b. July 10, 1834, m. Mar. 4, 1857, Mary Elizabeth Higgins of Thorn - 
dike, dau. of Wm. F., and g. dau. of Rev. Jos. Higgins. Ch: Fred W.. 
m. Emma Pike of Cornish; Mary C. ; Harry L. Mr. Harding was in 
trade at Gorham village from 185410 1898; previous to this he was 
station agent here on the York and Cumberland railroad. For over 
thirty years he has been a trustee of Gorham Savings Bank, andforsome 
thirty years a trustee of Gorham Academy and Seminary; he has been a 
member of the board of selectmen, represented the town in the Legis- 
lature, was elected treasurer of Cumberland County for two years, and 
was appointed County Commissioner by Governor Plaisted in 1881. 

Col. William B. Harding died Sept. 21, 1859, at his hou.se, now 
occupied by his son. His wife died Dec. i, 1881. 

(4) Charles Harding, son of Nicholas, was a mason by trade. He 
married Eliza Ann, daughter of Levi and Mary Bailey. Children : 

Emeline M., b. Dec. 25, 1833, m. Edwin F. Elder. 

Miriam R., b. June 28, 1836, m. John C. Summersides, Sept. 2, 1855. 

Charles G., b. June 23, 1838, d. Feb. i, 1854. 

Edward, b. Jan. 10, 1841, m. Iza A. Carlton, of Pelham, N. H., who d. Jan. 15, 
1872 ; m. 2d, Mrs. Sarah Putnam of Salem, Mass. Mr. Harding has 
been prominent in political life; has been State Senator; is present 
postmaster; and has for two years represented the town in the Legisla- 
ture. 

Caroline, b. Nov. 10, 1843, m. Levi Hall. 

George B., b. Jan. 22, 1846, m. Ella F. Lowe; I'd in Chelsea, Mass. ; d. Nov. 9, 
1895. 

Walter, b. Jan. 28, 1849, ^- ^-Ua Packard. 

May, b. May, 1853, d. young. 

Capt. Charles Harding died May 25, 1886, and his wife, Septem- 
ber, 1894. 

(4) Colman Harding, son of Nicholas, lived on the farm which 
had belonged to his father, and where his son Frank now lives. Mr. 




ROSCOE G. HARDING. 




MRS. AXCiELINA (TUKESBUKV) HARDING 



GENEALOGY. 00 i 

Harding was a thorough military man, and a prominent man in the 
militia, in which he rose to the rank of Colonel. When the Civil War 
broke out, Capt. Colman Harding, in .September, 1861. left Gorham 
for Augusta, in command of his company, K, of the Ninth Regiment. 
On the organization of the regiment, Capt. Harding was elected 
Lieut. Colonel. He took part in the capture and occupation of 
Hilton Head, S. C, which took place during the following Novem- 
ber. Colman Harding married Mrs. Angelina (Tukesbury) Chad- 
well, whose picture is given on the opposite page. There is no 
portrait of Col. Harding in existence. His children were: Margaret 
Eleanor; and Francis Colman, who married Annie Chambers. Col. 
Colman Harding died July 15, 1885, and Mrs. Harding, Aug. 6, 1900. 

Seth Harding, brother of John, the first, as has been said, came 
from Eastham, Mass., and settled on South St. He also lived 'for 
a short time on a part of the hundred acre lot No. 2. He was a 
private in Capt. McLellan's company in the Penobscot expedition. 
He married Elizabeth Wilkit. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. about 1751, m. Josiah Whitney, Sept. 16, 1775; joined the 

Shakers; d. in Alfred, Apr. 26, 1841. 
Samuel, b. July 15, 1754, m. prob. Susanna Freeman, p. May 2, 1781 ; joined 

the Shakers. She d. Sept. 24, 1836, ag. 81. 
Abigail, b. July 14, 1756, m. John Harding, p. Sept. 13, 1777. 
Martha, b. July 14, 1759, m. Jeremiah Towie, Jan. 20, 1791. 
Seth, b. Feb. 3, 1763, d. in Gorham, unm., Jan. 4, 1839. 

The name of Joshua Harding appears as witness to a deed in 
Gorham, April 10, 1754. His wife signs her name " Lesabeth." 

Joshua Harding married Hannah Freeman, Jan. 2, 1766, in East- 
ham, Mass. He married another wife. Thankful . He had 

two children born in Gorham : 

Joseph, b. Feb. 4, 1776. 
Joshua, b. Aug. 5, 1778. 

There is no further mention of this family on record. They are 
said to have joined the Shakers. 

Capt. Samuel Harding and his brother Simon came from Eastham, 

Mass. Samuel settled on the farm, recently owned by Rev. James 

Lewis, at West Gorham. He married Martha Ann Brown, who was 

the sister of Sylvanus and Samuel Brown, and came from Eastham, 

Mass. Children : 

Hannah, b. Sept. 28, 1775, m. James Lewis, Sept. 24, 1793. 
Rebecca, b. July 5, 1777, d. young. 

Capt. Samuel Harding died at sea June 17, 1789. Mrs. Harding 
died at the house of her son-in-law at West Gorham, Jan. 21, 1826. 



558 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Simon Harding, brother of Samuel, settled in Gorham but after- 
wards moved to Baldwin. He married, January, 1775, Elizabeth, 
daughter of John and Deborah Cressey. One child, on Gorham 
records: Noah, b. Nov. 27, 1777. Mrs. Elizabeth Harding died 
Feb. 17, 1823, aged 66. 

Jesse Harding and his wife Jerusha came from Wellfleet, 

Mass , where he had been engaged in whaling. He bought land in 
Gorham in 1769. April 23, 1773, he purchased of Jonathan Freeman 
and his son Jonathan, Jr., the western half of the hundred acre lot 
8 ; at which time Harding was of Gorham, and still a sailor. Mrs. 
Jerusha Harding died May 27, 1774, aged 37, and Mr. Harding 
married. Mar. 27, 1777, Elizabeth, daughter of Austin Alden of 
Gorham. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. Jan. 17, 1778, m. John Pumroy ; had several children b. in Gor- 
ham ; moved to Hampden. 
Jesse, b. Sept. 21, 1779, d. in Gorham, Dec, 17S1. 
Samuel, b. July 14, 1781. 
Austin, b. May 1, 1784, in Hampden. 
Eunice, b. Oct. 3, 1788, in Hampden. 
Salome, b. June 26, 1790, in Hampden. 
Josiah, b Jan. 21, 1794, in Hampden. 

This family moved from Gorham to Hampden between December, 
1 78 1, and May, 1784. Mrs. Harding died at Hampden, May 4, 
1824, aged 64. 

Samuel Harding came to Gorham from Eastham, Mass., and 
learned the trade of a blacksmith of Richard Paine who had married 
his sister Thankful. After going to sea for thirty years he bought a 
farm in Buxton, about two and a half miles from Gorham village. 
He married, Aug. 5, 1790. Eunice, daughter of Simon Huston. Their 
children, all born in Buxton, were Simon, Samuel, Eunice and Mary. 
Simon, the eldest child, married Eliza, daughter of William and Han- 
nah Paine of Gorham, and was the father of our late townsman, 
Samuel Harding. Simon Harding was drowned at Stroudwater, Oct. 
8, 1825, and his widow married Stephen A. Patrick of Buxton. 
Simon Harding left two children : 

William, b. July 8, 1822, d. in the Army, at Washington. 

Samuel, b. Apr. 15, 1824, m. Joanna Brown, 1846; had two children both now 

living in Gorham, Edwin S., m. Mary A. Lombard, and Charles B. 

-Samuel Harding d. July 20, 1899. 

David Harding, son of Abiah and Rebecca Harding, was born in 
Eastham, Mass., in 1732. He was a descendant of Joseph Harding 
who came to Massachusetts from England in 1623. His grand- 
mother was a descendant of Francis Cook who came over in the 



GENEALOGY. 559 

Mayflower. David Harding settled first in Wellfleet, Mass., where 

all his children were born. "He sold his property there for $6,000 

Continental money, and settled in (lorham in 1780. He paid $400 

for a cow, $70 for seven yards of calico for a wedding dress for his 

daughter Jane, $30 for leather to tap his boots, and $5 a pound for 

coffee ; but could buy no land for Continental money." His home 

in Gorham was near Gambo, on the farm where Clarence Ward now 

lives. He married Sarah Brown. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. about 175O, m. Ephraim Smith, about 1776. 
Jane, b. about 1757, m. William McLellan, Aug. 27, 17S2. 
Elkanah, b. July 7, 1759, m. Martha Knight, Feb. 5, 17S9; 2d, Mrs. Hannah 

Brown. 
David, b. Mar. 14, 1762, m. Temperance Davis, Aug. 19, 17S1 ; 2d, Mrs. Rebecca 

Knight. 

David Harding was a soldier in the Revolution, and a pensioner 
from 18 18 till he died. Mar. 2, 1S28, aged 96. Mrs. Sarah Harding 
died June 4, 1804. 

(2) Elkanah Harding, son of David, married Martha, daughter of 

William Knight, Jr., of Windham. He lived on his father's place at 

Gambo. Children : 

William, b. Jan. 30, 1790, m. Agnes Moulton of Standish. 

James, b. July 25, 1792, m. Martha McLellan, Jan. 21, 1819; 2d, Dorcas Libby, 

Oct. 13, 1857; I'd in Standish. 
Mary, b. Nov. 21, 1794, m. Owen Harris, June 10, 1S21. 
Hannah, b. Mar. 23, 179S, m. Benjamin Moulton "f Standish, Sept. 6, iSiS. 

Mrs. Martha Harding died May 30, 1801, aged ^^. Mr. Harding 

married, Mar. 12, 1802, Mrs. Hannah (Elder) Brown, daughter of 

Samuel and Hannah Elder, and widow of Joseph Brown. By her he 

had : 

Samuel, b. June 5, 1S03, d. May 26, 1S22. 

Joseph B., b. May 14, 1S05, m. Mary Ann Melcher of Brunswick, Oct. 27, 1<S32. 

Freeman, b. Aug. i, 1807, m. Frances Huston, p. Apr. 11, 1832; 2d, Mrs. Jane 

Mosher. 
Martha K., b. Oct. 7, 1809, m. Samuel Freeman ; d. Mar. 15. 1874. 
George K , b. Aug. 9, 181 r, m. Lavina Boody ; I'd in Windham; d. Oct. 22, 

1842. 
Sarah A., b. Oct. 25, 1813, m. William T. Morris of Limerick, Nov. 27, 1834. 
Eunice M., b. May 4, 1816, m. Winslow Hall; I'd in Portland and Waterville. 
Charles W., b. Sept. 10, iSiS, m. Mrs. Jane (Hanson) Woodford; d. Mar. 22, 

1856, and she, Oct. 25, 1886. 

Elkanah Harding died Aug. 27, 1850, aged 91. Hannah, his wife, 
died July 19, 1828, aged 51. 

(2) David Harding, Jr.. son of David, was born in Wellfleet, Mass. 
He was a sailor in his younger days, and became master of a ship. In 
January, 1800, while in command of the ship " Portland " of Portland, 
bound on a voyage from Berbice, S. A., to Portland, he was captured 



560 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

by a French privateer after a chase of eighteen hours. The ship, 
however, was retaken a few days later by the U. S. Brig " Pickering " 
and enabled to continue her voyage. After leaving the sea, he 
settled in Gorham village, and lived in the house on Main St., which 
was purchased and altered a few years ago by the late Gardner D. 
Weeks. Capt. Harding was a trader, and his store stood on the 
north side of Main St., just west of the house now owned by Llewellyn 
Brown. This store was moved to South St., and made into the 
dwelling house lately occupied by Mrs. Eunice M. Perry. Capt. 
Harding was a man of much prominence in town. He was one of 
the trustees of Gorham Academy, also of the Ministerial Fund, and 
was for many years treasurer of both Boards. He was eleven years 
a Representative from this town to the General Court of Massa- 
chusetts, two years to the Maine Legislature, and was for four years 
one of the town's board of selectmen. He married Temperance, 
daughter of Prince and Sarah Davis. Children : 

Thomas, b. Aug. 25, 17S4, m. Mary Ann McLellan, Jan. 18, iSio; 2d, Jane 

McLellan. 
Betsey, b. Nov. 14, 1786, m. William H. Foster, May 20, 1804. 
Temperance, b. Dec. S, 1789, m. Capt. John Fenno of Boston, June 14, 1813. 
Robert, b. Sept. 16, 1791, m. Sally Ryan, May i, 1S14. 
Stephen D., b. Oct. 25, 1793, "i- Sally Phinney, Dec. 26, 1816. 
David, b. Mar. 19, 1796, m. Jane Blake of Portland, p. Sept. 4, 1824. 
Charles, b. June 26, 1798, m. Martha W. Ryan, Oct. 11, 1827. 
Emeline, b. Mar. 27, 1801, m. Eben Libby of Portland, Nov. 3, 1825. 

Mrs. Temperance Harding died Aug. 29, 18 10, aged 50, and Capt. 
Harding married, March 10, 181 1, Mrs. Rebecca (Davis) Knight, 
sister to his first wife, and widow of George Knight. Capt. Harding 
died suddenly, of apoplexy, at his wood lot on Little river, Jan. 10, 
183 1. Mrs. Rebecca Harding died June 18, 1836, aged 70. 

(3) William Harding, son of Elkanah, married Agnes Moulton of 

Standish, in which town he settled, and where his children were born. 

Children : 

Mary Ann, b. Jan. 23, 1819, d. in Gorham, Apr. 9, 1847. 

Horace M., b. Oct. 13, 1820, d. in Gorham Jan. 12, 1848. 

Samuel, b. Sept. i, 1822, d. in Gorham, Jan. 21, 1846. 

Thomas, b. Sept. 26, 1S24, m. Julia Smith. 

Lydia S., b. Feb. 15, 1827, ni. Orin K. Phinney. 

Hannah M., b. June 5, 1830, m. Jos. H. Fogg, Sept. 11, 1851 ; d. in Standish, 

Oct., 1896. 
Agnes M., b. June 4, 1832, d. in Standish, Jan. 18, 1834. 
Charles B., b. Dec. 31, 1835, "^- I-"cy A. Bacon. 
Jane F , b. July 17, 1840, m. Wesley Spear; d. in Standish, Sept. 16, 1S72. 

William Harding about 1842 returned to (iorham, where he lived 

on his father's place. He died April 13, 1844, aged 54, and his 

widow in 1846 married Joseph McDonald. She died Sept. 25, 1870, 

aged 72. 




CAPT. DAVID HARD]N(;, JR. 




MRS. TEMPERANCE (DAVIS) HARDING 



GENEALOGY. 561 

(3) Freeman Harding, son of Elkanah, traded for a time at Little 
Falls. He owned the house and farm near the graveyard, where 
Wm. H. McLellan now lives. He was selectman in 1852 and 1855, 
and was at one time tax collector. His first wife was Frances Huston. 
She died Aug. 3, 1852, aged 52. Aug. 29, 1853, he married Mrs. 
Jane (Morton) Mosher, widow of Hugh VV. Mosher. Both Mr. 
Harding and his wife Jane died in Mass. 

(3) Thomas, son of Capt. David Harding, Jr., lived next to his 

father's house, in the house which he built where Elden Gamman 

has lately lived. He married Mary Ann, daughter of Thomas and 

Jane McLellan. Children : 

Thomas P., b. Feb. 22, 181 1, m. Alice Frink, p. Aug. 13, 1836. 
William M., b. Dec. 8, 1812, m. Esther R. Hamblen, July i, 1844. 
Albert S., b. Oct. 4, 1814, m Martina Lowe; d. in Earlville, 111., 1S57. 
Mary Ann, b. Mar. 28, 1817, m. Charles K. Morris, Jan. 27, 1810. 

Mrs. Mary A. Harding died Jan. 6, 18 18, and Mr. Harding mar- 
ried, Aug. 30, 1S18, her sister, Jane McLellan. Children : 

Jane, b. July 3, 18 19, m. Clark Chick of Cornish. 
Stwall, b. Jime 10, 1822, d. young. 

Thomas Harding died July 6, 1822, and his wife Jane, Sept. 5, 

1822, aged 3:^. 

(3) Robert Harding, son of Capt. David, Jr., lived in the house 

now owned by Llewellyn Brown. He married Sally, daughter of 

John B. and Hannah Ryan. Children : 

Charles, b. July 24, 1814, I'd in the West; d. about 1S83. 
Mary, b. May 4, 18 18, m. Amos Tukesbury. 
Helen L., b. July 24, 1S20, d. unm. 
Thomas, b. Aug. 23, 1822, d. Jan. 17, 1S40. 

Capt. Robert Harding was a sea captain, and was lost in the Baltic 

in 1824. His widow married Nathan Harris of Westbrook, and 

lived at Cumberland Mills. 

(3) Stephen D. Harding, son of Capt. David, Jr., married Sally, 

daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Phinney. Children : 

Nathaniel, b. Dec. 16, 1S17. 
David, b. May 18, 1820, m. Charlotte Crockett. 
Mary Ann, b. Sept. 20, 1822, d. Nov. 3, 1826. 
Sarah Jane, b. Sept. 10, 1824, d. Nov. 23, 1826. 
William F., b. May 10, 1827. • 

Mary Jane, b. Oct. 18, 1828. 

(3) David Harding. 3d, son of Capt. David, Jr., was a trader for 
some time in Gorham. He moved to Portland in 1826, but returned 
later. His store here was in the "row," next to Capt. Hatch's, and 



562 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

was destroyed in the fire of 1846. He married Jane Blake of Port- 
land. Children : 

Robert Augustus, b. July 28, 1825. 
Frederic, b. Jan. 20, 18 — . 

David Harding, 3d, died in Gorham, Feb. 5, 1834, aged 32. 

(4) William McLellan Harding, son of Thomas, married Esther R., 
daughter of Joseph and Mary Hamblen, and lived at dorham village. 
Children : 

Arthur H., b. Sept. 13, 1845, m. Sarah O. Atwood of Wellfleet, Mass., July 29, 
1872. Ch: Willis F., b. May 29, 1873, d. June 17, 1885, and Sarah A., 
b. Aug. 25, 1874, d. Nov. 30, 1879. 

Charles W., b. Nov. 27, 1854, m. Clara Garland. 

William M. Harding died Aug. 26, 1866, aged 53. Mrs. Esther 
Harding died Aug. 5, 1891, aged 73. 

HARMON. 

Rufus Harmon was a nitive of Standish. He was a farmer and 
cooper. He settled in Corham, at the north part of the town, nearly 
up to the Standish line. March 14, 1798, he married Eunice, daugh- 
ter of Joel and Elizabeth Sawyer of Gorham. Children : 

Jonathan, m. Hannah Crammore; I'd and d. in Bridgton. 

Beisey, m. James Brown of Harrison, Mar. 20, 1830; 2d, Wni. I. Lewis. 

Rufus, Jr., m. Lu.y Higgins of Standish, May 28, 1826; I'd and d. in Corinna. 

Wealthy S., m. Isaac Moody, of Standish, Dec. 7, 1834. 

Reul)en, m. Axina Chase ; I'd and d. in Buxton. 

Ann, b. Oct. 5, 1808, in Standish, m. Alvah Libby, June 28, 183 1. 

Eunice, b. in 1813, m. llezekiah Crockett, p. Nov. 28, 1839. 

Mary J., b. June ro, 18 [4, in Standish, m. Peter Elder, Nov. 25, 1839. 

Isaa:, b. in 18 r 6, m. Abby Hodgdon of Corinna; d. in Brunswick. 

Rufus Harmon died in Harrison. Mrs. Harmon died in Gorham 
at the house of her daughter Betsey, Nov. 29, 1850, aged 74. 

Israel Harmon born in Standish, Jan. 17. 1790, the son of Eliot 
Harmon, and a nephew to Rufus Harmon, above, married, Nov. 5, 
1812, Dorothy, daughter of Moses and Hannah Fogg of Gorham. 
Not long after his marriage he removed from Standish to Harrison, 
where he resided for some years. From Harrison he came to Gor- 
ham, where he lived in the north part of the town. His farm joined 
the Standish line. He was a farmer, and also kept a store for many 
years near his house. The children of Lsrael and Dorothy Harmon 
were : 

Moses, b. in Standisii, July 8, 1814, I'd on liis father's farm ; was deaf and dumb ; 

d. June 1 1, 1897. 
Hannah, b. in Harrison, Nov. 8, 1816, m. Alvah McDonald, Apr. 14, 1844. 



GENEALOGY. 563 

Mary H., b. in Harrison, Aug. 31, 1821, m. Jos. M. Plununcr, Sept. 22, 1843. 
Franklin, b. in Harrison, Feb. 24, 1825, d. in Harrison, July 11, 1828. 

Israel Harmon died at his home in Gorham, Dec. 19, 1876, aged 
87. Mrs. Harmon died Sept. 27, 1875, aged 86. Mr. Harmon's 
place is now owned and occupied by Rev. John A. Bodge, who mar- 
ried his sister, Esther A. Harmon. 

HARRIS. 

Stephen Harris probably came to Gorham from Windham. He 
enlisted from Windham in the Revolutionary army as a private in 
Capt. Mayberry's company, Col. Francis' regiment. In 1783, Mr. 
Harris, being then of Gorham, bought of Decker Phinney and Gary 
McLellan the seventy acre lot No. 60, which Phinney and McLellan 
had purchased of his Excellency, John Hancock. He also owned 
lots 58 and 73. His home and buildings were on lot 58, situated 
about one-half mile from Sapling Hill. The place is now owned by 
Frank Mayberry. Mr. Harris was a member of the Society of 
Friends in Gorham. He married Sarah, daughter of William and 
Jemima (Proctor) Gennis of Windham. Children : 

Mary, b. Feb. 25, 1786. 

William, b. Mar. 17, 178S, m. Annie Collins, Oct. i, 1817. 

Levi, b. May 27, 1790, m. Betsey Waterhouse, July 27, 1S17. 

John, b. Oct. 15, 1792. 

Rebecca, b. May 3, 1795, d. unm. 

Owen, b. July 15, 1797, m. Mary Harding, June 10, 1821 ; I'd in Oshkosh, Wis. 

Nathaniel, b. Aug. 3, 1800, m. Foster; 2d, Mrs. Sally Harding; d. Nov. 

5, 1847. 

Mr. Harris died Aug. i, 1831, and his wife Sarah, March 3, 1852, 
aged 95. 

(2) William Harris, son of Stephen, lived near his father, not far 
from Sapling Hill. He married Annie Collins of Portland. The 
marriage took place in the Friends' Meeting House in Gorham. 
Their children were : 

William Cobb, b. Aug. 10, 1818, d. Jan. 25, 1S21. 

Huldah A., b. July 8, 1821, d. Oct. 11, 1832. 

Sarah M., b. Oct. 4, 1822, m. Otis T. Hall. 

Phebe S., b. June 23, 1824, d. Feb. 3. 1825. 

Harriet E., b. Oct. 4, 1829, m. Otis T. Hall (2d wife). 

Isaiah W., b. Apr. 17, 1835, d. young. 

Huldah Ann, b. Nov. 13, 1836, d. young. 

William Harris died June 25, 1845, and his wife, Jan. 19, 1839, 
aged 39. 



564 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

HASKELL. 

William, Roger and ^Lark Haskell came from England in 1656. 
William settled at Cape Ann. His son Benjamin, born in 1648, 
married Mary, daughter of Thomas Riggs of Gloucester, Mass. 
Thomas, son of Benjamin and Mary, was born in Gloucester in 1689 
and came in the year 1726 to Falmouth Neck. From him the Has- 
kells of Gorham descend. He was one of the first embodied into 
the church on the settlement of Mr. Smith in 1727, and was one of 
the selectmen of Falmouth in 1 731 ; a very respectable, worthy and 
influential citizen. Parson Smith in his Diary for 1726, in speaking 
of his coming to Falmouth, says, "One Haskell, a sober sort of man 
with his family." We find that he was a Proprietor in Gorham in 
1758, in which year he sold the right No. 76 to Solomon Haskell. 
He married Mary Parsons of Cape Ann. Children : 

Hannah, b. in 1 720, m. Joseph Scott ; 2d, Zerubbabel Hunnenvell of Windham ; 

d. July 27, 1753. 
Mary, b. Apr. 22, 1722, m. Joseph Quimby, p. Sept. 28, 1740. 
Benjamin, b. about 1725, m. Abigail Parsons of Gloucester, Mar. 10, 1752 ; 2d, 

Lydia Freeman of Cape Cod ; was a Proprietor in Gorham in 1764 ; d. 

Oct. 14, 17S5, aged 60. 
Solomon, b. about 1726, according to his own deposition given in 1805. His 

name often appears in town affairs in that part of Falmouth, now Sacca- 

rappa. He d. May 22, 18 16. 

Thomas, b. , m. Isabel Winship of Windham, May 10, 1766. 

William, b. July 25, 1728, m. Margaret Frost, June 18, 1752 ; 2d, Mrs. Weston. 

Rachel, b. July 12, 1730, m. Wm. Bolton, Mar. 17, 1757. 

Sarah, b. Nov. 27, 1732, m. Samuel Gookin, 1754. 

John, b. Aug. 25, 1735, m. Abigail Libby, June 15, [75S. 

Anna, b. Apr. 27, 1737, m. Peter Babb of Saccarappa, June 24, 1760. 

Thomas Haskell moved from Falmouth to Gorham, and lived 
nearly opposite the Col. Tyng place, very near the spot now occupied 
by the house built by the late Samuel E. McLellan. It seems 
probable that he lived with one of his sons, William or John, prob- 
ably with the latter. He owned a negro slave. Prince, baptized July 
21, 175 1, by the Rev. Mr. Wight of Windham. Mr. Haskell died 
Feb. 10, 1785, aged 96, leaving, it is said, seventy-nine grandchildren 
and fifty-eight great-grandchildren. 

(2) WMlliam Haskell, son of Thomas, lived on a lot near that of 
his brother John, and just west of David Webb's. He married 
Margaret, daughter of James and Margaret (Goodwin) Frost of Ber- 
wick. They were married in what is now South Berwick, by the 
Rev. Jeremiah Wise. We have been unable to find any perfect 
record of his children, but there were : 

Anna, m. Thomas Paine, Dec. 6, 1781 ; I'd in Pownal. 
Enoch, m. Hitty Swett ; I'd in N. Harrison. 



GENEALOGY. 566 

John, m. Mary Faine, p. Feb. lo, 1781. 

Jacob, m. Mary Whitmore, Dec. 29, 17S5. 

Stephen, m. Rebecca Marston of N. Yarmouth, p. Mar. 5, 1791. 

Daniel, m. Mary Bolton, Apr. 10, 1794. 

William Haskell married second, Feb. ii, 1773, Mrs. Katherine 
('Mosher) Weston, daughter of Daniel and Jane Mosher, and widow 
of Joseph Weston. One child was born to them in Gorham : 

Susanna, b. Jan. 22, 1775, m. Oliver Pierce of Harrison. 

Mr. Haskell died April 6, 1777. His name is on the tax li.st in 
1777 for two polls, and in 1779 his widow Katherine is charged for 
two polls. In 1779 also, his widow Katherine executed a mortgage 
on her late husband's farm in Gorham, and settled his estate. 

(2) John Haskell, son of Thomas, lived in Gorham as early as 
1765. The house in which he lived stood on the old road, just west 
of the town line between Gorham and Westbrook. It has since been 
moved to Cumberland Mills, and is still standing, just west of Kim- 
ball Eastman's store. John Haskell married Abigail, daughter of 
John and Mary (Miller) Libby of Scarborough. She was born Dec. 
18, 1739. Children : 

Samuel, b. Mar. 24, 1759, d. Dec. 25, 1775. 

Benjamin, b. Feb. 14, 1761, m. Sally Berry, p. July 24, 17S4 ; I'd in Standish. 
John, b. Dec. 24, 1762. 

Jonathan, b. Mar. 24, 1765, m. Martha Phinney, Sept. 19, 1793. 
Mary P., b. Apr. 10, 1767, d. Dec. 26, 1781. 
Thomas, b. May i, 1769, I'd and d. in Pownal. 
Reuben, b. Mar. 24, 1771, I'd and d. in Pownal. 
Abigail, b. June iS, 1773, m. David Plumer, July 2, 1799. 
Rebecca, b. Aug. 7, 1775, d. Dec. 24, 1776. 

Samuel D., b. Sept. 12, 1777, m. Lydia Plumer, Mar. 17, 1799; I'd in Wilton. 
Infant, b. Aug. 18, 177Q, d. Aug. 28, 1779. 
Rebecca, b. May 15, 1781, d. July 18, 1783. 
Mary P., b. Apr. 19, 1783, d. Apr. 6, 17S6. 

Rachel, b. Jan. i, 17S6, m. David Grant of Falmouth, Nov. 14, 1802; 2d, 
Michael Dyer of Pownal; d. Aug., 1885. 

(3) John Haskell, son of William, lived in Gorham in the White 
Rock district. He was a Revolutionary soldier. On April i, 1776, 
he enlisted to serve one year under Capt. Paul Ellis in Col. French's 
regiment, and participated in the siege of Boston. He was after- 
wards a member of Capt. Mayberry's company, of the i ith Mass. 
He married Mary Paine. Children : 

Anna, b. Feb. 23, 1782, m. Joseph Files, p. Dec. 22, 179S. 

John, b , m. Anna Harmon of Standish, Feb. 7, 1805. 

Nathaniel, b. , m. and I'd in the eastern part of the State. 

Joseph, b. , m. Mrs. Jerusha Moore of Otisfield. 

Susan, b. , m. Joseph Cram of Thorndike. 

Mary, b. — , m. Jacob Sovereign of Thorndike. 

A daughter, b. , m. a Mr. Roberts in the eastern part of the State. 

Jacob, b. — , I'd and d. in Kansas. 



566 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

John Haskell and most of his family moved to Thorndike. John 
Haskell died in Knox Sept. 22, 1819. 

(3) Jacob Haskell, son of William, married Mary, daughter of Capt. 

Samuel and Mary Whitmore. Children: 

Samuel, b. Oct. 3, 1786. 

Eunice, b. Oct. 7, 178S, m. Nathaniel H. Elden of Buxton, Nov. 29, 1810. 

Jacob, b. Oct. 3, 1790. 

William, b. Feb. 28, 1793. 

vSally, b. May 18, 1795. 

Joel, b. June 8, 1797. 

Eliza, b. May 13, 1799. 

(3) Daniel Haskell, son of William, was born Oct. 11, 1768. He 
married his cousin Mary, daughter of William and Rachel (Haskell) 
Bolton, and settled on a farm on the Hurricane road. This place he 
exchanged with Daniel Purinton for the place in Windham now occu- 
pied by the family of his son Oliver. The Gorham farm is now 
owned by Israel Kemp. The buildings are unoccupied, and are fast 
going to decay. Children : 

James, b. Feb. 10, 1796, m. Lydia Elliott of Portland, Nov. 5, 1823. Ch : Gilbert 
M., b. Aug. 30, 1824, d. in Florida, about 1897 ; Mary Ann, b. Mar. 29, 
1826, d. Apr. 18, 1849; Wm. Nelson, b. Sept. 15, 1828, k'd by Indians 
while on the way to Cal. ; John L., b. Mar. 12, 1838, m. Harriet Libby, 
1861, went to the Black Hills; Jas. Edwin, b. June i, 1842, k'd at Fred- 
ericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862. James Haskell I'd on the Webb place, at 
Winship's Corner; he was a Free Mason, and a charter member of 
Harmony Lodge; he d. in Florida, Feb. 21, 1878; Mrs. Haskell d. in 
Deering, Jan. 8, 1895. 

Betsey, b. June 8, 1798, m. Oliver Mayberry ; d. Jan. 21, 1879. 

WiUiam, b. Jan. 17, 1802, d. Feb. 10, 1803. 

William, b. Dec. 27, 1803, m. Margaret McGill ; d. Feb. i, 1840. 

Anna, b. Feb. 26, 1806, d. unm. May 30, 1829. 

Oliver, b. Feb. 26, 1808, m. Charity Mayberry, Nov. 22, 1835 ; 2d, Nancy G. 
Phinney, May 25, 1840; d. Jan. 8, 1893. 

Everline, b. July 25, 1810, d. unm. Apr. 26, 1888. 

Daniel M., b. Jan. 7, 1813, d. Apr. 25, 1838. 

Rachel, b. Nov. 16, 1814, m. Marshall Thomes ; d. June 1, 1840. 

Daniel Haskell died in Windham, April 2, 1845, and his wife 
Mary, June 22, 1863. 

HASTY. 

William and Thomas J. Hasty, sons of Robert and Margaret 
(Patterson) Hasty, were born in Scarborough; William, June 6, 1799, 
and Thomas, Aug. 6, 1804. Their great-grandfather, Daniel Hasty, 
was probably the first of the name in New England, certainly the 
first in Maine and New Hampshire. He came from Ireland with his 
wife and family to Portsmouth, N. H., and removed thence to Scar- 
borough about 1 73 1-2. 



GENEALOGY. 567 

William Hasty went into the tanning and leather business in 
Gorham with John Wilson, a native of Londonderry, N. H. The 
remains of their tan-pits have been in existence until very recently 
on the east side of School St., just north of the residence of Mrs. 
Harmon. Mr. Hasty died in Gorham. 

Thomas J. Hasty lived at West Gorham, where he kept a store for 
some years. He took an active part in town affairs, and was at one 
time town collector. He was postmaster at West Gorham at the time 
of his death, Mar. i, 1873 ; — his wife died Sept. 7, 1883. He mar- 
ried, Nov. 25, 1832, Sally D. Watts of Buxton. Children: 

Edward, m. Lizzie Copp of Cumberland. 

Thomas J., Jr., m. Edith Lombard; d. Oct. 12, 1876. 

Harriet IL, m. PVancis Files. 

William, m. Lettie Varley. 

Eliza Ella. 

Sarah, m. Frank Hoyt of Winthrop. 

HATCH. 

The descendants of Joseph Hatch claim descent from Elder 
William Hatch of Kent County, England, who came with his wife 
Jane and five children to New England in 1634 in the ship " Hercules," 
and was one of the early settlers of Scituate, Mass. He died in 
1651. 

Joseph Hatch came to Gorham from Barnstable. His wife was 

Sarah, daughter of Johai and Sarah Sawyer, and sister of Capt. 

Jonathan Sawyer of Gorham. Their children, recorded as being born 

in Gorham, were : 

Nathaniel, b. Sept. 27, 1749, m. Elizabeth Hatch, June 12, 1777; 2d, Abigail 

Nason, 
Ezekiel, b. Nov. 16, 1754, joined the Shakers. 

Asa, b. Jan. 30, 1757, m. Rebecca Crockett, May 6, 1783 ; 2d, Jane Mcintosh. 
David, b. Apr. 6, 1759. 

Mary, b. Aug. 10, 1764, joined the Shakers at Alfred; d. Oct. 12, 1S17. 
Ebenezer, b. May 13, 1767, m. Elizabeth McLellan, Feb. 7, 1802. 
Elizabeth, b. Sept. 13, 1770. 

Find no record of the death of Mr. and Mrs. Hatch. 

(2) Nathaniel Hatch, son of Joseph, was for many years a sea 
captain. In 1777 he sold to Joseph Gilkey the half-house, farm, etc., 
which he had purchased a few months before of his grandfather, 
John Sawyer. This was one-half of the thirty acre lot 113. About 
1779 he moved to Falmouth (Cape Elizabeth), but returned after 
some years to Gorham, living probably on the hundred acre lot 41. 
This lot he sold in 1787 to his brother Asa. Capt. Hatch afterwards 
removed to that part of Falmouth which is now Westbrook, where he 



568 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

built the two-stor)- brick house on the Saco road, still known as the 
Hatch house, and occupied until very recently by his descendants. 
In his later years he became a preacher of the Methodist denomination. 
Children of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Hatch) Hatch were: 

Betsey, b. in Gorham, Apr. 14, 1778, m. Wm. Roberts; d. Dec. 7, 18 15. 

Hannah, b. in Cape Klizabetli, Apr. 22, 1780, m. Jeremiah Johnson of West- 
brook. 

Sally, b. in Cape Elizabeth, Jan. 10, 1783, ni. Reuben Cobb, Apr. 5, 1801. 

Nathaniel, b. in Gorham, Sept. 30, 1789, m. ; d. in Virginia. 

Harriet, b. Sept. 5, 1794, d. Nov. 4, 181 1. 

George, b. Nov. 3, 1797, m. Mary .Staples; 2d, Kniily Iliggins; I'd in West- 
brook. 

After the death of his wife Betsey, May 24, 18 12, Mr. Hatch 

married Abigail Nason. He died, Apr. 2, 1832, aged 82. 

(2) Asa Hatch, son of Joseph, married Rebecca, daughter of 
Peletiah and Mary Crockett. Children : 

Nathaniel, b. Nov. 30, 1783, m. Anna, dau. of David and Phebe McDougall, p. 
Apr. 10, 181 2. Ch: the five oldest b. in Gorham, the remainder in 
Eastport, to which place Mr. Hatch removed: David, b. 1814 ; Nathaniel, 
b. 1815, taught school at one time in Gorham; Ann, b. 1817; Rebecca, 
b. 1818; Ezekiel, b. 1820; Phebe, b. 1822, m. .Simon Stevens; Mary 
Jane, b. 1825; Catherine, b. 1827; William, b. 1830; James, b. 1832; 
Elizabeth, b. 1834; George, b. 1837. Mr. Hatch was for some years a 
trader in Gorham. He d. in 1853, and his wife Anna, in 1867, ag. 73. 

Stephen, b. May 10, 1786, m. Mercy Dyer, p. Feb. 14, 1807. 

Mrs. Rebecca Hatch died about 1790, and Mr. Hatch married, 

Dec. 9, 1792, Jane Mcintosh, by whom he had : 

Catherine L., b. 1793, m. Clark Dyer, Jan. 29, 1814. 
Mary, b. 1796, m. Simon Elder, Apr. 10, 18 19. 
Jane, b. 179S, d. unm. Dec. 16, 1834. 

Asa Hatch died Dec. 25, 179S, and his wife Jane, June 5, 1844, 

aged 85. 

(2 ) Ebenezer, son of Joseph Hatch, was for many years a sea 

captain. After leaving the sea he went into trade at Gorham village. 

The Hatch store built by Capt. Hatch about 18 lo was burned 

Aug. 15, 1846. Capt. Hatch owned and occupied the house on 

Main St. lately occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Emily (Hatch) Bangs. 

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Jenny McLellan. 

Children : 

Joseph McL., b. May 13, 1806, m. Sarah ; d. in Boston, 1869. 

Thomas McL., b. Mar. 9, 180S, d. young. 

Hugh McL., b. Dec. 12, 1810, d. Aug. 19, 1831. 

David, b. Nov. 5, 18 12, d. Oct. 2, 1815. 

Emily, b. June 13, 181 5, m. Charles C. Bangs, June iS, 1S35. 

Angelina, b. Oct. 11, 1S18, d. Dec. 3, 1824. 

Capt. Ebenezer Hatch died July 6, 18 18. and Mrs Hatch married 
in 1822 Nathaniel Phinney, Esq. She died Oct. i, 1864, aged 84. 



GENEALOGY. 5G9 

HERSEY. 

Seth Hersey came to Gorham from Hingham, Mass., about iSio, 
and purchased of Gen. James Irish the farm on the Flaggy Meadow 
road which had been Gen. Irish's homestead, and is now owned by 
Mr. Grouard. He married Tamsin Gushing, and their children 
were : 

Rebecca, b. , m. John McLellan of Cornish, Mar. 31, 1831. 

Seth, b. , m. Nancy Davis, p. Dec. 5, 1S32 ; I'd on his father's place. 

Ch : William P., b. Aug., 1834, m. Lydia M. Fuller; Seth C, b. Dec. 13, 
1837, d. May 28, 1842 ; Thomas II., b. Dec. 31, 1839; Rebecca, b. July 
22, 1842, d. Feb. 15, 1850 ; Mary, b. Dec. 7, 1844, m- Edward Estes ; 
Clarissa A.,b. Nov. 29, 1847, d. Feb. 17, 1850. Seth Hersey, Jr., d. Aug. 
18, 1857, aged 50, and his wife d. in August, 1893. 

Theophiliis C, b. Dec. 12, 1812, a merchant in Portland, where he died. 

Thomas C, b. Oct. 29, 1816, d. Apr. 11, 1841. 

Mrs. Tamsin Hersey died Dec. 28, 1839, aged 60, and Mr. Hersey 
married in 1840 Mrs. Rebecca Whitten of Hingham. She died Jan. 
12, 1853, aged 70, and Mr. Hersey died Dec. 5, of the same year, 
aged 78. 

HICKS. 

Lemuel Hicks came from that part of Falmouth which is now 

Woodfords Corner. He lived in the north part of Gorham in what 

is known as the Nason district. The house is gone and the place is 

now owned by Henry Plaisted. He married Mary, daughter of 

Lemuel Rich, (pub. Apr. 20, 1771). Children: 

Elizabeth, b. Apr. 9, 1774, m. Heman M. Brown, Dec. 20, 1802. 
Lemuel, b. May 9, 1776. 

Mr. Hicks married, second, Mrs. Susanna (Frost) Frost, Nov. 5, 

1778, widow of Benjamin Frost. Children: 

Hannah, b. Mar. 4, 17S1, m. William Wood, Jan. 28, 1807. 
Ephraim, b. Mar. 23, 17S3, m. Rachel Morton, July 10, 1804. 
Nathaniel, b. Sept. 27, 1784, m. Lucy Ward, p. Dec. 12, 1812. 
Isaac, b. Apr. 15, 1786. 
Abigail, b. Apr. 25, 1789, d. May 28, 1S27. 

(2 ) Ephraim Hicks, son of Lemuel, lived toward White Rock, in 
the Nason district. He married Rachel Morton. Children : 

■p., . ) (m. Susan Parker, Dec. 11, 1S25; d. May 21, 

LeniueT*' ( ^- ^^^^ ^'^' ^^°^' } ^^'^'^ ' ®'^^' ^^P*^" 5' ^^73- 

' ) ( m. Esther Files of Thorndike; d. Dec. 15, 1863. 

Susan, I , ,. ^„ o \ m. Isaac Flood, Apr. i, 1837. 
Dilla, j i^- i^ec. _/, 1007, | m. Edmund Flood, Sept. 1 1, 1831. 
Martha, b. July 5, iSio, m. Chas. H. Anderson of Windham, Feb. 15, 1S29. 
Eliza, b. Jan. 9, 1820, m. Cole of Windham. 

Ephraim Hicks died Dec. 14, 1835, aged 52, and his widow mar- 
ried, second, Edward Harmon of Gray. 



570 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) Nathaniel Hicks, son of Lemuel, lived near his brother 

Ephraim, on the old Ward place. He married Lucy, daughter of 

John Ward. Children : 

Mark, m. Sally Hooper. She d. July 27, 1895, ag. 71. 
Isaac, m. in Norway ; d. there. 

Mary Ann, d. unm.'jan. 9, 1888, ag. 62 ; I'd in Windham. 
Joseph, d. Aug. 23, 1821. 

Nathaniel Hicks died Feb. 17, 1870. aged 86, and his wife Lucy, 

Feb. 28, 1837, aged 57. 

HIGGINS. 

Capt. Joseph Higgins, born Nov. 20, 1750, came from Eastham, 

Mass., to Gorham in 1778. His wife's maiden name was Mercy 

Cook, and she was born Jan. 6, 1755. Joseph Higgins was a sea 

captain, and was lost at sea by the foundering of his vessel in January, 

1804. He left a wife and ten children ; the oldest, Joseph, born in 

Eastham, the others in Gorham : 

Joseph, b. Aug. 16, 1776, m. Elizabeth Files, Jan. 3, 1804. 

Mercy, b. Aug. 6, 1778,01. Daniel Lowell, Jr. of Standish, Mar. 18, 1799; d. 

Jan. 15, 1814. 
Isaac, b. Dec. 16, 1780, m. Esther Parker, Nov. 27, 1800; 2d, Mrs. Ruth 

(Prince) (Langworthy) Kent; d. in Thorndike, Dec. 19, 1855. 
Barnabas, b. Jan. 28, 17S3, d. unm. Feb. 16, 1S16. 
Dorcas, b. May 12, 1785, m. Moses Rich, p. Oct. 21, 1806. 
Mary, b. Apr. 2, 17S7, m. Nathaniel Thomes, Jan. 29, 1807. 
Enoch F., b. July 13, 1789, m. Miriam Deane, Nov. 6, 1813. 
Abigail F., b. Sept. 23, 1791, m. Amos Thomes, Mar. 29, 18 10. 
Saul Cook, b. May 11, 1794, m. Fanny Blake, Mar. 25, 1816. 
Elmira, b. Apr. 21, 1797, m. Sylvanus Bangs of Limington, May 6, 1817; d. 

July 16, 1825. 

Mrs. Mercy Higgins died in Gorham, Dec. 19, 1843, leaving one 
hundred and twenty-eight descendants. 

The oldest son, Joseph, became a minister of the Free Baptist 
denomination. In 1797 he went to Thorndike, then Lincoln Planta- 
tion, where he died F'eb. 5, 1867. His wife, who was Elizabeth Files 
of Gorham, also died in Thorndike. Mrs. Roscoe G. Harding and 
Miss Sibyl Higgins of Gorham are their grandchildren. Capt. 
.Barnabas Higgins commanded one of the Gorham companies of 
militia that were called out for the defence of Portland in 18 14. 
Enoch Freeman Higgins moved to Standish, and married Miriam 
Deane of that place. He was the father of the late Mrs. Mar>' Tyler 
and Mrs. Lucian Hunt of Gorham. 

Saul C. Higgins, the youngest son, married Fanny Blake of Gor- 
ham. He lived and died on the old homestead above West Gorham 
which was cleared by his father about 1794. During the War of 



GENEALOGY. 571 

i8i2 he was a sergeant in his brother Barnabas' company of militia, 
and went to Portland with the rest of the regiment to repel the 
threatened attack of the British in 1814. He was an earnest, faith- 
ful member of the Methodist church for forty-five years. He died 
Feb. 16, 1895, having reached the age of 100 years and 9 mos., and 
having enjoyed almost perfect possession of his faculties to the end. 
His wife Fanny died June 22, 1878, aged 85. Capt. Saul Higgins 
and his wife had no children, but left an adopted son, John Lowell 
Higgins, who resides on the old homestead. 

John L. Higgins, who was born in November, 1829, was the son of 
John Lowell, and grandson of Daniel and Mercy (Higgins) Lowell 
of Standish. He was left an orphan at the age of six months, and 
was adopted by his uncle, Saul C. Higgins. When a young man he 
went to the West where he remained until 1877 when he returned to 
Gorham and settled on the old farm. He married, June 15, 1851, 
Sarah A., daughter of Maj. William Warren of Gorham. They have 
had four children, of whom one, Fannie, is now living. She married, 
Jan. 9, 1897, Leander M. Boothby of Gorham. 

Ebenezer Higgins came to Pearsonstown from Cape Cod about 
1781-82. His wife's name was Rebecca . Children : 

Ebenezer, b. in Truro, July 24, 1775, I'd at Castine ; was a sea captain, and was 
lost at sea. 

Rebecca, b. in Provincetown, Apr. it, 17S0, m. Nathaniel Blake of Gorham, 
Nov. 26, iSor. 

Hannah A,, b. in Pearsonstown, Aug. 20, 17S2, m. Jeremiah Frost of Gorham, 
May 26, 1804. 

Martha, b. June 21, 1781. m. John Cressey of Gorham, Apr 8, i8f2. 

David, b. Nov. 3, 1787, m. Catherine Jordan of Otisfield ; I'd on the Fort Hill 
road, just north of the old Col. Nathaniel Frost place. Ch. b. in Gor- 
ham : John C, b. Aug. 4, 1827; Samuel H., b. June i, 1831 ; TaMtha, 
b. June II, 1833. This family moved to Illinois, where other ch. were b. ; 
a son, David, Jr., was a clergyman. 

.Susanna, b. Apr. 14, 1789, m. Timothy lUake of Gorham, Nov. 29, 1810. 

Desire P., bapt. May 19, 1793, m. Ephraim Hlake of Gorham, Dec, 1813. 

After the death of Mr. Higgins, his widow Rebecca married, Nov. 
7, 1801, Col. Nathaniel Frost of Gorham. She died Dec. 25, 1820. 

John and Seth Higgins were brothers, and sons of Seth and 
Experience (Higgins) Higgins. Seth Higgins was born in Septem- 
ber, 1776, and was the son of Seth and grandson of Ebenezer 
Higgins. Experience Higgins was the daughter of Timothy and 
Reliance Hopkins (Yates) Higgins, and granddaughter of Freeman 
Higgins. The family came to Standish from Eastham, Mass. 
Seth Higgins, the husband of Experience, was lost at sea, on the 



572 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

same vessel with Capt. Hinkley, and his widow married, July 7, 181 4, 

Daniel Lowell, Jr., of Buxton. 

John Higgins was born in September, 1803. He lived in Gorham, 

where he ran the mill near Stephenson's bridge. The house in which 

he lived has since been removed. He married Martha, daughter of 

Luther and Mary Tappan nf Baldwin. Children : 

Mary E., b. Aug. i, 1837, m. Edmund Clement of Baldwin. 
Julia M., b. Nov. 25, 1841, I's with her sister, Mrs. Bean. 
Emeline, b. Mar. 13, 1845, ™- ^'*^^i ^^- Bean. 

John Higgins died Sept. 27, 1885, aged 82. Mrs. Martha Higgins 
died Mar. 26, 1880, aged 66. 

Seth Higgins, brother to John above, was born in 1805. He was 
a blacksmith at West Gorham, and built the brick house on the road 
which runs from that village to Fort Hill. He married Rebecca 
Shaw. They have two children now living, Henry A., born in 1836, 
married Maggie Chase, and Albert, born in 1840. Seth Higgins 
moved from Gorham to Standish in April, 1844. 

HIGHT. 

George Hight, son of George and Eliza (Pike) Hight, was born 
April 27, 1792, in Scarboro. From that place he removed to Gorham 
about 18 1 5. He was a blacksmith, and worked in a shop which 
stood on School St., opposite the Congregational church. This build- 
ing formerly stood on the Parish lot and was the old schoolhouse 
which was built and used as a meeting house by the Townsend party. 
It has been removed for many years. Mr. Hight built the house on 
High St., lately occupied by Dr. John Waterman. He afterwards 
built the house on Church St.,. which is the present Congregational 
parsonage. Here he lived until his removal to Castleton, Vt., about 
1859. He and his wife were most worthy Christian people. He 
married, Nov. 25, 1815, Mary R. Haines of Scarboro. Children: 

Martha, b. Dec- 30, i8i6, m. E. A. Holmes of Paris, June i, 1853; d. in Norway, 

June 3, 1887. 
George, b. Aug. 25, 1819, d. young. 
William II., b. Dec. i, 1S21, d. young. 
Mary E., b. Mar. 9, 1826, m. William Guernsey, of Castleton, Vt., Dec. 25, 1855 ; 

d. Apr. 16, 1873. 
Sarah K., b. Nov. 2r, 1829, d. at Castleton, Oct. 23, 1858. 
Ellen A., b. Mar. 24, 1831, m. William A. Upton of Cal., Aug. 10, 1S59; d. in 

Cherryfield, June 9, i86i. 

Mr. Hight died at Castleton, Vt., at the house of his daughter, 
Mrs. Guernsey, Dec. 26, 1870, aged 80. Mrs. Hight died in Castle- 
ton, Oct. 25, 1859. 



GENEALOGY. 573 



HILLIARD. 



Rev. Timothy Hilliard, born in Barnstable, Mass., July 21, 1776, 
was the son of Rev. Timothy and Mary (Foster) Hilliard. His 
father was for some years pastor of the Congregational church at 
Barnstable, and afterwards installed pastor at Cambridge, Mass., as 
colleague of Dr. Appleton. 

Timothy Hilliard, the son, was stated preacher from 1801 to 1809 

of St. Paul's Episcopal church in Portland. He married, July 21, 

1 80 1, Eliza Ileddle, the adopted daughter of Col. and Mrs. Wm. 

Tyng, and niece of Mrs. Tyng, with whom he and his wife made their 

home during Mrs. Tyng's life. Their children were : 

Elizabeth T., b. Nov. 13, 1802, d. in Bangor, Nov. 8, 1891. 

Mary, b. Mar 24, 1804, m. Rev. Henry S. Sniitli, 1S34; I'd in Claremont; d. 

Jan. 7, 1892. 
William T., b. Feb. 21, 1806, m. F. O. Smith; was a lawyer in Bangor; d. Nov. 

19, 18&1. 
John H., b. Jan. 13, 180S, m. Anna Hayes; was a lawyer in Old Town ; d. in 

1880. 
Harriet S. W., b. Nov. 5, i8o(j, d. Aug. 17, iSii. 
Maria W., b. Aug. 3, 1S12, d. in Bangor, .-Xug. 2, 1S79. 

Rev. Timothy Hilliard died Jan. 21, 1842, aged 65, at Claremont, 

N. H. Mrs. Hilliard died July 15, 1837, aged 62. 

HINKLEY. 

Stephen Hinkley, son -of Stephen and Mary (Coss) Hinkley, was 
born in Standish, May 5, 1799. His father, Capt. Stephen Hinkley, 
who was a sea captain, was the son of Stephen and Martha (Sawyer) 
Hinkley, and was born Dec. 3, 1774, in Falmouth, now Portland. 
He was lost at sea in a hurricane, Dec. 25, 1804, when starting on a 
voyage, and when but one night out from Portland. His wife Mary, 
whom he married Nov. 5, 1797, was born in Portsmouth, N. H., Jan. 
4, r778, and died in Pearsonstown (Standish) May 12, 1812. By her 
death the son Stephen was left, a lad of thirteen, to make his own 
way in the world. Diligent, honest and persevering, he made a place 
for himself, and succeeded in winning the respect and confidence of 
all who knew him. When only a youth he came to Gorham and 
learned the tanner's trade of John R. Clark. After completing his 
apprenticeship he spent some years in Massachusetts in perfecting 
his knowledge of the work. He then returned to Gorham in 1829, 
and in 1832 bought out Mr. Clark and established himself here in 
the tanner's business, which he carried on until his death. Mr. 
Hinkley was town treasurer from 1855 to 1859. He married, Nov. 
8, 1829, Sophronia Shedd of ^helmsford, Mass. Children : 



574 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Rufus H., b. Oct. 12, 1830, m. Frances E. I'rindle ; was a broker in Portland; 

d. Mar. 5, 1900. 
Mary C, b. Jan. 20, 1833. 
Susan S., b. May 31, 1835. 

Stephen, b Feb. 10, 1838, m. Mary Carter; 2d, Maria Paine. 
William H., b. May 17, 1840, d. July 8, 1842. 
Charles K., b. Nov. 16, 1843. 
John A., b. Mar. 12, 1848, m. Mary E. Tolford, O.t. 12, 1892; .she d. May 31, 

1900. 

Mr. Hinkley died April 19. 1867. Mrs. Hinkley died Jan. 5, 1890. 

(2) Stephen Hinkley, son of Stephen and Sophronia, was a prom- 
inent, influential and valued citizen of Gorham. He took an active 
part and filled a prominent place in the affairs of the town. He 
was Representative in the State Legislature in 1883. He was a 
director of the Gorham Savings Bank from the time of its foundation. 
From 1865 to 1898 he was town treasurer. For more than thirty 
years he was a consistent member of the Congregational church, and 
for twenty-five years clerk of the B'irst parish. He married Mary, 
daughter of Enos and Martha (Haines) Carter, by whom he had 
Caroline II., Stephen, William F., Clifford C, Frederic H., and Maria 
E. Mrs. Hinkley died Feb. 17, 1877, and Mr. Hinkley married, sec- 
ond, Maria, daughter of Charles Paine. There are two children by 
this marriage, Mary C. and Robert L. Stephen Hinkley died sud- 
denly, Jan. 4, 1898. 

HODGDON. 

Jeremiah Hodgdon came from Falmouth, and was a housewright. 
He was in the fort during the Indian war, and must have had a 
family. We have no account as to what became of him, but find 
his estate administered upon in October, 1749, by his wife Mary, so 
that we know he died previous to that time. We find the Hodgdon 
family in town as late as 1784. Jeremiah Hodgdon paid a tax on 
property that year. This was probably the son of the Jeremiah of 
the fort. By administrator's papers and deeds on record it would 
appear that the given name of the wife of the first Jeremiah Hodgdon 
was Mary, and it is probable her name was -Cottom She was alive 
as late as 1777, when she deeds land to Jeremiah, who was probably 
her son. This was the northerly half of the hundred acre lot 81, at 
what is now West Gorham, being the farm owned later by Zebediah 
Jackson and Joseph (Jilkey, and included the old Jacob Clement's 
lot, on which the tavern now stands. How many children Jeremiah 
and Mary had we have no means of knowing, but we find the follow- 
ing recorded as baptized by Parson Smith of Falmouth : 




STEPHEN HIXKLEV, JR. 



GENEALOGY. 575 

James, bapt. Aug. 20, 1732. 

Benjamin, bapt. Aug. 20, 1732. 

Elizabeth, bapt. Aug. 20, 1732, m. Benjamin Donnell of Bu.vton, Nov. 13, 1755. 

Setli, bapt. Sept. 17, I73-- 

Jolm, bapt. 1734, m. Susanna Brown, Apr. 6, 1770. 

Jeremiali, bapt. 1737, m. Abigail , about 1760 ; 2d, Thankful Keen. 

Polly, bapt. 1740, was living, unm., in Josiah Davis's family in 1780. 

William Cotton of Falmouth was guardian to minor children — 
Jeremiah, John and Mary Hodgdon, late of Gorham. 

It is probable that the homestead lot of Jeremiah, the first, was 
the thirty acre lot 93, being the easterly part of the farm lately 
owned by Ichabod Leighton, near the house of the late William 
Burton. This lot, Mrs. Mary Hodgdon, widow, sold to William Lake- 
man, weaver, Sept. 10, 1763; on the southerly side of Queen street, 
and westerly side of the Black Brook road, so called. 

It is also probable that Jeremiah, the second, who married Abigail 

, lived at West Gorham, on the northerly half of the hundred 

acre lot. No. 81, six acres of which he sold to Samuel Brown, where 
the old Brown house now stands, also three acres to Colman P. Wat- 
son, where the old hotel now stands, and in the year 1782, April 22, 
he sold the remainder of his lot to Maj. George Lewis of Barnstable. 
In 1778 he was a private in Capt. Richard Maybeny's company of 
Massachusetts Bay forces, under Col. Tupper, mustered out at West 
Point, Jan. i, 1779. In the year 1779 Jeremiah Hodgdon was a 
corporal in Capt. McLellan's company, in the Penobscot Expedition. 
In 1 78 1 he was one of the dissenters, and signed the petition to the 
town, asking to be exempted from paying the ministerial tax, claiming 
to be a Baptist. His children by his wife Abigail were : 

Mary, b. Aug. 2, 1762. 

James, b. Jan. 17, 1765. 

Joseph, b. Jan. 20, 1768, m. Mary Snow, Feb. 24, 1789; moved to Orrington, 

and died there. 
Mehitable, b. July 22, 1770. 
Sarah, b. Sept. 19, 1772. 
Elizabeth, b. Aug. i, 1774. 
Jeremiah, b. Sept. 9, 1776. 
Ebenezer, b. May 17, 178 1. 

Jeremiah Hodgdon moved to Bucktown, now Buckfield. He 
married a second wife, Thankful Keen, by whom he had four children, 
Abigail, Israel, who married Lucy Snow, sister to his brother Joseph's 
wife, John, and Lydia. 

Jeremiah Hodgdon died in Hebron, Aug. 24, 1823. 

Caleb Hodgdon, son of Israel Hodgdon of Standish, lived in the 
White Rock school district about a third of a mile from the Standish 
line. He was Representative from Gorham to the State Legislature 



576 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

in 1838-39. He married Nabby, daughter of Josiah Harmon of 

Standish. Children : 

Joanna, b. Dec. 6, 1812, m. Jonathan Leavitt, Jr., of Windham, 1S45. 
Peter, b. May 3, 1818, m. Eliza A. Fogg, Jan. i, 1843; 2d, Elizabeth A. Cars- 
ley of Harrison ; d. July 2, 1891. 

Mr. Hodgdon also had an adopted son, Charles. Mrs. Nabby 
Hodgdon died May 11, 1834, aged 46, and Mr. Hodgdon married, 
Oct. 5, 1834, Martha, daughter of William and Anna Bolton. Esquire 
Hodgdon died June 10, 1875, aged 83. His wife Martha died June 
7, 1882, aged go. 

HOLBROOK. 

The name of Mrs. Margaret Holbrook appears on the tax list as 
early as 1773 as an owner of real estate in Gorham. In 1777 she, 
then of Wellrteet, Mass., and a widow, purchased of John Burnall of 
Gorham the west half of the hundred acre lot No. 7, and there made 
her residence. In 1783 she sold to 'Anthony Murray the east half 
of the west half of No. 7, together with the house and barn where 
Murray then resided. Mrs. Holbrook was the daughter of Isaac 
Doane. She was born at Eastham, Mass., Mar. 6, 1710/11, and mar- 
ried, Jan. 2, 1734/5, Thomas Holbrook of WellHeet. Thomas and 
Margaret Holbrook had several children : 

Thomas, b. Jan. 30, 1739/40, m. Hannah Harding; d. in 1S06. 

Isaiah, b. May 23, 1742, m. Price Hatch; was drowned. 

John, b. Oct. 18, 1748, m. Ruth Hamblen and removed to Maine, 177 1. 

Isaac l).,b. Feb. iS, 1751. 

Jerusha. 

Margaret. 

Isaac Doane Holbrook, son of Thomas and Margaret (Doane) 
Holbrook, was born in Wellfieet (Billingsgate), Mass. He was a 
sailor. He came to Gorham from Eastham about 1778, in which 
year he purchased of Caleb Chase the thirty acre lot No. 15, which 
covers the whole south side of Main St., beginning at the corner of 
South St., and running to the eastern line of the late Stephen 
Hinkley's land, where the new road to W'estbrook enters Main St., 
and running also down South St., sixty rods to the lot where the late 
Dr. Henry H. Hunt resided. At the same time he piu'chased on the 
opposite side of the road a strip, which was bounded by Main and 
King (now School) Sts., and ran north as far as the present Church 

I Anthony Murray and his wile AMel probably came to fiorhaiu about 1770. Their 
children were Anthony, h. Dec. 'JS, 17G7, m. Hetty I'restou, Feb. 27, 1780; iSIary, b. Dec. 5, 
1769, ni. Isaac Murch, Sept. l'_', I7f)0; Miriam, b. in (iorham. .June It!, 177'i; James, 1>. in 
Corham, Oct. 27, 1775; Thomas, b. in (iorham, Mar.2'.t, 177S,-and Arnohl, b. in (iorham, 
Dec. 8, 1780. Anthony Murray left town in 1794, going probably to Stantlish. 



GENEALOGY. 577 

St., and east eighty rods, to the land of Silas Chadbourn, about to 

the east line of the tannery lot. On this strip or lot at that time was 

a house, barn and shed. In 1782 Mr. Holbrook bought of Thomas 

Pote the western half of the hundred acre lot No. 9. This he sold 

in 1783 to John Perkins. It is the farm since owned by Horace 

Meserve. Isaac Doane Holbrook married at Eastham, Feb. 18, 

1773, Lucy Doane. Children: 

Isaac, b. in Eastham, Nov. i, 1773, d. young. 
Martha, b. m Eastham, May 4, 1778. 
Hephzibah, b. in Gorham, Jan. 15, 17S0. 
Lucy, b. in Gorham, Jan. 11, 1782, d. young. 
Isaac D., b. Aug. 15, 1783. 
Lucy, b. in Gorham, June 13, 1785. 

Mr. Holbrook died soon after the birth of his last child, and in 
March, 1787, his widow, Lucy Holbrook, bought of Simon Harding 
seven acres of land from the hundred acre lot 75, with the buildings 
thereon, and a share in the grist mill, dam, and privileges of the river 
at Stephenson's bridge. On this land, which lies on the west bank 
of the river, Mrs. Lucy Holbrook and her mother-in-law Margaret 
resided. Jan. 27, 1789, Mrs. Lucy Holbrook married James Rolfe, 
and Aug. 20, 1789, James and Lucy Rolfe, both of Gorham, sold to 
Capt. John Stephenson the eighth part of the grist mill, dam and 
privileges above mentioned- 

Mrs. Margaret Holbrook was living as late as 1793, when she sold 
the remaining twenty-five acres of her lot, No. 7, to James Lombard 
of Gorham. She is said to have returned to Wellfleet, and to have 
died about 1808, aged 97. 

There was a Jane Holbrook, who married John Burnall of Gorham, 
Jan. 25, 1787, a Nancy, who married Mark Dresser of Scarborough, 
Aug. 9, 1789, and a Sally, who was published to Charles Cavano, 
Feb. 12, 1790. These were perhaps granddaughters of Mrs. Margaret 
Holbrook, 

HORTON. 

John Horton, son of Benjamin and Patience Horton of Milton, 
Mass., was a land owner and trader at Gorham village in 1798 and 
1799. His store stood on Main St., just west of where the house of 
Llewellyn Brown now stands. About the year 1800 he removed to 
Portland where he was in business with his brother Rufus for a few 
years. He married, Jan. 28, 1807, Mrs. Elizabeth (Estes) Bangs of 
Gorham, daughter of Henry Estes of Berwick, and widow of James 
Bangs. Mrs. Bangs lived on the farm known as the Robert Meserve 



578 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

place, and Mr. and Mrs. Horton after their marriage resided on this 
farm. They were prominent members of the Society of Friends, and 
were the first couple to be married in the Friends' new meeting 
house, built in Gorham in 1805. Mr. Horton had several children by 
a former wife, Elizabeth : 

John, was a mason ; I'd in Philadelphia. 

Nancy, m. John Read of Windham, Jan. 28, i8kS. 

Charles, b. Mar. 3, 1796, m. Esther, dau. of William Cobb. Ch: Lydia C, b. 
Dec. 14, 1820, m. George Nichols, Oct. 4, 1843; John, b. Dec. 5, 1822 ; 
Phebe C, b. May 8, 1S24, m. I>uther Whitney, 1848; Elizabeth W., b. 
Mar. 10, 1S26; Charles E., b. May 7, 1828, m. Harriet Allen of Liming- 
ton, June, 1847; William C., b. Aug. 29, 1830 ; Esther A., b. Sept. 29, 
1832; Daniel C., b. July 27, 1839 Charles Horton I'd on the Jedediah 
Cobb place, where Stephen B. Anderson now I's. In 1S7S or '79, after 
Mr. H. had left town, his house was l)unied. 

Ruth, b. Oct. 31, 1797, m. Nathan Read of Windham, Jan 28, 1824. 

Patience, b. , d. unm. with her sister Ruth in Windham. 

John Horton died July 7, 1829, aged 76 years. 

HUNT. 

Among the original proprietors of Gorham we find the name of 
Thomas Hunt of Du.xbury, Mass. The claim to his right was made 
in his name by his heirs, as he was slain on Sunday, March 26, 1675, 
in the battle with the Narragan setts, at Pawtucket. This Thomas 
was a soldier in Capt. Pierce's company, and a descendant from 
Edmund Hunt, the original emigrant from England who founded the 
Duxbuiy line of the family. Thomas was probably of the third 
generation. We do not find that any of his heirs settled in Gorham. 

Ichabod Hunt and his family lived in Falmouth, as early as 1760. 
He was a shipwright, and by deeds his land was described as being 
at a place called Meeting-House Point, on Mountjoy Neck. He and 
his wife Susanna on Oct. 3, 1760, conveyed land in that locality to 
Ilsley and Waite. Jan. i, 1768, Moses Pearson conveys to Ichabod 
Hunt and his son Ephraim the hundred acre lot 27, in Gorham. 
Ephraim was also a shipwright. They were at this date of Falmouth, 
but by records it appears they were in (lorham, July 19, 1789. They 
probably came from Amesbury, or that neighborhood, as they were 
from the Amesbury line of the family and descendants of Edmund 
Hunt, who took the oath of fidelity in 1677. This family was the 
first of the name that settled in Gorham, and probably in this county. 

Of the children of Ichabod and Susanna Hunt we find no perfect 
record, showing date or place of birth. Their names, as far as we 
can find, were as follows : Ephraim (who must have been born as 
early as 1746), Ichabod, William, George, Daniel, Enoch, Sarah, 



GENEALOGY. 579 

Susanna, Polly, and Rebecca. Of these children, Sarah married 
Nathaniel Edwards, Sept. i6, 1775, in Gorham. Three of Ichabod's 
sons were in the army of the Revolution — Daniel, Ichabod and 
George, — all in Capt. Hart Williams' company. Col. Phinney's 
regiment, in 1776 at Cambridge, Ticonderoga and Fort George. 
George died at Fort George, March 14 ,1776. We do not know if he 
was married, but he paid a poll tax in 1772 in Gorham. Daniel was 
a corporal in Williams' company. Of him and Ichabod we find no 
more war record ; probably they served out their time and were 
discharged. William was a seafaring man, and when on land is said 
to have made his home in Gorham. He joined the naval service in 
the Revolutionary war, was taken prisoner nine times by the enemy, 
and is said to have been finally lost at sea after fhe close of the war. 
Nor do we find any record of Enoch, or know what became of him. 
Rebecca married in 1764 Andrew Crockett of Gorham, 

Ephraim, who was probably the oldest son of Ichabod and Susanna, 
married Abigail, daughter of Elder Joseph Gates of Gorham, Oct. 6, 
1769, and settled in Gorham on the lot purchased by his father and 
himself of Mr. Pearson. This farm descended to his son Daniel, 
and was lately owned by the heirs of Mr. David McLellan. It is 
situated on the road leading from the Scarboro road to Saccarappa. 

The children of Ephraim' and Abigail Hunt were : 

Lydia. b. Apr. 2, 1770, d. Sept. 16, 1771. 

Lydia, b. Oct. 9, 1771, d. Feb. 23, 1773. 

Francis, b. June 3, 1773, m. Nancy Merrill, Mar. i, 1796; had three chn. 

Daniel, b June 28, 1775, m. Mrs. Angelina (Griffin) Hastie of Philadelphia. 

Susanna, b. June 12, 1777, m. Solomon Lombard, Jr., June 26, 1796 

Betsey, b. Oct. 9, 1779, m. John Crockett, Dec. 15, 1796. 

Ephraim, b. Apr. 9, 1781, d. Nov. 8, 1782. 

Abigail, b. Sept. 18, 1783, m. James Lord, p. Feb. 18, 1804. 

John, b. Jan. 5, 17S5, m. Mrs. Augusta (Hilton) Shaw, widow of Capt. Sam'l 
Shaw. 

Nancy, b. June 7, 1788, m. Johnson. 

Polly, b. Oct. I, 1790, m. Kent. 

Katherine, b. Sept. 3, 1792, ni. Cochran. 

Of this family, Daniel, who married Mrs. Hastie (who had one son 
by her first husband), was a seafaring man and master of a vessel 
many years. He afterwards kept a hotel at Gorham village, where 
he died April 20, 1S33. His wife died in Brooklyn, N. Y., leaving 
three children, Mrs. Angelina Prentiss, born Jan. 24, 1810; Mrs. 
Ellen Augusta Atkins; and Mrs. Elizabeth Edwards. John was a sea 
captain, and died in New Orleans many years since, leaving his wife 
and one daughter. 

Ichabod Hunt, son of Ichabod, and brother of Ephraim, was, as 
we have said, a soldier of the Revolution, in Capt. Williams' com- 



580 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

pany, Phinney's regiment. He was probably born in Falmouth ; the 

time we cannot say, only that he was old enough to enlist in the army 

in 1775. He married, July 19, 1780, Mary Stone, sister of Jonathan 

Stone of Gorham. His residence was somewhere in West Gorham, 

probably near where Joseph Cotton lived, possibly near Bachelder's 

and William Cotton's farm. By his first wife, Mary, he had eight 

children born in Gorham : 

William, b. Mar. 21, 1781. 
James, b. Mar. i i, 1783. 
Archelaus S.,b. Sept. 12, 1785. 
Mary, b. Mar. 16, 1788. 
Ichabod, b. Dec. 25, 1790. 
Eunice, b. May 12, 1793. 
Enoch, b. Nov. 13, 1795. 
Ephraim, b May 3, 179S. 

Mrs. Mary Hunt died in Gorham, Sept. 10, 1800, and Ichabod 
Hunt married, April 9, 1 801, Eunice Stone, the sister of his first wife. 
'I'he family moved to Unity in this State, where two children of 
Ichabod and Eunice were born : George and Stephen. 

Ichabod Hunt died in Unity, April 30, 1822. 

One of the sons, George, married Miriam Whitney of Gorham, 
and returned to Gorham, and lived several years on Fort Hill, on 
the farm now owned by Samuel Roberts. Mr. Hunt died here June 
27, i860, aged 57, and his wife Miriam, Feb. 18, 1873, aged 73. 
Children: Elizabeth E., died July 15, 1854, aged 19; Louisa W., 
died Jan. 15, 1861, aged 24; George A., was a merchant in Portland, 
died Jan. 11, 1902, and Abbie, married Lendall J. Lowell, died July 
16, 1900. 

Oliver and Joseph Hunt came to Gorham soon after 1790. They 
were the sons of Abner of Milton, Mass. Abner was born July 28, 
1731, and was the .son of Joseph, 2d, of Milton. Joseph, 2d, was 
born in 1696, and was the son of Joseph, of Milton. Joseph, of 
Milton, was born in 1670, and was the son of Ephraim, of Weymouth. 
Ephraim, of Weymouth, was born in 16 10 in England, and was the 
son of Enoch the emigrant, and first of the family to live in Wey- 
mouth. Enoch came over with his son Ephraim, and the records 
say he took the oath, and was admitted a freeman of Newport, R. I., 
in 1638. It is said that after establishing his family in America, he 
returned to England. 

Abner Hunt of Milton married Abigail Miller, Jan. 14, 175 1. 
Children : 

Richard, b 



Oliver, b. Jan. 18, 1755, m. ; 2d, Sarah Morse. 



GENEALOGY. 5S1 

Rachel, b. Apr. 24, 1757, m. Cotton Ilaidwick of Ko.xbury, June 28, 17S9. 

William, b. June 18, 1759. 

Susanna, b. Sept. 16, 1761, m. James Bowman, July 21, 1789. 

John, b. May 26, 1764. 

Abigail, b. May 19, 1767. 

Deborah, b. . 

Ruth, b. . 

Jerusha, b. ■, 1776. 

Joseph, b. June 3, 1778, m. Polly McLellan, Nov. 14, 1S03. 

Mrs. Abigail (Miller) Hunt died Dec. 19, 1795. 

Capt. Oliver Hunt, son of Abner of Milton, was a soldier of the 
Revolution, and served three years. He was at Ticonderoga, a first 
lieutenant in a company of Massachusetts troops. His service was 
honorable, for which he received a pension from the United States 
of twenty-four dollars per month, during life. Capt. Hunt was an 
honest, upright man ; by trade he was a tanner and currier of the 
old class, and by his trade made a good living. Notwithstanding, a 
large number of establishments like his would not produce the 
amount of goods now made in one of our modern yards. His bark- 
grinding mill was an upright round stone about five feet in diameter 
revolving on an axle as it was drawn around by a swee/>, by his old 
horse, thus slowly crushing the bark. His yard and buildings were 
on South St., at the westerly end of the (now) railroad bridge. The 
lot has long since disappeared, carried down the railroad to help 
build the "fill" half a mile east of the depot. His lot of land he 
purchased, of James and John Gilkey, who then owned the thirty 
acre lot 18, by deed dated Aug. 21, 1794. 

Capt Hunt had a first wife, of whose name and residence we have 
no record, whom he married before 1780, and resided a while in Provi- 
dence, where he had two children born, Oliver, born Oct. 9, 1780, 
and John, born Dec. 19, 1785, and where probably his first wife died. 
The eldest of his sons was lost at sea ; of the other w-e have no 
record. He never came to Gorham. On Dec. 28, 1790, Capt. Hunt 
married Sarah Morse of Newton, Mass., for his second wife. She 
was the daughter of Nathan and Sarah (Jackson) Morse, and died 
Jan. 4, 1810. By a tax bill for the town of Gorham, Capt. Hunt 
appears to have been in town in 1792, probably not here long, as the 
Assessors did not know his christian name, and he is taxed as 
" Hunt, the tanner." In the year 1795 he commanded the South 
Company of militia in the town of Gorham. His children by his 
second marriage were : 

William, b. May 19, 1792, was twice m. ; has descendants in the eastern part of 

the State. 
Hannah, b. Mar. 31, 1794, d. unm. 



582 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Nabby, b. May 12, 1796, m. a Mr. Rice of Boston, Mass ; no chn. 
Charles, b. Jan. 31, iSoo, m. Mary G. Fogg, Dec. 31, 1S31. 

(2) Charles Hunt, son of Capt. Oliver, was a teacher for some 
years. lie afterwards kept .store in a building which stood on the 
hill at the village, and which was burned in August, 1846. He rep- 
resented the town two years in the Legislature, and was State Senator 
for two years. He married Mary G., daughter of Daniel and Hannah 
Fogg. Children : 

Mary E., b. Oct. iS, 1832, m. Mr. Carson of Philadelphia, Dec. 3, 1856. 

Charles E., b. Oct. 29, 1834. d. Dec. 19, 1S37. 

William R., b. Nov. 29, 1S36, d. Aug. 22, 1838. 

Charles O., b. Apr. 26, 1839, Resident Physician and .Superintendent of the Me. 

Gen. Hospital. 
Henry H., b. July 7, 1842, for many years a practicing physician of Gorham,and 

afterwards of Portland, where he d. Nov. 30, 1894. 

Hon. Charles Hunt died Dec. 23, 1844, and his wife Mary, April 
19, 1893, aged 88. 

Joseph Hunt, son of Abner, of Milton, was a hatter by trade. His 
shop, which stood on the hill at the village was destroyed by fire Aug. 
15, 1846. He lived and died in the house on South St., now occupied 
by Alonzo L. Drown. He married Polly, daughter of Thomas and 
Jenny McLellan. Children : 

Jane McL., b. Apr. 16, 1804, d. in Wilton, unm. 
Joseph, b. Mar. 12, 1806, m. ; I'd in Wilton. 

Mr. Hunt died April 14, 1861, aged 83, and his wife Polly, Oct. 6, 

1865, aged 81. 

HUSTON. 

Simon Huston came to Gorham from Falmouth about 1763. He 

lived on what is now the Gorham Town Farm, near Little Falls. 

July 23, 1 761, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Elder. 

Their oldest child, David, was born in Falmouth, before they moved 

to (jorham where their other children were born. Their children 

were : 

David, b. Sept. 29, 1762, d. Apr. 8, 1782. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. i, 1764, m. Reuben Elder, Feb. 4, 1787. 

Eunice, b. Oct. 28, 1765, m. Samuel Harding of Bu.xton, Aug. 5, 1790. 

Anna, b. Dec. 26, 1767, m. Stephen Phinney, .Sept. 22, 178S; 2d, Simeon I.ibby. 

Simon, b. Oct. i, 1769, d. July 3, 1773. 

Mary, h. Feb. 28, 1771, m. Richard Mayberry, Oct. 22, 1798.' 

William, b. Nov. 20,, 1772, m. Hannah Waite of Falmouth; I'd in Portland. 

Rebecca, b. Dec. 25, 1774, m. James Warren, Jr., p. Nov. i, 1806. 

Lydia, b. Nov. 21, 1776. 

Simon, b. Apr. 5, 1779, m. Betsey R. Whitmore, Mar. 22, 1801 ; 2d, Ruth Elder. 




/""^jE;.!- 



DR. HKXKV H. HUNT. 



GENEALOGY. 583 

(2) Simon Huston, son of Simon, lived on the farm formerly owned 
and occupied by his father. He married Betsey Ross Whitmore, 
daughter of Capt. Samuel Whitmore. She died Aug. 10, 1808, and 
he married May 28, 18 12, Ruth Elder. Simon Huston died Jan. 5, 
18 1 7. He left no children, and by his will he gave his farm, after 
the death of his widow, to the town of CJorham, to be used as a home 
for the worthy poor of the town. This farm is now occupied by the 
Superintendent of the Poor, and is called the Gorham Town Farm. 
Mrs. Ruth Huston died Nov. 27, 1865, aged 76. 

IRISH. 

James Irish, who was born in England, came to Falmouth about 

171 1. Here he resided several years, and here his children,^ with 

the possible exception of William, were born. About 1740 he came 

to Gorham and purchased of Capt. John Phinney one-half of the 

hundred acre lot 85, which had been drawn to the right 106 owned 

by John Pugsley, one of the original grantees. Mr. Irish remained 

in Gorham till the Indian war, when he like several other settlers 

removed to a place of greater safety till the danger was over, when 

he returned to his farm. His wife was Elizabeth , and their 

children were : 

John, b. Apr. 13, 1724, m. Sarah , about 1745. 

Miriam, b. Sept. 13, 1725, m. Gamaliel Pote, Aug. 7, 1743; I'd in Falmouth. 
Joseph, b. Apr. 12, 1728, m. Hannah Doane of Falmouth, p. Mar. 10, 1753; 

went to Buckfield. 
Elizabeth, b. Apr. 19, 1730. 
Thomas, b. Feb. 27, 1732, d. young. 

James, b. Jan. 21, 1736, m. Mary Gorham Phinney, Mar. 10, 1756. 
Thomas, b. Jan. 29, 1737, m. Deliverance Skillings, July 6, 1759. 
William, b. , m. Mary McCollister, July iS, 1765. 

James Irish died when about 50 years of age, and his widow at tlie 

age of 84. 

(2) John Irish, son of James, was a soldier in the expedition that 

captured Louisburg from the French in 1745, and in 1750 was one of 

those that received a grant of Pearsonstown for their services in that 

campaign. The name of John Irish appears on the roll of Capt. 

Wentworth Stuart's company in 1775 as a Revolutionary soldier. 

He married Sarah , and settled in Gorham. Children : 

Abigail, b. Dec. 24, 1746. 

Child, bapt. in Falmouth, 1749. 

John, b. Aug. 12, 1751, m. Eleanor Matifit, or Moffat, p. Apr. iS, 1775. Ch. 

recorded in Gorham : Rebecca, b. July 8, 1776; Jacob, b. May 10, 1778; 

Abigail, b. Oct. 14, 1779. 



584 EIISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Molly, b. June 15, 1753. 

James, b. Feb. 18. 1755, m. Mary Jenkins, p. Dec. 13, 1777. 
Sarah, b. July 8, 1757, ni. Joshua Young, June 13, 1779. 
Elizabeth, b. June i i, 1760. 

(2) James Iri.sh, Jr., son of James, was a soldier in the Revolution. 
He enlisted in 1775 in Capt. Williams' company, Col. Phinney's 
regiment, and served a year. He enlisted again, leaving home in 

1777, as sergeant in Capt. Whitmore's company. Col. Fogg's regi- 
ment ; spent some months at Peekskill, N. Y., and returned home in 

1778. He cleared and owned the farm on Flaggy Meadow road, 
recently owned by Seth Hersey, and now (1899) by Mr. Grouard. 
He married Mary (Jorham Phinney, the daughter of Capt. John 
Phinney, and the first while child born in Gorham. She was a gen- 
erous, warm-hearted, hospitable woman, and an earnest Christian. 
Children of James and Mary Irish : 

Stephen, b. Mar. 24, 1757, m. Anna Bangs, Apr. i, 1779. 
William, b. Mar. 12, 1759, m. Sarah Murch, p. Sept. 29, 1781. 
Martha, b. Aug. 28, 1761, m. Stephen Whitney, p. Oct. 28, 1780. 
Ebenezer, b. Apr. 5, 1763, m. Patty Morton, Jan. i, 1785; d. Jan. 7, 1851. 
Obadiah, b. July 17, 1765, m. Mary Deane, p. Jan. 7, 1790; moved to Ossipee ; 

d. Apr. 17, 1852, his wife, in 1853. 
Mary, b. June 24, 1767, m. Timothy Bacon, Feb. 19, 1789. 
Patience, b. Jan. 31, 1770, m. John Davis, Apr. 16, 1789; d. Dec. 31, 1854. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 8, 1772, m. Martha Blake. July 8, 1792; no ch ; d. Sept. 25, 

1825, she, in Aug. 1858. 
James, b. Aug. 18, 1776, m. Rebecca Chadbourn, Sept. 2, 179S; 2d, Louisa 

Mason. 

Jatnes Irish died April i, 1816, aged 80. Mrs. Irish died May 13, 
1825, aged 89. 

(2) Thomas Irish, son of James, was a Revolutionar}? soldier, 
enlisting in 1775 in Capt. Williams' company. Col. Phinney's regi- 
ment. In 1779 he was a sergeant in Capt. McLellan"s company, Col. 
Mitchell's regiment, and took part in the Penobscot expedition. He 
married Deliverance, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Skillings, and 
settled in Gorham. Children : 

Susanna, b. Oct. 22, 1760, m. Ebenezer Morton, Jr., Dec. 7, 1780. 

Isaac, b. Mar. 7, 1763, m. Anna Flood, Sept. 28, 1786. 

Benjamin, b. June 20, 17C6, m. Jenny Libby, Oct. 2. 1791. 

Jacob, b. Sept. 14, 1768, d. Jan. 10, 1794. 

Amy, b. Apr. 3, 1770, m. Samuel Burnell of Baldwin, Sept. 18, 1791. 

Abigail, b. May 6, 1773, m. Reuben Libby, Jr., Sept. 11, 1794. 

Gamaliel, b. Oct. 15, 1776, d. young. 

Deliverance, b. May 20, 1779, d. June 3, 1859. (Recorded " Dilla.") 

Mary, b. Dec. i, i 7S0, d, Sept. 19, 1870. 

Elizabeth, b. May i, 1784, m. John Skillings, Oct. 3, 1802; I'd in Harrison. 

Thomas Irish died Aug. 14, 1832, aged 96. His wife Deliverance 

died Sept. 25, 1821, aged 80. 



GENEALOGY. 585 

(2) William Irish, youngest son of James, married Mary, daughter 

of William McCollister. He was a soldier in the Revolution, being a 

corporal in Capt. Williams' company in 1775. He owned the south 

half of the hundred acre lot Si, which he sold to Maj. George Lewis 

of Barnstable in July, 17S2. Children : 

Thomas, h. May 17, 1766, m. Elizabeth Robeits. 

Edmund, h. Oct. 2, 1768. 

Margery, b. Apr. 12, 1771. 

Dorcas, b. Sept. 2, 1773. 

Miriam, b. Aug. 30, 1777. 

.Sylvanu.s, b. Feb. 22, 1780. 

^^'illiam Irish moved to Buckfield with his family. 

(3) James Irish, son of John, lived in Gorham. He was a Revolu- 
tionary soldier, enlisting as a private in Capt. Stuart's company in 
1775, and being promoted to sergeant in the following year. He 
married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Mary Jenkins, and their chil- 
dren were : 

Abiah, b. Nov. 13, 1779, d. Mar. 16, 17S4. 

Elizabeth, b. June 22, 1782, d. same day. 

Elizabeth, b. Oct. 17, 17S3. 

Cliloe, b. Sept. 28, 1786. 

Jacob, b. Aug. 16, 1789, d. Oct., 1790. 

(3) Stephen Irish, son of James, 2d, lived in what is known as the 

Blake neighborhood. He married Anna, daughter of Barnabas and 

LoruhaiTia Bangs. Children : 

Mehitable, m. Joseph Smith, Sept. 4, 1797. 
Martha, b. 1780, m. Samuel Larrabee, Feb. 3, 1803. 
Patience, m. Silas Meserve of Limington, p. Apr. 18, 1812. 

Dorcas, rn. Benj. Braclcett of Limington, p. Dec. 21, 1816; 2d, Staples. 

Daniel, m. Abigail Rounds, Apr. 2, 181 2. 

Ann, . 

James, went West. 
Loruhama, . 

Stephen Irish died April 7, 1841, and his wife Anna, Sept. 3, 1846, 

aged 86. 

(3) William Irish, son of James, 2d, married Sarah, daughter of 

Walter Murch. In 1779 he was a member of Capt. McLellan's 

company and took part in the Penobscot expedition. He had but 

one child : 

Phebe, bapt. Sept. 25, 1789, by Rev. Paul Coffin of Bu.\ton ; m. Rev. Samuel 
Lewis, Dec. 4, 1800. 

William Irish with his family moved to Chatham, N. H., and a few 

years after died there, April 30, 181 5. After his death, his wife, 

son-in-law Lewis, and his wife, moved to Harrison, and thence to 

Springfield, Me., where they all died. 



586 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

(3) James Irish, the youngest child of the second James, was long 
one of the most prominent and active citizens of the town. He held 
many civil offices. He was selectman in 1820 and 1829, was 
Senator in the General Court of Massachusetts in 1819, and in 1820 
a delegate from Gorham to the Convention that framed the Constitu- 
tion of the State of Maine. He was the first Representative from 
Gorham to the Maine Legislature. Mr. Irish was a practical surveyor, 
and was much employed in surveying public lands, dividing many 
townships into lots preparatory for settlement. After the death of 
Col. Lewis in 1822 he was appointed Surveyor-general of the public 
lands, and in 1824 was appointed State Land Agent. He was also 
one of three commissioners appointed to locate the northeast 
boundary of the State. When the York and Cumberland Railroad 
was chartered by the State in 1846 he selected the route for the road 
and made the surveys. He was chosen clerk in 1848, when the 
directors met and organized. He also held many military positions, 
rising to that of Brigadier General. In 181 4 when Portland was 
threatened by the British, Gen. Irish called out his brigade and 
marched to the defense of that city. From J845 to 1849 he held the 
office of postmaster. He was much interested in establishing manu- 
facturing industries in his native town. In 1824 he hired a small 
tannery for a while, but afterwards erected a larger building for his 
increasing business in this branch. He had besides a starch factory 
and also a carpet factory. His wife was Rebecca, daughter of Lieut. 
Silas Chadbourn. Children : 

Sophronia, b. Sept. 5, 1799, m. Henry Frost, Nov. 28, 1821 ; 2d, John Wingate 

of Buxton, Sept. 23, 1829. 
Mary G., b. July 3, 1801, m. Peter Paine of Standish, Nov. 26, 1822 ; d. Oct. 31, 

1856. 
Isaac C, b. Nov. 29, 1803, m. Maria M. March, Sept. 5, 1830. 
Abigail, b. Aug. 14, 1806, m. Cornelius Waters, Dec. 15, 1830. 
Martha, b. July 15, 1808, m. Bryce McL. Edwards, Nov. 21, 1833. 
Adeline, b. Sept. 26, 1810, m. Dr. Wm. Marrett of ^Yestbrook, Dec. 6, 1832. 
Francis O., b. Sept. 22, 1812, m. Caroline E. Atwood of New York, Jan. 11, 

1S46; d. in Brooklyn, N. Y., Dec. 16, 1894; his wife d. May 17,1866. 
Marshall, b. Sept. 9, 1814, m. Martha Fogg, Oct. 26, 1846; 2d, Mary McLellan. 
James, b. June 9, 1S16, d. young. 
Rebecca C, b. Sept. 21, 1817, m. Lyndon Oak of Garland, Sept. 21, 1S46; d. 

Feb. 24, 1902. 
Elizabeth, b. July 29, 1819, m. John McArthur of lUooks, Dec. 1, 1841; d. in 

Philadelphia, July i, 1896. 
James H., b. Mar. 11, 1823, d. May 18, 1846. 
Thaddeus P., b. Nov. 25, 1824, m. Ellen A. Davis, Nov. 29, 1848 ; 2d, Lucy J. 

Rice. 

Gen. Irish lived on the farm of his father on Flaggy Meadow road 
till 18 10, when he sold it to Seth Hersey and bought the farm in the 




ISAAC CHADBOURNE. 



THADUEUS POMROY. 



MARSHALL. 



GEN. JAMES IRISH. 



FRANCIS OSGOOD. 



JAMES HENRY. 




SOPHRONIA. 

ABAGAIL. 

REBECCA CHADBOURNE. 



MARY GORHAM. 
REBECCA CHADBOUKNE. 

(Mother.) 



ADALINE. 
MARTHA. 
ELIZABETH. 



GENEALOGY. 587 

Blake neighborhood formerly owned by Joseph Phinney. This farm 
in 1826 he sold, and moved to the village where he lived in the three 
story brick house, since destroyed by fire, which stood on the west 
corner of Main and Water Sts. His wife Rebecca died Oct. 5, 1831, 
aged 51, and he married, Oct. 15, 1832, Mrs. Louisa (Balis) Mason, 
who was born in Massachusetts in 1789. Gen. Irish died June ^o, 
1863, at the age of 87. His wife Louisa died Oct. 3, 18S1, in Hallo- 
well, aged 92. 

(3) Isaac Irish, son of Thomas, lived in the White Rock district 

where Mr. Strout now (1897) lives. He married Anna Flood of 

Buxton. Children : 

Benjamin, b. Feb. 12, 1787, m. Elizabeth M. Libby, Nov. 25. 1807. 

Betty, b. Apr. 16, 1789, d. unm. 

Jacob, b. Jan. 20, 1791, d. young. 

Jacob, b. May 15, 1793, m. Jane Libby. Jan. 15, 1S18. 

Patty, b. March, 1795, d. young. 

Morris, b. June 4, 1^98, m. Betsey Lombard, Apr. 23, 1823. 

Polly, b. Aug. ig, 1800, m. Gen. Wm. Waterman of Buxton, Apr. 15, 1852. 

Isaac, b. Sept. 5, 1807, d. unm. in Waterford. 

Martha, b. Oct. 16, 1809, m. Ephraim Wood of Winthrop. 

Isaac Irish died about 1833. Mrs. Irish died July 15, 1846, aged 
88. 

(3) Benjamin Irish, son of Thomas, lived where his father had 

lived. He married Jenny, daughter of Elisha and Abigail (^Meserve) 

Libby of Scarborough. Children : 

Elisha, b. Dec. 6, 1791, m. Mary Libby, Nov. 28, 18 16. 

Abigail, b. Nov. 12, 1793, <^- unm. Sept. 23, 1S69. 

Tlromas, b. Mar. 23, 1796, d. Oct. 18, 1799. 

Dolly, b. Feb. 22, 179S, d. Nov. 26, 1799. 

Thomas, b. June i, 1800, d. young. 

Isaac, b. Aug. 16, 1802, m. Lois Stevens; I'd in Windham. 

Esther, b. -, 1806, m. Caleb Skillings, Nov. 21, 1833. 

Benjamin Irish died Nov. 25, 1839. Mrs. Jane Irish died April 23, 
1828, aged 59. 

(4) Daniel Irish, son of Stephen, born Sept. 15, 1789, lived at 
West Gorham. He married Abigail F. Rounds of Buxton. Their 
children were : 

Catherine R., b. Jan. 27, 181 3, m. Ebenezer H. Libby, Sept. 23, 1832; 2d, Jos. 

Sanborn, Dec. 14, 1836; I'd in Standish. 
Mehitable, b. Aug. 28, 1S16, m. Ebenezer Blake, Oct. 30, 1836. 
Albion K. P., b. Oct. 3, 1819, m. Caroline B. Emery of Buxton, Oct. 29, 1S45; 

2d, Adeline Carsley ; d. Aug. 23, 1893 ; she, Nov. 6, 1874. 
Eliza W., b. Apr. 12, 1825, m. Freeman L. Jones, Nov. 23, 1849. 
Abigail F., b. Apr. 26, 1828, m. Freeman Richardson, Mar. 23, 1856. 

Daniel Irish died while on his way to Eastport, Aug. 6, 1829. His 
wife died March 3, 1865, aged 79. 



088 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

(4) Isaac C. Irish, son of James, married Maria M., daughter of 

Col. James and Sally March. Children : 

Frances M.. b. Sept. 19, 1S31, d. in Portland, unm. Dec. 24, 1886. 
Harriet R., b. Nov. 13, 1S33, m. Henry P. Lord of Portland, June 12, 1866. 
Caroline A., b. June 10, 1837, m. Samuel B. Conly, Dec. 28, 1862; d. Apr. 3, 
1864. 

Isaac C. Irish died in Portland Jan. 12, 1887. Mrs. Irish died 

Feb. 21, 1846, aged 37. 

(4) Marshall Irish, son of James, lived at the village, where he 

was engaged in the manufacture of carpets. In 1847 he was chosen 

a deacon in "the Congregational church, which office he held until his 

death — a period of thirty-eight years. He was also for many years 

superintendent of the Congregational .Sunday school. He married 

Martha, daughter of Daniel and Hannah Fogg. Children : 

Edwin .\T., b. lune 11, 1848, ni. Mary C. Sperry, July 23, 1S73; is a lawyer in 

Mich. " , 

Maria M., b. Jan. 24, 1850. 
William M., b. Mar. 27, 1855, d. Jan. 16, 1885. 

Mrs. Martha Irish died Oct. 25, 1872, aged 56, and Dea. Irish 

married, Dec. 19, 1877, Mary T., daughter of John McLellan. Dea. 

Irish died June 29, 1885. Mrs. Mary Irish died in Westbrook, Sept. 

8, 1894, aged 53. 

(4) Thaddeus P. Irish, son of James, built the house on the corner 
of Main and \^'ater Sts., on the spot where the three-story brick 
house, formerly occupied by his father, Gen. Irish, had stood. He mar- 
Ellen A., daughter of Josiah Davis, and their children, born in 
Garland, were : 

Elizabeth R., b. Sept. 8, 1849, d. Mar. 6, 1865. 

James H., b. Nov. 24, 1852, m. Junia H. Sanborn of Rochester, N. H., Nov. 25, 

18S0; druggist for some years in Gorhani. 
Fred Davis, b. Apr. 10, 1857. 

Mrs. Irish died Oct. 20, 1869, aged 42, and Mr. Irish married, 
Nov. 23, 1870, Lucy J. Rice of Boston. Mrs. Lucy Irish died 
May 6, 1900. 

(4) Benjamin Irish, son of Isaac, lived at White Rock, where 

Benjamin F. Irish now lives. He was a corporal in Capt. Bettis' 

company, and marched to Portland in 18 14. He married Elizabeth 

M., daughter of Hanson Libby. Children : 

Esther P., b. May 28, 1808, m. James Libby, Nov. 14, 1832. 

Hanson, b. Aug. 21, 1809, blown up in the powder mills, July 19, 182S. 

James, b. Nov. 28, 181 1. 

Anna, b. Aug. 29, 1814, m. Amos Hersey ; d. in Oakland, Cal. 

Harriet, b. May 6, 181 7, m. Hanson Smart of New Hampshire, p. 1840. 



GENEALOGY. 589 

Abigail, b. May 28, 1820, I'd on the Hurricane road ; d. Dec. 17, 1S75. 

Daniel T., b. May 10, 1824, m. Harriet E. French, p. Jan., 1852; d. Nov. 28, 

1887. 
Martha J., b. July 21, 1826, m. Hiram Clifford, p. 1847. 
Susan L., b. Oct. 9, 1828, m. Chas. Stevens of Windham. 
Hanson L., b. Jvme 3, 1831. 

Benjamin Irish, Jr., died March 5, 1S5S, and his wife EUzabeth 
M., May 17, 1857, aged 68. 

(4) Jacob Irish, son of Isaac, lived on Mighty St., at "the North." 
His house is now gone. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, a 
member of Capt. Bettis' company. He married Jane, daughter of 
Reuben Libby, Jr. Children : 

Phebe, b. Aug. 16, 1818, m. Hervy McDonald of Windham. 

Reuben, b. , drowned in Lewiston, when about 16 years old. 

Lucinda, b. June 28, 1823, m. William Stanley. 



M-yA.,(b;Mar.7,i828.H-^^^-^°'^^30. 
Samuel, \ (a. 



young. 

Martha,' ' K , o -,'^ r^-^r. S ^- young- 
Elizabeth, T' J""^ ^^' 'S30, J d. young. 

Hanson, b. Sept. 16, 1831, m. Charity Jackson, June 11, 1857; I'd m Naples. 
Samuel b. Apr. 13, 1833, m. Jane Hoyt. 
Morris, 1, .1 . „, ( d. unm. Sept. 9, 1878. 
Elizabeth, \ ^' -' ^ '*' ^^' ] m. Robert B. Rounds of Limington, Mar. 3, 1858; 

( d. in Sept., 1893. 

Melville, b. Aug. 28, 1838, m. Martha E. Libby of Windham : was a soldier in 
the Civil War. 

Jacob Irish died May 15, 1879, ^"d his wife Jane, June 27, 1S51, 
aged 56. 

(4) Morris Irish, son of Isaac, lived at White Rock, opposite the 
old John Wescott place. He married Betsey, daughter of Joseph 
and Hannah Lombard. Children : 

Albert, b. May, 1823, m. Mary J. Johnson of Saco ; m. 2d, in Cal. ; 

d. in Nevada City, Cal. 
Angelina, b. July 17, 1826, m. Joshua Parker; I'd in Westbrook ; d. June, '86. 
W'illiam B., b. Feb. 27, 1828, m. Maria G. Moore of Limington; 2d, Mrs. Sarah 

(Rounds) Holden. 
Hannah L., b. July 21, 1832, m. Solomon C. Cook; 2d, John Moore of 

Limington. 
Eliza A., b. Mar. 23, 1836, m. Marshall Babb. 
Francis, b. May 2, 1838, m. Annie M. Brown, Nov. 21, 1859. 

Morris Irish died June 16, i860. Mrs. Betsey Irish died in 1883, 
aged 82. 

(4) EUsha Irish, son of Benjamin, lived on Mighty St., at "the 
North." He was a soldier in the War of 18 12 — a member of Capt. 
Robie's company. He married Mary, daughter of Hanson Eibby. 
Children : 



590 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Benjamin, b. Sept. 5, 1817, m. Sept, 10, 1845, I-ucy R., dau. of John J. and 
Sally (Burbank) Libby. Ch: Emeline, b. Dec. 17, 1846, m. Leonard M. 
Boothby, Nov. 16, 1S99; Wilber. b. Sept. 7, 1849, d. Oct. 4, 1S54. 
Benjamin Irish d. Aug. 30, 1899, o" ^^^ place where his great-grandfather 
Thomas settled, and which had descended to him through his grand- 
father and father. 

Jane, b. about 1S20, d. Feb. 6, 1876, 

John H., b. Oct. 28, 1822, m. Harriet S. Smith, May 10, 1854 ; d. Nov. 29, 1890. 

Joshua B., b. Feb. 20, 1827, m. Ellen A. Guptill; d. Jan. 17, 18S0. 

Thomas, b. Jan. 25, 1829. 

Julia A., b. Dec. 3, 1830. 

Elisha Irish died May 7. 1876; Mrs. Irish died Dec. 29, 1861, 
aged 70. 



JAMESON. 

William Jameson of Bangor married, Nov. 18, 1823, Martha, daugh- 
ter of Allen Davis of Gorham. They lived for a time in the south 
part of the town, and then removed to Stillwater. Their children, 
born in Gorham, were : 

Oliver, b. May 25, 1825, is dead. 

Charles I)., b. Feb. 24, 1827, was in the Civil war; went out as Col. of the 2d 
Me., and was promoted to Brig. General. 

Rev. Thomas Jameson was born in Dunbarton, N. IL, March 7, 

1794, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was for fifteen years 

pastor of the Cong'l church in Scarboro, from w-hich place he came 

in 1840 to (]orham, where he lived for many years in the three-story 

house on Main St., now owned by Ex-Gov. Robie, and built by the late 

John P. Little, Esq. Mr. Jameson kept store for some years with 

his brother-in-law, Samuel W. Lord, in the building which stood 

where F. H. Emery's store now stands. He was made president of 

the board of trustees of Gorham Academy in 1840, which office he 

held for several years. He was also at one time treasurer of the 

Seminary. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac and Susan 

Lord of Effingham, N. H. Children, all born before coming to 

Gorham : 

Susan, m. Rev. Edward Robie, D. D.; I'd and d. in Greenland, N. H. 

Helen A., d. in Gorham, unm. 

Georgiana, m. Capt. McL. Pickering of Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 25, 1855; d. in 

Cambridge. 
Edwin, d. young. 

Angelina, m. Prof. Brewster; I'd in Washington, Pa. 

Luciana, m. Rev. John W. Chickering, Dec. 18, 1856; d. in Washington, D. C. 
Edwin A. L., m. Junia Marston. 

Rev. Mr. Jameson died in Cambridgeport, Mass., April 14, 1879. 
Mrs. Jameson died in Gorham, Aug. 11, i860, aged 64. 



GENEALOGY. 591 

JENKINS. 

The descendants of the Jenkins family of Gorham trace their 

ancestry back to John Jenkins, who married, Feb. 2, 1652, Mary 

Ewer. The sixth child of this couple, Thomas, born July 15, 1666, 

married Experience Hamblen Aug. 24, 1687. The fifth child of 

Thomas, Samuel, born Jan. 7, 1699, or 1700, married, Nov. 9, 1721, 

Mary Hinckley. Samuel, the third child of Samuel and Mary, born 

Oct. 20, 1727, married, March 11, 1749, Mary, daughter of Dea. 

Samuel and Elizabeth Chipman of Barnstable, and moved with his 

family to Gorham. Mrs. Jenkins, judging from her letters, was a 

woman of talent. Their children (born in Barnstable) were : 

Josiah, b. Sept. 20, 1750, m. Prudence Davis, p. June 15, 1776. 

Deborah, b. Feb. 2, 1752, m. Gershom Hamblen, p. Dec. 17, 1774. 

Abiah, b. Jan. 21, 1754, m. Richard Hine, p. Feb. 11, 1775. ^^^- ^^'- '^- "'' 

Turner, July 26, 1834. 
Samuel, b. Nov. 23, 1755, m. Oct. r, 1780, Lydia Dyer of Truro, Ma.s.s. Ch : 

Rebecca, b. July 24, 1781 ; Lydia, b. Nov. 3, 1783 ; Hannah, b. May 17, 

1785; Joseph, b. June 13, 1788. Mrs. Jenkins d. Aug. 22, 17S8, and Mr. 

Jenkins m. Jan. 23, 1794, Thankful Snow. Samuel Jenkins served in 

the Revolutionary army, as a private in Capt. Whitmore's company, Col. 

Fogg's regt., and afterwards as sergeant in his brother Josiah's company, 

in the 12th Mass. 
Molly, b. Jan. 16, 175S, m. James Irish, Jr., p. Dec. 13, 1777. 
Joseph, b. June 6, 1760, d. of consumption, Apr. 20, 1783, while in the Rev'y 

army, near West Point. 

All the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins served their country in the 
War of Independence. Some of the descendants of the above couple 
are still living in town, but there are none bearing the name here. 

(2) Josiah Jenkins, son of Samuel, enlisted in Capt. Stuart's com- 
pany. Col. Phinney's regiment in 1775 as a sergeant, and in the follow- 
ing year was made second and then first lieutenant under the same 
captain, i8th Continental regiment. In 1777 he was a captain in the 
12th Mass., and served until April i, 1779, when he was discharged. 
He took part in the siege of Boston, and the campaign at Ticon- 
deroga, was in the battle of Monmouth, and in an engagement on 
Lake Champlain. His wife was Prudence, daughter of Prince Davis, 
and was born in Barnstable. Children : 

Sarah C, b. June 14, 1780, m. Samuel Bartlett, Aug. 21, 1S04. 

Mary, b. Apr. 9, 1783, d. young. 

Mary C, b. Mar. 22, 1785, m. Abner Towle. 

Aurelia, b. Aug. 21, 1787, m. James Swett. 

Nancy, b. June 3, 1791, m. Francis Poland, Apr. 2, 1810. 

Josiah, b. May 5, 1794, was a mason ; m. and d. in S. C, July, 1819. 

Katherine, b. Mar. 27, 1796, d. unm. Dec. 3, 1869. 

Capt. Jenkins lived for many years on the road running from the 
Weeks farm to Col. Colman Harding's, south of the Sam. Brown 



592 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

place. He received a pension from the government for his military 
services. His last years he spent at the village in the house oppo- 
site the Congregational church, lately occupied by Theodore K. 
Edwards, where he died (^ct. 20, 1831. His wife died in 1836, aged 
about 80. 

JEWETT. 

Rev. Caleb Jewett was the son of James and Martha (Scott) Jewett 
who were married Nov. 14, 1744. He was born in Newburyport, 
Mass., Sept. 15, 1753, from which place he came to Gorham where 
he was ordained pastor of the church Nov. 5, 1783. Mr. Jewett pur- 
chased his house and sixty acres of land of Samuel Crockett Aug. 
16, 1784, for the sum of ^^380. This sixty acres comprised the two 
thirty acre lots, 79 and 80, on the former of which the house was sit- 
uated. 7^his place is the one on Main St. lately occupied by Mr. 
Jewett's grandson, Henry Broad, and still known as " the Broad 
place." Nov. 27, 1794, Mr. Jewett purchased of Thomas Bangs the 
thirty acre lot, no, Mr. Bangs reserving a small piece of land where 
the house stood on this lot. 

After Mr. Jewett was settled in Gorham his widowed mother came 
here and lived with her son. She died March 16, 1801, at the age of 
84. His sister Sarah died Sept. 26, 1782. His sister Betsey came 
to Gorham to li\'e with her brother July 20, 1791. He had a brother 
James, also a brother Jonathan. In an almanac he says, " My 
brother Jonathan sailed the 26th day of Feb., 1782, in the ship Scar- 
borough, 20 guns, 40 men, and was never heard from at all. 1783, 
13th day of March at 5 o'clock in the morning, alarmed with fire, 
which was the greatest ever was in Newburyport, destroyed 12 or 14 
buildings. In 1783, April 1, News of Peace came to town." 

It appears that in 1809 the family had some property in Newbury- 
port for Mr. Jewett's widow gave at that date a receipt for her 
one-sixteenth part of rents to Jon. Gage, for house, shop and wharf, 
for $74.67. 

Mr. Jewett married, Oct. 20, 1783, Betsey Bacon of Bradford, who 

was born June 22, 1752. Their children were : 

Jonatlian, b. Oct. 3, 1784. 

Martha, b. Uec. 17, 17S5, cl. iinm. Nov. 2, 1850. 

Caleb, b. Aug. 26, 1787, d. in Sparta, Ga., Sept. 2, 1S17. 

Betsey, b. Dec. 2, 1789, m. Daniel Broad, June 10, 1818. 

Rev. Mr. Jewett died April 16, 1802, and bis wife Betsey, May 15, 

1833- 



GENEALOGY. 593 

Caleb, the second son of Rev. Caleb Jewett, took the school at 
Gorham corner in February, 1810, and kept it for several months for 
nineteen dollars the first, and twenty dollars each month after, and 
boarded himself, making three and three-eighths months, and then 
commenced again the 28th of May at twenty-two dollars and boarded 
himself. 

Betsey, the youngest child of Rev. Caleb Jewett, married Daniel 

Broad. He was the son of Thaddeus and Lucy ( Skillings) Broad, 

and was born at Stroudwater. Dec. 30, 1783. Mr. and Mrs. 

Broad lived on her father's place. ^Their children were : 

Caleb J., b. Nov. 13, 1819, d. unm. Oct. 23, 1846. 

Martha J., b. Aug. 13, 1821, d. Nov., 1S26. 

Henry, b. Feb. 12, 1824, m. Mrs. Mary (Lowell) Anderson, June 11, 1S54; d. 

Jan. 10, 1872 ; no children. 
Elizabeth, b. Apr. 6, 1831, d. unm. Apr. 7, 1854. 

Daniel Broad died Sept. 30, 1846, and his wife Betsey, April 27, 
1838. 

JOHNSON. 

James John.son left Auckley, Scotland, for the North of Ireland, 
where he remained until about 1732, when he came to America; and 
settled at Scarborough, Me. He was a ferryman over the Spurwink 
river. He had two sons, John and James. John's son, Robert, 
served in the Revolution ; and was master of the sloop Britannia, in 
1779, '" the Penobscot expedition. He married Mary (Trunley) 
Millions, the widow of Robert Millions, and lived in Falmouth. She 
was the daughter of Randall Trunley of St. Paul's Parish, Deptford, 
County Kent, England. Robert and Mary (Millions) Johnson were 
the parents of John, Robert, Matthew, Thomas, Mary, and Randall 
Johnson. The family tradition is that Mrs. Johnson having inherited 
property from her relatives in England, her husband, Capt. Robert, 
about 1787, put three hundred Mexican silver dollars in his saddle- 
bags, and rode to Gorham, where he selected and purchased land for 
farms for three of their sons, John, Robert, and Matthew. It is said 
that the man with whom he was bargaining asked him if he could 
give good security for the payment, to which Capt. Robert replied 
that he rather thought he could, and when the bargain was concluded 
opened his saddle-bags, and poured out the price in full in coin — a 
rare sight in those days. The land then purchased has been in the 
Johnson name ever since, and the district where the brothers settled 
is known as the "Johnson neighborhood." .This district comprises 
some of the best farming land in the town. The brothers Johnson 



594 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

were good farmers and honorable, upright citizens. Many of the 
name remain in town. 

(i) John Johnson, son of Robert, received from his father the 
thirty acre lots, 65 and 67, also a part of the hundred acre lot, 113. 
His deed is dated Dec. 17, 1787. His house was on the spot where 
his nephew Samuel afterwards lived. He married, Jan. 6, 1782, 
Eleanor Trickey. Children : 

Susanna, b. Oct. 4, 17S5, m. and I'd in Harrison or Casco. 

Zebulon, b. July i, 17S7, m. Nancy Thomes in 1S21 ; went to Harrison. 

Eunice, b. July 26, 1789. 

John, b. P'eb. 8, 1792, m. Mehitable Thomes; I'd in Harrison. 

Rebecca, b. Nov. 10, 1794, m. Lewis Hanscom, Apr. 14, 1S16. 

David, b. Aug. 13, 1797, m. Harriet Gilkey, Jan. 31, 1825; d. suddenly, Sept. i, 

1825; his widow m. Enoch Boothby in 1828. 
Mary, b. , m. Joseph Gilkey, Jan. 5, 1824. 

(i) Robert Johnson, son of Robert, was born about 1762. His 
farm was the hundred acre lot, iii, on which he lived in the house 
now occupied by Mrs. Charles Johnson. He married Mary Cham- 
berlain. One child : 

Robert, b. Mar. 14, 1791, m. Hannah Johnson, Nov. 28, 1814. 

Robert Johnson died July 13, 1834, aged 72. Mrs. Johnson died 
April 2, 1835, aged 86. 

(i) Matthew Johnson, son of Robert, received a deed in 1786, 
from his father, of the hundred acre lot, 112.. Here he made his 
home in the house now owned and occupied by Fred. C. Phinney. 
Some years later he purchased a part of the seventy acre lot 13, and 
a part of the common land (laid out to right 67) southwest of the sev- 
enty acre lots, and east of the hundred acre lot 96. He married, 
. Nov. 26, 1789, Hannah Johnson, who was of the fourth generation 
from the first James. Children : 

Thomas, b. Oct. 5, 1790, m. Mary Hamblen, Nov. 28, 1814; 2d, Dorothy 

Libby. 
Hannah, b. Nov. 23, 1793, m. Robert Johnson, Nov. 2S, 18 14. 
William, b. Jan. 15, 1798, m. Mary Trickey, Sept. 7, 1S19; 2d, Mrs. Eliza L. 

Johnson. 
John, b. May 8, 1800, m. Eliza Libby, Dec. 4, 1S22 ; no chn. ; d. Sept. 3, 1856. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 4, 1805, m. lane Tiickey, Apr. 25, 1826; 2d, Mrs. Elizabeth 

Libby. 

Matthew Johnson died March 27, 1846, aged 81, and his wife 
died Nov. 14, 1842, aged 73. 

(2) Robert Johnson, Jr., son of Robert, married his cousin Hannah 
Johnson, and lived on his father's homestead. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 595 

Mary, b. Sept. 6, 1815, m. William B. Freeman, Dec, 1835. 

Wm. Lamb, b. June S, 1817, m. Nancy T. Hobson of Bu.xton, 1S4J; I'd in 
Saco; d. in Gorham, Feb., 1892. 

Robert Johnson was killed while walking on the P. & R. railroad 
track, Oct. 6, 1861. Mrs. Johnson died Nov. 4, 1S58. 

(2) Thomas Johnson, son of Matthew, lived in the Johnson neigh- 
borhood. The last years of his life were passed on the old Robert 
Johnson place. He married Mary, daughter of Joseph and Polly 
Hamblen. Children : 

Eleanor, b. Jan. 26, 1815, m. John Trickey. 

Matthew, b. Dec. 26, 1816, m. Abigail, dau. of Francis Small of Windham, in 

1840; she d. Jan. 5, 1841, and he ni., April 6, 1842, her sister Mary Ann 

Small, by whom he had one child, IVIelville C, b. July 27, 1843, m. 

Jennie E. Bodge, Dec. 25, 1874. Matthew Johnson d. Feb. 2, 1858; 

Mrs. Johnson d. at her son's, Aug. 20, 1900. 
Charles, b. Dec. 30, 1824, m. Martha, dau. of Ai and Martha Libby, j'an. 2, 

1S54. Ch : Herbert A., b. Apr. 8, 1855, m. Mary Ella Sawyer, was 

killed by an explosion in corn factory, Aug. 27, 1887; Edward C, b. 

Jan. 14, 1858, d. in Orono. Mr. Johnson d. Apr. i, 1895. 

Mrs. Mary Johnson died April 16, 1830, aged 34, and Mr. Johnson 
married in 1831, Dorothy, daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Libby 
of Gorham, by whom he had one child : 

Mary Maria, b. Feb. i, 1836, m. Dr. A. K. P. Meserve. 

Mrs. Dorothy Johnson died Dec. 12, 1864, aged 70. Thomas 
Johnson died April 29, 1869. 

(2) William Johnson, son of Matthew, lived above Fort Hill, on 
the easterly side of the road, opposite to his brother, Samuel. He was 
a captain in the militia. He married Mary Trickey of Westbrook. 
Children : 

William H , b. Jan. 19, 1821, m. Sarah J. Johnson, Sept. 30, 1S55; no ch. ; d. 

July 28, 1890; she, Feb. 7, 1899. 
Daniel, b. Oct. 7, 1823, was drowMied, May 16, 1829. 
Jane, b. Feb. 15, 1825; killed by an accident, Aug. 5, 1834. 
David, b. Sept. 16, 1827, d. unm. June 22, 1859. 
John, b. June 12, 1829, m. Ellen Dow; moved to Deering, wheie he d. ; two 

dau's, Eva and Ada. 
Catherine, b. Aug. 20, 1831, m. Henry B. Johnson, Aug. 5, 1855. 
Albion F., b. Feb. 13, 1837, m. flelen M. Whitney; I'd in Deering; no ch. 
Emily, b. Dec. 7, 1840, m. Henry B. Johnson, June 18, 1900. 

Mrs. Maiy Johnson died Dec. 5, 1858, aged 56, and Mr. Johnson 
married Mrs. Eliza (Libby) Johnson, daughter of Edward and Eliza- 
beth Libby, and widow of his brother John Johnson, and soon after- 
moved to the original Matthew Johnson place. Capt. William John- 
son died May 28, 1876. Mrs. Eliza Johnson died April 12, 1882, 
aged 77. 



596 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) Samuel Johnson, son of Matthew, lived above Little river, on 

the west side of the Fort Hill road, on the place where his son 

Matthew now lives. He married Jane Trickey of W'estbrook. 
Children : 

Edward, b. Mar. 28, 1827, d. Feb. 15, 1850, unm. 

Matthew, b. Apr. 18, 1S29, m. Rose Ann, dau. of Ai and Martha Libby, Apr. 
23, 1855; I's on the farm which Robert Jolinson gave to his son John in 
1787. Ch: Lizzie, b. Mar. 6, i8i;6, d. Sept. 5, 1857; Merrill F., b. Apr. i, 
1859, d. Mar. 20, 1862; Jennie" E., b. Feb. 28, 1861, d. Mar. i, 1862; 
Charles H., b. Feb. 6, 1863, m. Mrs. Mary E. Johnson, widow of Herbert 
Johnson ; Melville, b. Sept. 15, 1864, m. Lucy A., dau. of A. K. P. Libby ; 

Annie B., b. Sept. 22, 18 — , m. Fred Marean ; twins b. ,.d. May 

14,1878. Mrs. Rose Johnson d. May 15, 1878, aged 42; Mr. Johnson 
m. 2d Rebecca Webb. 

Daniel, b. Apr. iS, 1829, m. Ann M., dau. of Freeman and Lydia A. Whitney, 
Feb., 1854 ; I's in the north part of the town ; one child. Freeman W., b. 
Nov. 9, 1855, m. Nellie Dresser of Buxton, Oct. 19, 1880, d. Aug. 7, 
1883. 

Sarah J., b. July 25, 1831, m. William H. Johnson, Sept. 30, 1855. 

Hannah, b. Feb. 19, 1834, m. Richard Willis, Apr. 29, i860. 

Isaac L., b. Oct. 3, 1836, m. Oct. 27, 1861, Hannah F., dau. of Thomas H. and 
Lydia P. Abbott of Ossipee, N. H., and granddaughter of Joseph Files 
of Gorham. Ch: Cora A., b. Aug. 12, 1863, d. Sept. 11, 1865; Ella F., 
b. Mar. 30, 1866; Olive M., b. June 20, 1868, d. Nov. 11, 1885; John E., 
b. Apr. 12, 1872, m. M. Lena Thomes ; George T., b. Nov. 28, 1S75, m. 
Mabel S. Davis of Standish. Isaac L. Johnson I'd in the Quaker neigh- 
borhood, on the old Wm. Cobb place ; he was killed by an accident, 
Nov. 15, 1901. 

Mary E., b. Apr. 27, 1839, d. Tan. 10, 1845. 

Ellen, b. Apr. 28, 1841, m. Fred. C. Phinney, Nov. 25, 1866. 

Lewis, b. Jan. 11, 1844, m. Ellen Moody of Standish, Sept. 3, 1863. Ch : 
Addie V., m. Samuel L. D. Libby, 1890, 2d, Ali)ion Bacon; Edward, m. 
Bertha Gallup, I's on the Albion Johnson place ; Almon, m. Ada Haines 
of Gorham, May 18, 1894; Howard S. 

Caroline, b. Mar. 3, 1847, m. Charles B. Thomes, May 22, 1864; 2d, Benjamin 
Harmon; d. Feb. 10, 1876. 

Mrs. Jane John.son died June 28, 1853, aged 48, and Mr. Johnson 

married, March 3, 1854, Mrs. Elizabeth (Files) Libby, daughter of 

Joseph and Ann Files, and widow of Ai Libby. Mr. Johnson dropped 

dead at the North Gorham Fair, Oct. 9, 1861. Mrs. Elizabeth 

Johnson died June 17, 18S7. 

Robert Rich Johnson was the son of Randall Johnson of West- 
brook. He was a nephew to John, Robert and Matthew Johnson of 
Gorham. His father bought for him the farm where Mr. David 
Rolfe now lives, on the road from West Gorham to Fort Hill. He 
came to Gorham about 1821, and lived on his farm till about 1856 or 
'57, when he built and moved into the hou.se on High St. at the 
village, now occupied by his grandson, Lewis Johnson. He married 
Mary Knight of Westbrook. Children : 

Miriam F., b. Oct. 19, 1821, m. James Mann, Nov. 25, 1841. 
Randall, b. Dec. 2, 1822, m. Eliza E. Crockett, June 17, 1849. 



GENEALOGY. 597 

George C, b. Sept. 24. 1S33, m. Mar. 10, 1857, Martha E., dan. of Nathaniel 
and Desire P. Jordan. Ch: Lewis R., 1). Nov. 15, iSt;8, m. Cieorgie 
Odiorne, May 4, 18S1 ; Robert E., b. vSept. i, 1864, d. IVLir. 2, 1866. 
George C. Johnson d. Mar. 28, 1892. 

Capt. JohiLson died Sept. 15, 1874, aged 75. Mrs. Johnson died 
July 25, 1880, aged 77. 

Mary, sister of Robert R. Johnson, married Samuel Miller of Gorham 
in 1817. Another sister, Elizabeth, married Simon Elder of Gor- 
ham. Isaac, a brother, married Abigail and Emeline, daughters of 
Jeremiah Frost of Gorham. 

John Johnson, born probably in England about 1680, married Mary 
Anderson, and lived in Salem, Mass., from which place he moved to 
Linesborough, N. H. His son James, born in Salem, married Han- 
nah Blake of Falmouth, and lived on Groves Hill, Falmouth. ^ He 
died in 1771, aged 40, leaving seven sons, two of whom, Jasper and 
David, resided for some years in Gorham. 

Jasper Johnson, born Jan. 30, 1756, was a soldier of the Revo- 
lution. He married in Gorham, Dec. 23, 1784, Rebecca, daughter 
of James and Hannah Ross. Children: 

Rebecca, m. Adams True of Pownal. 
Rachel, m. Wm. Harris of Pownal. 
James, m. Fannie Rice of Scarborough. 
Walter, m. Mercy Harris of New Gloucester. 
Hannah, m. Thomas Haskell of New Gloucester. 

Not long after his marriage Mr. Johnson moved to No. Yarmouth. 
He was drowned in Royal's river, in April, 1795. 

David Johnson married in Gorham. June 16, 1785, Jenny Whitney. 
Their children, some of whom were born in Pownal, were Amos, 
Mary who died unmarried, and Sally who married Amos Haskell of 
New Gloucester. In 1797 David Johnson was living in No. Yar- 
mouth, where after the death of his wife Jenny he married Mrs. 
Rebecca (Ross) Johnson, widow of his brother Jasper. Children : 

Jane, m. Rufus Batchelder of No. Yarmouth. 
Jasper, m. Mildred Burton, Apr. 24, 1821. 
Mary Ann, m. Eben Cleaves of No. Yarmouth. 

David Johnson lived to be 88 years of age, and his wife Rebecca 
to be 82. 

(2) Jasper Johnson, son of David and Rebecca, lived for a time in 
Gorham on the place now occupied by Frank Hopkinson. He 
removed to Pownal, but after the birth of his son Walter returned to 
Gorham. He married Mildred, daughter of William Burton of Gor- 
ham. Children : 



598 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Joseph, I's in Gorham. 

Walter R., m. Alice R. Bakeman ; I'd for a time in Gorham ; d. Aug. 26, 1897. 

David. 

Andrew R. 

Charles H., m. Abbie Stuart. 

Mr. Johnson married second, Sarah Clark of New Gloucester in 

183S. Children: 

Mildred B., m. Albion H. Burnham. 
Sarah M., m. Freeman Jordan ; d. in Springvale. 
Jennie, m. Calvin L. Morrison; d. in So. Berwick. 
Clara Ella, d. when a young lady. 

Jasper Johnson died in No. Yarmouth in 1856, and his wife Sarah, 

at the age of 44. 

Benjamin F. Johnson was a lumberman. He was the son of 

George Johnson, Jr., and a descendant of the James Johnson who 

came from Scotland to Ireland, and thence to America about 1732. 

Mr. Johnson came to Gorham from Saccarappa, and settled at Horse 

Beef, where he worked in the mills. He married, Dec. 5, 1815, 

Lydia, daughter of John and Phebe Libby. Children : 

Charlotte, m. \Vm. B. Libby, Feb., 1844; I'd in Windham. 
Wm. H., m. Jane Parker, 1S44; 2d, Mary L. Shaw, 1S47; 3d, Eliza Parker. 
Albion, unm. ; was in the 12th Me. Vols.; wounded at Spottsylvania. 
Mellen, d. young. 

George W., m. Charlotte Libby, Apr. 30, 1854; was in the 9th Me. Vols.; I'd 
in So. Windham. 

(2) William H. Johnson, son of Benjamin F., was born Aug. 23, 
1822. He was a groceryman at White Rock. He married Jane, 
daughter of Isaac and Ann Parker. She died Aug. 6, 1845, ^g^^ 
20, leaving one child : 
Jennie, b. Aug. 2, 1845, m. William F. Clement. 

In 1847 Mr. Johnson married Mary L. Shaw of Standish, who died 
Sept. 12, 1849, leaving no children. His third wife was Eliza C. 
Parker, .si.ster to his first wife. By her he had a son, Melville, d. 
July 13, 1863, aged 4. 

Mr. Johnson was a soldier in the Civil War, in the 9th Me. Vols. 
He lost his health in the war, and died Feb. 15, 1866. His widow 
married Rev. Jotham Johnson, and lives in New York. 

JONES. 

Samuel and Henry Jones came from Scarboro to Gorham, where 
in 1757, they purchased the thirty acre lot iio. Samuel also pur- 
chased thirty acres of the adjoining hundred acre lot, No. 44. These 



GENEALOGY. 599 

two lots made up the homestead farm on which they lived. The 
name of Samuel Jones appears on the Gorham tax list of 1763. 
Susannah Jones, thought to have been his widow, died July 7, 1765. 
Henry Jones was a soldier of the Revolution — a memher in 1776 of 

Capt. Paul Ellis's company. He married Lydia . Children : 

Jeremiah, b. in Scarboro, Sept. 9, 1756, m. Elizabeth 



Ephraim, b. in Gorham, Aug. 10, 1758, m. Mercy Phinney, Mar. 21, 1779. 
Jo,seph, b. in Gorham, July 12, 1761, m. Deborah Hanscom, p. Dec. 25, 1784. 
Lydia, b. in Gorham, F"eb. 4. 1772, m. Jeremiah Rand, Jr., Apr. 14, 1791. 

Henry Jones is marked '' dead " on a tax bill for 1794. Mrs. 
Lydia Jones died April 23, 1799. 

(2) Jeremiah Jones, son of Henry, was in the Revolution, serving in 
Capt. Daniel Merrill's company, Col. Brewer's regiment. He mar- 
ried Elizabeth , and had one child : 

Jeremiah, b. in Boston, Feb. 18, 1778, m. Hannah Hamblen, Aug. 26, 1798. 

(2) Ephraim Jones, son of Henry, married Mercy, daughter of 

Stephen and Olive Phinney. Children : 

Stephen, b. Apr. 24, 1780, m. Sarah Paine, Sept. 12, 1802. 
Martha, b. June 10, 1782, d. Feb. 10, iSoi. 
Susanna, b. June 23, 1793. 

Ephraim Jones probably died April 22, 1823. 

(2) Joseph Jones, son of Henry, served in the Revolution, in Capt. 

Isaac Martin's company, in the Rhode Island service. He married 

Deborah Hanscom of Cape Elizabeth. Children : 

Henry, b. Oct. 29, 1786. 
Moses, b. Dec. 30, 1788. 
Samuel, b. Aug. 31, 1790. 
John, b. Mar. i, 1793. 
Hannah, b. Feb. 19, 1795. 

(3) Jeremiah Jones, son of Jeremiah, was a sailor. He married 
Hannah, daughter of Daniel and Dilla Hamblen. Children : 

Eliza, b. Jan. 13, 1799, m. Lemuel Babb. 

Malcom B., b. Dec. 4, iSoo, d. June 23, 1818. 

Sarah A., b. Aug. 9, 1805, m. \Vm. Akers of Westbrook (son of John), the 
grandson of Moses and Hannah Brackett (Mosher) Akers. Wm. and 
Sarah (Jones) Akers were the parents of the sculptors Paul and Charles 
Akers. 

Capt. Jeremiah Jones and his wife Hannah probably lived on the 
western side of South St., just below where the late Ereeman Higgins 
lived, on a part of the old Cary McLellan lot. He moved to West- 
brook not far from 18 18 or 1820. Capt. Jones is supposed to have 
been lost at sea. 



600 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

(3) Stephen Jones, Jr., son of Ephraim, was a sailor. He lived 

with his father, near West Gorham. He married Sarah, daughter of 

William and Sarah (Mayo) Paine. Children : 

Olive Early, bapt. June 18, 1S09. 

Infant, bapt. Dec, 1809, d. Jan. i, iSio. 

Martha, bapt. July 4, 1S13. 

Hannah, bapt. Sept. 10, 181 5. 

Infant, b. June n, 1816, d. June 15, 1S16. 

Neither the name of Stephen Jones, Jr., nor that of his father 

Ephraim appears on the Gorham tax lists after 1S16. 

William Jones and his wife Hannah lived in the north part of the 

town. Children : 

Sally, b. in Scarborough, Oct. 22, 17S9. 
Wealthy, b. in Scarborough, Sept. 11, 1793. 
Hiram, b. May 5, 1797- 
John, b. Nov. 16, 1798. 

JORDAN. 

Moses Jordan, born about 1749, and Joseph, born about 1750, 

were sons of Jeremiah Jordan of Cape Elizabeth. Moses married 

Marv Millett, Nov. 10, 1774, and probably came to Gorham not far 

from that time, as his name first appears on the ta.x list of that year. 

He lived on the west half of the hundred acre lot 46, which was 

deeded to him by his father. He sold a small part of this to Richard 

Codman, and the remainder in 1785 to Joseph Gammon. Children 

of Moses and Mary Jordan : 

Nancy, b. Mar. 5, 1775. 
Keziah, b. May 27, 1777. 
Mar)-, b. Apr. 20, 177Q. 
Rhoda, b. July 22, 17S2. 

Moses Jordan moved to Norway, Me. 

Joseph Jordan was living in Gorham in 1772. His home was on 
the eastern half of 46, a deed of which he received from his father. 
This farm he sold to Samuel Dunn of Cape Elizabeth, to which town 
he removed. After his second marriage he returned to Gorham, 
where he lived till about 1782, about which time he moved to 
Norway. Me. He married Elizabeth Robinson. They had one 
daughter, Elizabeth, who was married, Nov. 26, 1792, to Benjamin 
Rowe of Norway by Rev. James McCorson. There are said to have 
been other children by this marriages besides Elizabeth. Mr. Jordan 
married .second, Mary Steele of Scarboro. Their children, according 
to the Gorham records were : 



GENEALOGY. GOl 

Mary, b. in Scarboro, June 14, 1776. 
Hannah, b. in Goiham, July 9, 1778. 
William, b. in Gorham, Apr. 2, 1780. 
Sarah, b. in Gorham, Sept. 9, 17S1. 

Benjamin Allen Jordan, son of Dr. Clement and Elizabeth (Allen) 
Jordan, was born at Richmonds Island in 1749. He married, March 
17, 1772, Sarah Trundy of Cape Elizabeth, and settled in Gorham. 
Children : 

Elizabeth, m. Walter I.ibby of Scarboro, Apr. ir, 1800. 

Mary Ann, m. Daniel Tyler, Oct. 20, 1803. 

Sarah, m. James Tyler, July 4, 1804. 

Rebecca, d. unm. 

Benj. Allen, m. Betsey, dau. of William and Rebecca Adams, June 22, 1816. 
Ch: Mary Ann, b. Apr. 11, 1817 ; Louisa, b. May 7, 1819, d. Apr. 20, 
1821 ; Sarah and Rebecca, twins, b. July 10, 1821, Rebecca d. Apr. 10, 

1829; Louisa, b. May 11, 1824, d. May 19, 1825; Allen, b. . Mr. 

Jordan I'd in the western part of Gorham, not far from the Buxton line 
where his cellar, and the remains of his orchard are still to be seen.' This 
family moved to Salem, Mass. 

Benjamin Allen Jordan, Sr., was lost at sea, and his widow married, 
(pub. Jan. 21, 1809,) Capt. Abraham Tyler of Gorham. 

Clement Jordan was a brother to the elder Benjamin Allen Jordan, 

above, and was born at Richmonds Island in 1751. He had a sister 

Mehitable, who married, April 19, 1798, Barnabas Harding of Gorham, 

and died in Portland. Another sister, Hannah, married, July 7, 1789, 

Benjamin Hopkins, then of Gorham. Clement married at Cape 

Elizabeth, Nov. 10, 1774, Sarah Jordan. Children : 

Susan, b. 1776, d. young. 

Nathaniel, b- 1779, d. young. 

Clement, b. 17S1, d. at sea, unm. in 1805. 

Betsey, b. 1784, m. David Patrick. 

Jabez, b. 1787, d. unm. 

Nathaniel, b. 1790, m. Desire P. Lewis, May 6, 1819. 

(2) Nathaniel Jordan, son of Clement, lived at West Gorham. He 
was in the War of 18 12, serving in the fall of 18 14 in Capt. Appleton's 
company, as a substitute for Stephen Merrill. He married Desire 
P., daughter of Rev. James and Hannah Lewis. Children : 

Sarah A., b. Mar. 18, 1820, m. Elisha Jordan of C. Elizabeth, Nov. 19, 1S40. 

James L., b. June 14, 1824, m. Mary J. Martin of Sebago ; 2d, Lucy Clary of 
Portland. 

Hannah E., b. May 18, 1826, m. Albion A. Jordan of Cape Elizabeth. 

Charles E., b. Nov. 21, 1829, m. Caroline M., dau. of Luther and Mary Tappan 
of Baldwin, Mar. 4, 1856. Ch: Charles H., b. Aug. 23, 1S58, d. Mar. 12, 
1863 ; George C, b. Mar. 6, 1861. m. Olive M. Colesworthy. Jan. 31, 1894 ; 
Mary T., b. June 12, 1873, d. 1888. Mrs. Caroline Jordan d. Nov. 8, 
1895, ^g- 63- Charles E. Jordan lives at West Gorham on a part of the 
farm once owned by his grandfather, Rev. James Lewis and later by his 
father, Nathaniel Jordan; he was on the board of selectmen in 1884, 
'85, '86 and '90. 



602 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Martha E., b. Aug. 1 1, i8-,3, m. George E. Johnson, Mar. lo, 1857. 

Louisa C, b. July 26, 1839, m. Charles E. Jordan of C. Elizabeth, June 7, 1859. 

Nathaniel Jordan died Sept. 11, 1882. Mrs. Desire P. Jordan 

died March 14, 1880, aged 83. 

Lemuel Jordan, son of John and Isabella, was born in Cape 

Elizabeth in 1746, and married, Oct. 20, 1774, Mary Jordan. He 

settled first in Scarboro, where his children were born. He then 

moved to Gorham, and lived near the Buxton line on a farm which 

he afterwards sold to Charles Clark of Portland. It has since been 

owned by Richard Bean, and now by Albion Rowe. Children of 

Lemuel and Mary Jordan : 

Isabella, m. Nathaniel Ward, p. Sept. 30, 1797. 

Hannah. 

Achsah, m. George Lewis, Jan. 28, 1819. 

John, d. unm. ; I'd at Cape Elizabeth. 

Simon, was a boatswain in the U. S. Navy. 

Samuel, was in the Navy. 

Lemuel, was in the Navy. 

Polly, m. Dyer of Gorham. 

Both Lemuel Jordan and his wife died at the home of their son-in- 
law, Nathaniel Ward. 

Charles Jordan, son of William, was born in Raymond, March 30, 
1795. He married, Oct. 30, 1819, Sally Brown of Raymond. She 
died, leaving one child, Edward, and Mr. Jordan married second, 
Rebecca, daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah Phinney of Standish. He 
moved to Gorham in 1832, and lived on Fort Hill m the house 
formerly occupied by Stuart Green. Mr. Jordan was a deacon of the 
Fort Hill Free Baptist church. Children of Charles and Rebecca 

Jordan : 

James P., b. Jan., 1S23, m. Elizabeth Clark of Saco. Ch: James H., b. May 
18, 1848, I'd in Boston; Ella, b. June 20, 1850, m. Joseph T. Mason; 
George F., b. Nov. 5, 1851, d. unm. in Biddeford about 1884; Harriet R., 
b. 1S54, m. Albert IL Emery; Josiah C, b. Feb., 1857, d. in Biddeford, 
about 1867. James P. Jordan was a house carpenter; he built the house 
on State St., now owned by F. H. Emery, also that on Green St., lately 
owned by Mrs. Barbour. He d. in Iowa, Oct., 1857. 

Sarah, b. 1825, m. Isaac Babb of Westbrook. 

Emeline C, b. Feb., 1827, m. Stephen Wescott, 1847. 

Statira, b. 1829, d. Nov. 6, 1846. 

Eunice, b. Jan., 1831, m. Rufus Mclntire; I's in Tivolia, 111. 

Charles C, b. July i. 1833, m. Mrs. Kate Emery; d. in Peoria, 111. 

Robert F., b. Apr. 16, 1836, d. Apr. 2, 1837. 

Charles Jordan died Nov. 15, 1857, and his wife Oct. 5, 1848, aged 

53- 

Uominicus Jordan was born in Raymond, Jan. 17, 1796. He 
moved from that place to Gorham in 1 841, in order to educate his 



GENEALOGY. 603 

children. He was a merchant, and kept store in the building which 

stood on the spot where Emery's brick store now stands. He was a 

member of Gov. Fairfield's Council in 1842-43, and Representative 

from Gorham in 1844. He married in January, 1824, Keziah 

Dingley of Raymond. Children : 

Woodford D., b. Jan. 19, 1825, 1's in Shiocton, Wis. 

Martha, b. Sept. 16, 1826, m. W. Field, Jr. L's in Depere, Wis. 

Susan D., b. Sept. 4, 1831, l's in Depere. 

Ann M., b. Aug. 27, 1833, m. B. F. Smith of Depere. 

Robert D., b. Oct. 26, 1836, drowned at Shiocton, 1858. 

Mr. Jordan moved in 185 i to Depere, Wis., of which place he was 

chosen president (mayor). He was a man of integrity, energy and 

sound common sense. He died at Depere, Jan. 5, 1869. Mrs. 

Jordan died at the same place, Nov. 10, 1872. 

KELLOGG. 

Gardiner Kellogg, son of Rev. Gardiner Kellogg, late of Windham, 
was born in Bradford, Vt., Jan. 7, 1802. He married, Nov. 9, 1828, 
Elizabeth G., daughter of William H. and Betsey (Harding) Foster. 
Mr. Kellogg was a teacher, and taught for some years in the state of 
Georgia. He died in Clinton, Ga., Oct. 3, 1841. After his death, 
Mrs. Kellogg returned with her family to Gorham where she resided 
till her death, Feb. 26, 1870, at the age of 64. Children of Gardiner 
and Elizabeth Kellogg : 

Gardiner, b. in Penn Yan, N. Y.. Aug. 21, 1829, d. in Gorham, unm., Aug. 19, 

1900. 
Mary E., b. in Penn Yan, N. Y., Mar. 21, 1S31, d. young. 
John W., b. in Gorham, May 13, 1832, m. Maria L. Caldwell, Feb. 21, 1864. 
Louisa T., b. in Sparta, Ga., Nov. 5, 1834, d. unm. in Gorham, Aug. 20, 1893. 
Lucy E., b. in Sparta, Ga., Mar. 6, 1837, l's in Gorham, unm. 
Mary F., b. in Clinton, Ga., Oct. 12, 1839, l's in Gorham, unm. 
Chas. F., b. in Clinton, Ga., July 17, 1S41, d. unm. Aug. 4, 1885, in Gorham. 

KEMP. 

About the year 17 12 there was a Samuel Kemp in Groton, Mass., 

who married Sarah . Their youngest child, Ebenezer, born 

in April, 1729, married Maiy, daughter of Dudley and Abigail (Lakin) 
Bradstreet of Concord, Mass. She was born Aug. 7. 1730, and died 
in Gorham with her son Ebenezer about the year 1824. 

Ebenezer Kemp, Jr., the oldest child of Ebenezer and Mary, was 
born Jan. 11, 1749. He was a soldier in the Revolution aiy army. 
He purchased land in Otisfield, Me., where he resided for a time, 
then about 1785 came to Gorham and cleared the farm on which his 



604 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

great-grandson Augustus F. Kemp now resides. This farm com- 
prises the seventy acre lot 72, and a part of the seventy acre lot 61. 
He married, Aug. 31, 1773, Relief Phillips, probably the daughter of 
Samuel and Abigail (Frost) Phillips of Groton. Children : 

Elijah, b. in (iroton, Nov., 1777, d. unm., Oct. 7, 1846, in Gorham. 

Relief, b. in Groton, , m. John Brown of Gray, May 31, 1S07. 

Mitty, b. , m. Josiah Clark, p. Sept. 30, 1797. 

Ebenezer, b. Mar. 15, 1785, m. Eunice Allen of Windham; I'd in Windham. 

Mary, b. , m. Levi Knight, 1804. 

David, b. in Gorham, about 1793, m. Anna Humphrey, Oct. 20, 18 19. 

Jonathan, b. in Gorham, -, m. Martha Humphrey of Gray, p. May i, 1825 ; 

moved in 1846 to Otisfield. 

After the death of his wife Relief, Mr. Kemp married (pub. Nov. 7, 

1800) Mrs. Lydia Elder. She died April 19, 1825, aged 80. Mr. 

Kemp died in 1833. 

(2) David Kemp, son of Ebenezer, lived on his father's home- 
stead. Me married Anna Humphrey of Gray. Children : 

Julia Ann, b. Mar. 3, 1S20, m. Ephraim Holt of Tortlund, Dec. 27, 1835; d. in 

Gorham, Mar. 9, 1852. 
Willis, b. Jan. 23, 1822, m. Sarah C. Fellows, p. Nov. 7, 1S47 ; 2d, Elizabeth P. 

Fellows. 
Israel H., b. Jan. 20, 1824, m. Amanda E. Frank, Nov. 10, 1853. 
Sarah M., b. Jan. 1 1, 1826, m. Robert Dodge of Londonderiy, N. H., Nov. 29, 

1846; d. in Wisconsin in i860. 
George C., b. June i.i, 1828, d. Oct. 19, 1846. 
Lucius S., b. July 13, 1831, m. Susan Klinefelter. 

David Kemp died July 4, 1853, aged 60. Mrs. Anna Kemp died 

in Wisconsin in August, 1854. 

(3) Willis 1). Kemp, son of David, lived on the old homestead now 

occupied by his children, lie married Sarah C. PY'llows of Lowell. 

She lived but a few months after her marriage, dying Oct. 17, 1848, 

at the age of 23, and Mr. Kemp married, April 15, 1849, her sister 

Elizabeth P. Fellows. Children : 

George C., b. Dec. 27, 1849, m. Ellen C. Peck of Manchester, N. H., Dec. 23, 

1872. 
Sarah C., b. Aug. 19, 1851. 
Willis B., b. Apr. 27, 1853. 

Anna H., b. Aug. 16, 1855, m. Wm. G. Clark, Nov. 13, 1883. 
Augustus F., b. Jan. 13, 1857. 

Lucy E., b. Apr. 6, 1859, m. Benj. F. Irish, Feb. 12, 1881. 
Jessie B., b. Sept. 11, 1862. 
Eda M., b. July 8, 1865. 

Mr. Kemp died April 14, 1892, aged 70. Mrs. Elizabeth Kemp 
died May 15, 1898, aged 77. 

(3) Israel H. Kemp, son of David, married Amanda E. Frank of 
Gray. She died July 18, 1857, aged 24 years, leaving one daughter^ 
Lena, born Feb. 25, 1856, who married, Oct. 15, 1888, Charles E. Babb. 



GENEALOGY. 605 

KING. 

James King was the son of Lieut. James King of Littleton, Mass., 

and was born in Littleton, Nov. 22, 1774. He was a cooper, and 

meat-packer, and also a farmer. He resided for a time in Cornish, 

then in Gorham, also in Otisfield, and returned to Gorham about 

18 10. He lived in Gorham for many years in the Dr. Bowman 

house, now occupied by Mrs. Stephen Hinkley. He married Susanna, 

daughter of Joseph M. Thompson of Cornish. Children, all born in 

Gorham, but Cyrus, who was born in Otisfield : 

Rufiis, b. Sept. 23, 1S07, m. Ann Bi.xby ; I'd in Westbrook ; d. Fell. 3, 18S9. 
Cyrus, b. Aug. 10, 1809, m. Esther Kennard ; I'd in Westbrook; d. Mar. 28, 

1898; slie, Apr. 15, 1898. 
Tames, b. Tuly 8, 181 i,d. Aug. 23, 1814. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 18, 1813, d. unm. in N. Y. City, Feb. 26, 1892. 
Susan A., b. Feb. 23, 181 7, d. May 15, 1898. 
James T., b. Mar. 4, 1821, d. in Cornish, unm., Aug. 22, 1878. 
Charles, b. Oct. 24, 1823, d. imm. in Crittenden, Ariz., Apr. 14, 1884. 
Sarah C, b. Jan. 6, 1827, m. Capt. Frederick Gorham (son of Wm. Gorliam of 

Portland) July 8, 1S57. He d. at Yokohama, Japan, Oct. 31, 187S, ag. 

57. Mrs. G. d. at Norvvalk, Conn., 1899. 

James King died June 7, 1847, aged 73. Mrs. King died in Cor- 
nish, Oct. 5, 1 87 4, aged 90 years, 8 mos. 

(2) Susan A. King, daughter of James and Susanna, was a woman 
of marked characteristics. Starting in life with no unusual advan- 
tages, but possessed of great energy and resolution and uncommon 
business ability, whatever enterprises she engaged in prospered. 
When quite a young woman, she was greatly disturbed because in 
those days women had so few avenues open before them by which to 
obtain a livelihood, and set herself to work to inaugurate means and 
industries in which they could be employed. 

Deciding to make her home in New York, she invested in real 
estate in the upper part of that city, and buying and selling with 
great judgment and foresight she amassed a large fortune. Her 
advice and opinion on pieces of real estate were not infrequently 
asked by prominent business men. About 1870 she conceived the 
idea of the formation of a Woman's Tea Company, all of whose 
agents should be women, and which should in various other ways 
give employment to womeii. Of this company Madam Demorest was 
chosen president, and Miss King, treasurer. Determined to have 
only a pure and satisfactory article to sell. Miss King went herself 
to China and Japan, and travelled alone through these countries for 
eighteen months, till she had found and selected a tea which she 
judged to be suitable. 



606 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Miss King abounded in deeds of public and private benevolence 
and kindness, and was ever ready to help the deserving. She died 
in Norwalk, Conn., May 15, 1898. 

KNIGHT. 

The family of Knight trace their origin back to English ancestry. 
Capt. Joseph Knight, the first of the name that we find in Gorham, 
w'as the son of William who came from Manchester, Mass. This 
William lived at different times at Falmouth, Windham, Saccarappa, 
and again at Windham. He was twice married. It was his daughter 
Abigail, by his first wife, born Dec. 5, 1744, who married April 20, 
1765, Uriah Nason and lived in Gorhan-^. Of his children by his 
second wife I lannah, Ruhama married William Whitmore of Gorham ; 
Sarah married in 1770, Sargent Shaw of Standish, and was published 
as being of Gorham ; John married, June 22, 17S4, Mercy Gregg of 
Gorham, and lived here for a time where he has the birth recorded 
of one child Hannah, born Dec. 7, 1784; he was a Revolutionary 
soldier, serving in Capt. Jenkins' company, Col. Brewer's 12th Mass. 

Capt. Joseph Knight was the son of William Knight and his first 
wife, who is said by some of her descendants to have been Mary 
Haskell. During his youth he was an Indian scout. He and his 
brother William were both captured by the Indians in April, 1747, 
while the family were living at Saccarappa. He was captured a 
second time by the Indians in February, 1756. Having learned 
something of their language during his former captivity, he compre- 
hended enough of their talk among themselves to know that an attack 
was intended upon all the frontier towns in this region, from Saco to 
Brunswick. By his bravery and intrepid daring he managed to escape 
the following May, and succeeded in making his way from the Indian 
camp on the Androscoggin to N. Yarmouth and Falmouth, and giving 
an alarm by means of which the schemes of the savages were frus- 
trated ; and by the death of Poland, their chief, who fell in the town 
of Windham, May 14, 1756, an end was put to all trouble with the 
Indians in this locality. 

Capt. Knight came from Windham to Gorham, and settled at Little 
Falls about 1767. He owned the water power on the Gorham side, 
and built a saw mill there. He married, Jan. 10, 1760, Lydia, 
daughter of John and Mary (Miller) Libby of Scarborough ; at which 
time he (Knight) is recorded as of Falmouth. His children, all of 
whom were born in Gorham, except the two eldest, Lydia and Phebe, 
who were born respectively in Falmouth and Windham, were : 



GENEALOGY. 



607 



Lydia, b. Apr. 4, 1761, m. Jonathan Jordan, 17S1. 

Phebe, b. July 30, 1763, m. John Libby. Mar. 12, 1789. 

Nathaniel, b. Oct. 9, 1765, m. Hannah McKenney. Sept. 19,1782; 2d, Sarah 

Webb; 3d, Susanna Roberts. 
Daniel, b. Sept. 7, 1768. 
Joseph, b. Feb. 19, 1771, d. Nov. 15, 177S, 
Nabby, b. June r, 1773, ™- Joseph Lakin, Nov. 28, 1798. 
Joseph, b. Oct. 22, 1775, m. Mary Lovitt, .Aug. 23, 1798. 
Samuel, b. Mar. 5, 1778. 
Morris, b. June 30, 17S0. 
Winthrop, b. Oct. 17, 1782. 
Benjamin, b. Nov. 23, 17S5, d. Feb. 15, 1788. 

Capt. Joseph Knight was drowned in the Presumpscot river while 

at work about his mill, Sept. 8, 1797, at the age of 62. 

(2) Joseph Knight, Jr., son of Capt. Joseph, lived at Little Falls, 

arid after the death of his father in 1797. carried on the lumber 

business until he .sold the mill in 1823. He married Mary, the 

daughter of Jonathan Lovitt of Windham. Children ; 

Miriam, b. Jan. 9, 1800, m. Freeman Blake of Harrison. 
Charlotte I.., b. Nov. 28, 1803. m. Merrill Thomas, June 10, 1828. 
Clementine, b. July 31, 1806, m. Josiah Swett, Oct. 10, 1S25. 

The fate of his father overtook Mr. Knight also, and he was 
drowned in the Presumpscot river at Ray's Landing, July 14, 1829. 

LAKEMAN. 

William Lakeman is supposed to have moved into town about the 
year 1749. On March 6, 1750 he purchased of Ebenezer Mayo of 
Falmouth for ten pounds and thirty shillings the right No. 93, which 
had been granted to John Hallitt, of Yarmouth. This right Andrew 
Hallett, the eldest male heir of John Hallitt, deceased, sold to the 
aforesaid Mayo. Lakeman when he purchased this right agreed to 
perform all the duties devolving upon him as a iirst settler. The 
thirty acre lot belonging to this right Lakeman propably sold, for we 
find that he bought this same lot, 93, of Mrs. Mary Hodgdon, Sept. 
10, 1763. 'Jliis lot was situated on the southerly side of Queen 
street, and the westerly side of the old Black Brook road. This was 
near the house of the late Wm. Burton, and was part of the farm 
lately occupied by Ichabod Leighton. Mr. Lakeman finally settled 
on the northern side of the Portland road. He was a weaver by 
trade. Nov. 16, 1754, he married Hannah Doane. It is said that 
she made it a condition of her marrying Lakeman that she should 
have a two story house in which to live. So he built for her the 
house since known as the Royal Lincoln house which was a good 
substantial structure but was removed some years since to make room 



608 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

for the Coburn house which occupies its site. Mrs. Bethiah Freeman, 
granddaughter of VVm. and Hannah Lakeman, said that her grand- 
mother Hannah was a Harding of Eastham, and a sister to Bethiah, 
the wife of John Freeman of Gorham. She appears to have been 
the widow of an Ebenezer Doane, and to have had children by him, 
one of whom, Lydia, married her cousin Nathan Freeman in 1775. 
Children of William and Hannah Lakeman : 

Mary, b. June 5, 1756. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 25, 175S, m. Thomas Bangs, p. Sept. 20, 1777. 

Jo.'iiah Harding, b. Mar. 6, 1762, m. Esther Cobb, Dec. 24, 1783. 

William Lakeman died with the Shakers at Poland Hill, aged 96. 
Mrs. Hannah Lakeman died with the Shakers at Gorham, aged 94. 

(2) Josiah H. Lakeman, son of William, lived on the road leading 
from Mark Mosher's to Horse Beef in the second house north of 
Little river where the Plummers now live. He married Esther, 
daughter of Jedediah and Reliance Cobb. Children : 

vSolomon, b. Jan. 18, 1785, m. Betsey, dau. of Peter and Mary (Warren) 
Crockett, Dec. 8, 1814; I'd at Horse Beef in a house which has since 
been moved to Little Falls, near the Canal. Ch: Josiah, b. Jan. 18, 1S16, 
d. y. ; Mary Ann, b. Sept. 5, 1817, m. Geo. W. Goodrich, p. Oct., 1837; 
Martha, b. Mar. 30, 1821 ; Josiah, moved east ; Peter, b. 1826. 

Polly, b. Oct. 13, 1787. 

Betsey, b. Jan. 19, 1790, m. James Bangs, Sept. 10, 1809. 

William, b. , m. Mary Stevens, 181 8; moved to Waldo Co. 

Ebenezer, b. , m. Mary Haskell of Westbrook, 1820. 

'Esther, b. , m. Andrew Gates of Thorndike, 1823. 

Hannah, b. , m. Eli Moulton of Standish ; I'd in Unity. 

Thomas, b. . 

Josiah H. Lakeman moved to Standish and then back to Gorham 
where he died. His wife survived him. 

LARRABEE. 

The Larrabees are descended from William Larrabee, who, it is 
said, was a Frenchman. He married in Maiden, in 1655, Elizabeth, 
daughter of George Felt of No. Yarmouth, Me., and moved to No. 
Yarmouth. He returned to Maiden, and died there about 1692. His 
son Thomas, born about 1660, settled in Scarborough, and most of 
the name in this region can claim descent from him. Thomas and 
one son, Anthony, were killed by the Indians, April 19, 1723. Phebe, 
the great-granddaughter of Thomas, bapt. May 9, 1756, married 
Joseph Gilkey of Gorham, Aug. 18, 1774. 

Philip Larrabee, son of Philip Larrabee and his wife, Sally (Smith) 
of Berwick, and great-grandson of Thomas, was born in Scarboro, 
July 2, 1783. He moved to Gorham and was a farmer in the south 



GENEALOGY, 



609 



part of the town living nearly opposite to the place lately occupied 

by his son James. Nov. 12, 18 13, he married Polly Grant of 

Falmouth. Children : 

Nancy, b. Sept. 2, 1813, m. James Storer, Apr. 16, 1S51. 

James G., b. Nov. 14, 1S18, m. Elizabeth S. Pike, Feb. 21, 1840. 

Ivory K.,b. June 26, 1823, ni. Betsey H. Hodsdon, Mar. 25, 1847 ;d. July 13, 1859. 

Mr. Larrabee was a sergeant in Capt. Robie's company, and 
marched to Portland, for the defence of that place, in 181 4. His wife 
Polly died Nov. 15, 1844, aged 58, and in 1S47 he married Nabby 
Hall of Westbrook, who died Sept. 25, 1849. Philip Larrabee died 
Sept. 7, 1872, aged 89. 

(2) James Larrabee, son of Philip, was a farmer, and lived in the 

south part of the town, on the road leading past the old Lyer place. 

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Humphrey and Martha Pike. 

Children : 

Mary Lizzie, b. Nov. 16, 1852. m. Henry Jose. 
Martha EUen, b. Mar. 25, 1855, m. William Pillsbury. 
Betty Emma, b. Apr. 20, 1857, m. Charles G. Alden. 
Henrietta Maria, b. .Sept. 28, 1870, m. William Sherman. 

James G. Larrabee died Dec. 25, 1S98, and his wife, in 1892. 

LARRY. 

Dennis Larry was born in Ireland. It was said that he came over 
from England as a British soldier in the time of one of the Indian 
Wars. He is said to have been in the battles of Crown Point and 
Louisburg. By some means he obtained his discharge, and came to 
the town of Gorham, about the year 1755, where his name appears 
on the tax list as early as 1763. Mr. Lariy married first, Margaret 
Brown, who was the mother of two of his children. He married sec- 
ond. Patience Wooster of Pearsonstown, April 20, 1761. After his 
marriage with Miss Wooster, he settled on the thirty acre lot 22, on 
South St., which was then called "the Scarborough road." This lot 
was afterwards owned and occupied by his son Stephen. The old 
house is the same lately occupied by Francis B. Robie, at the village, 
in which Dr. Lincoln now lives, having been moved and remodeled. 
During the French and Indian war Mr. Larry was with the Colonial 
troops in one of the Ticonderoga and Canada Expeditions, as a 
substitute in place of George Tate of Falmouth (who was drafted). 
It is possible that his taking Tate's place in the army had something 
to do with his owning the thirty acre lot, as this lot was at that time 
owned by Tate. Previous to his marriage with Miss Wooster, Mr. 



610 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Larry lived most of the time with the McLellan family. He was 

never in possession of a large amount of worldly estate, but had the 

reputation of being an honest, upright man, and his wife was an 

excellent woman. He died in December, 1796, at the great age of 

102 years, being the oldest man who has ever died in Gorham. His 

wife Patience died Jan. 6, 1809, aged 94. The children of Dennis 

and Margaret Larry were : 

John, b. , d. at sea, when a young man, unm. 

James, b. July 4, 1757, m. Molly Hobbs, in 1782. 

By second wife, Patience, he had : 

Stephen, b. Feb. 14, 1763, m. Abigail Hamblen, Nov. 29, 1788. 

(2) James Larry, son of Dennis, was a private in 1776, in Capt. 
Williams' company. Col. Phinney's regiment, for one year. He 
next enlisted in Capt. Burbank's company, 12th Mass. regiment, 
Col. Brewer ; and was present at the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. 
He was severely wounded at Hobartown by a ball in the left arm ; 
and at V^alley Forge in an engagement received a sabre-cut cleaving 
off a portion of his cheek, left shoulder and cutting the cords of the 
arm. He was taken prisoner and carried to Philadelphia, but on 
his liberation returned to his company. Lieut. Means alludes to his 
faithful discharge of his duties, and bravery as a soldier. He mar- 
ried Molly Hobbs of Falmouth. Children : 

Olive, b. Nov. 24, I7<S3, d. in 1S02. 

Nancy, b. Nov. 29, 1785. 

John, b. Oct., 1787. 

Daniel, b. Nov., 1789. 

Isaiah, b. June 24, 1793, "i- I-ydia Heath, and moved out of town. 

Jane, b. Sept. 4, 1795. 

Sally, b. 1797. 

Jonathan, b. 1799. 

This branch of the family spell their name Lara. James died Jan. 
31, 1842. His wife lived to be more than ninety years old. 

(2) Stephen Larry, son of Dennis, married Abigail, daughter of 
Daniel and Dilla Hamblen of Gorham. Children : 

Patience, b. Uec. 12, 1790, d. young. 

John, b. Feb. 20, 1795, m. Eunice Harmon, Nov. 20, 1S23; 2d, Lucy Harmon. 

James, b. July 31, 179S, m. Martha J. Anderson, June 29, 1852. 

Stephen, b. June 12, 1801, m. Rebecca Hamblen, Oct. 20, 1822. 

Joseph C, b. June 15, 1804, m. Mary Purinton. Aug. 9, 1825. 

Mr. Larry died at Gorham, April 23, 1838, aged 76. Abigail his 
wife, died in Gorham, in March, 1844, aged 83. 

Of their children, John married Eunice Harmon of Scarboro, by 
whom he had a daughter Ann Maria, born Aug. 27, 1829. Mr. 



GENEALOGY. 611 

Larry married second, Lucy Harmon of Scarboro, by whom also he 
had a daughter, Eunice, born April 9, 1831. John Larry lived in 
the lower part of Gorham. He died April 23, 1872, and his wife 
Lucy, March 12, 1876, aged 79. 

James was a graduate of Bowdoin College, class of 182 1. He 
married Martha J. Anderson of Richmond, Va. He lived for many 
years in Washington, D. C, and had two children. He was long a 
clerk in the 2d Auditor's Office Treasury Department. He died 
Aug. 27, 1872. 

Stephen married Rebecca, daughter of Samuel, Jr., and Molly 
Hamblen of Gorham. They had two children, Mary and Margaret 
Ann, born in Gorham. Mr. Larry lived in South Paris. 

Joseph C., lived in the "Hurricane District," then on " Quaker 
lane," and afterwards moved to Windham. He married Mary, 
daughter of Daniel and Lois Purinton, and had the following children : 

James L., b. in Windham, m. Abby L. Emery of Falmouth ; was in the Civil 

War, d. in hospital at New Orleans, July 6, 1864. 
Lois B., b. in Gorham, d. in Gorham, aged 1 year. 

Daniel P., b. in Gorham, m. Abigail Hicks of Gorham, JVIar. 18, 1851. 
Abigail L., b. in Gorham, m. Samuel North of Westbrook. 
Meshach P., b. in Windham, d. unm. — killed at the battle of the Wilderness; 

May 6, 1864. 
Phebe C., b. in Gorham, m. Samuel T. Dole of Windham. 

John Hale,b. in Windham, m. Mary White of Lynn, Mass; is a Cong, minister. 
William A., b. in Windham, m. Ellen True of Windham. 
Charles J., b. in Windham, m. Rachel Haskell of Windham. 

Joseph C. Larry died Sept. 8, 1888, aged 84, and his w'lie Mary, 

May 13, 1885, aged 79. 

LEWIS. 

George Lewis, the ancestor of the Gorham branch of the Lewis 
family, came from England in 1633. He was a clothier from East 
Greenwich, Kent Co. He lived first in Plymouth, then in Scituate, 
and was of Barnstable in 1 640-1. He died in 1663, his will being 
proved, March 3, 1662-3. His son Lieut. James Lewis was born 
in England in 1631, and married Sarah Lane of Hingham, Mass. ; 
Ebenezer, son of James and Sarah, born in 1666, married Anna 
Lothrop ; George, son of Ebenezer and Anna, born in 1704, married 
Sarah Thacher of Yarmouth, Mass. 

Major George Lewis, son of George and Sarah (Thacher) Lewis, 
was born in Barnstable in 1741. In November, i78i,he, then of 
Barnstable, purchased of Joseph Otis of Barnstable and Samuel 
Alleyne of Boston the hundred acre lot No. 87, and half the adjoin- 
ing hundred acre lot No. 88, in Gorham, and by agreement with 



612 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

Samuel Harding who owned one-half of 88, Mr. Lewis had the 
southern half of the lot. April 22, 1782, he purchased the Jeremiah 
Hodgdon lot, about forty-one acres, a part of No. 81. July 5, he 
purchased of William Irish his fifty acres from No. 80. At this time 
his residence was in Barnstable. These two last lots made his home 
farm of ninety-one acres, on which his son Lothrop, then about 
eighteen years of age, commenced operations, about a year before 
the family moved into this town. Before the family arrived he had 
made a handsome clearing, and gotten up a house in which to 
receive his father and mother, and a large family of brothers and 
sisters all younger than himself. In May, 1783, the family came 
from Barnstable and settled permanently. They brought with them 
in a schooner to Portland all their furniture, a horse, cow and heifer, 
and six sheep. 

Mr. Lewis was a soldier in the Revolution. His name appears also 
among the list of Majors in 1776 and 1777, as Major of the ist Reg- 
iment. He was a man of great weight and force of character, decided 
in all his convictions. He was a ver)^ prominent man in the affairs 
of the town, and in the old Orthodox church, of which latter he was 
for many years a deacon. He married, Oct. 12, 1760, Mary, daughter 
of Hon. Daniel Davis of Barnstable. She was the mother of all his 
children, who were : 

Mehitable, b. July 21, 1762, m. Nathaniel Crocker of Barnstable, Apr. 13, 1783; 
d. in Oakham, Jan. 31, 1835. 

Lothrop, b. Feb. 13, 1764, m. Tabitha Longfellow, Jan. 20, 1794; 2d. Mary J. 
Little. 

Sarah, b. Jan. 13, 1766, ni. Ebenezer Peabody, Mar. 9, 1792. 

Annah, b. Mar. 21, 1768, m. John Darling, (Jet. 14, 1785. 

James, b. Aug. 21, 1770, m. Hannah Harding, Sept. 24, 1793. 

Ansel, b. Feb. 2, 1773, "^- Comfort Manchester in Portland, Mar. 29, 1795; 
made his home in Portland, where he d. Oct. 8, 1826; his wife d. in 
Gorham, May 4, 1865, ag. 89. 

George, b. Mar. 28, 1775, m. Ruthy Lincoln, Feb. 3, 1800. 

Daniel D., b. July 22, 1777, m. May 13, 1798, Polly, dau. of Capt. Jonah Dyer. 
Mr. Lewis was a minister of the Baptist denomination. He removed to 
New Jersey, where he preached in different places. He has many 
descendants livinginthat State and in Penn. He d. in New Brunswick, 
N. J., Sept. 24, 1849; Mrs. Lewis d. in Philadelphia, Aug. 17, 1876, ag. 
96. 

Mary, b. Sept. 29, 1779, d. in Gorham, unm. Sept. 27, 1804. At the time of ber 
death she was engaged to be married to Joseph SkilHngs, a neighbor. 
Her pocket-book, marked "Mary Lewis, 1804," is now in the Skillings 
family; at the time of her death it was given to Mr. .Skillings as a keep- 
sake ; the scissors, tweezers and pencil are all as perfect as when she 
left it. A funeral sermon was preached the next Sabbath after her death 
from the text, " The flower soon withereth, and the blossom fadeth, the 
fair blossom, the beautiful flower — But all flesh is grass." 

Robert, I, t ,„ ,_q- j d. young, 

Abigail, \ ' ■'^"' ' ^ \ m. Capt. William Prentiss, Dec. 11, 1804. 



GENEALOGY. 613 

Mrs. Mary Lewis died in 1782, and on Jan. 27, 1783, Mr. Lewis 
married Desire Parker of Barnstable, who died May ig, 1815, a<^ed 
79. Dea. Lewis died July 24, 1819, aged 79. 

(2 ) Lothrop Lewis, son of George, was a man high in the esteem 
of his fellow citizens and cotemporaries. He was a man of singular 
purity and uprightness ; of much dignity, and of calm and well 
balanced mind, and excellent judgment. He was repeatedly called 
upon to fill places of public trust. He was for twenty-four years 
chairman of the board of selectmen ; was Representative to the 
General Court of Massachusetts twelve years, and Representative to 
the Maine Legislature at the time of his death. He was Massa- 
chusetts Senator in 1808 and 18 15. 

When a young man Mr. Lewis was much engaged as a surveyor of 
lands, and in locating land. He was the surveyor in locating the first 
road from Standish, through Baldwin to Bridgton. He was often a 
referee in important and difiicult cases. When Maine was separated 
from Massachusetts in 1820, he was chosen one of the delegates from 
Gorham to attend the convention which was called to prepare a 
constitution for the new State. This convention assembled at 
Portland, Oct. 11, 1820, and in due time prepared a constitution 
which was shortly afterwards adopted by the people. For several 
years before the separation, Mr. Lewis held the office of Surveyor- 
general of lands in the Province of Maine, and after the passing of 
the Act of Separation he was commissioned anew by Gov. King for 
the management, sale and settlement of eastern lands, and also as 
Surveyor-general. In the military line he rose to the colonelcy of a 
regiment of cavalry. He was one of Gov. Strong's Board of War in 
18 1 2-1 5; and one of the commission which divided the arms and 
equipments of Massachusetts between Massachusetts and Maine after 
the separation. Col. Lewis married Tabitha, daughter of Hon. 
Stephen Longfellow, and lived at West Gorham on the old home- 
stead. Children : 

Stephen Longfellow, b. Mar. 14, 1795, m. Jane Thomas of Wayne. Ch: Mary, 
d. in Portland, Mar. g, 1844, ag. 21 ; Elizabeth W., d. in Gorham, July 
ID, 1825, ag. 2. Stephen L. Lewis was a graduate of Bowdoin College, 
class of 1S16. He studied law and commenced practice at Athens, Me., 
but I'd but a few years, dying Veh. 4, 1825. His widow m. Samuel 
Lincoln of Gorham. 

Mary Longfellow, b. Nov. 15, 1796, m. Jacob S. Smith, Oct. 12, 18 16. 

On the farm formerly owned by Col. Lewis at West Gorham there 
are five graves of younger children of Lothrop and Tabitha, who died 
in infancy with the exception of one aged eight. Mrs. Tabitha 



614 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Lewis died April 15, 1807, and Mr. Lewis married, April 19, 18 10, 

Mrs. Mary J. (Prescott) Little, daughter of Hon. Oliver Prescott of 

Groton, Mass., and widow of John Park Little, Esq. She was a 

woman of rare native gifts, and of tine culture. After his second 

marriage Col. Lewis settled at the village in the three-story house on 

Main St., built by Lawyer Little. The children of Lothrop and 

Mary J. Lewis were : 

Annah D., b. May 30, iSii, d. Oct. 4, rSii. 
Catherine B., b. May 14, 1813, d. Mar. 17, 1825. 

Elizabeth P., b. Mar. 19, 1816, m. Col. Stephen McL. Staples, Oct. 17, 1S31 ; 
2d, Col. Hugh D. McLellan, Dec. 25, 1S33. 

Col. Lothrop Lewis died suddenly, Oct. 9, 1822, at Bangor where 

he had gone to attend to his duties as Land Commissioner. His 

wife died May 30, 1863, aged 88 years and 6 mos. 

(2) James Lewis, son of George, was a Methodist preacher of 

much power; an earnest and devout Christian. It is said that he 

never accepted a dollar in pay for his preaching services. He was 

well known throughout the State, and there are many now living who 

remember his fervent piety and earnest exhortations. He married 

Hannah, the daughter of Capt. Samuel Harding, and lived on the 

farm at West Gorham, formerly owned by his wife's father. The 

place is now owned and occupied by his grandson Charles E. Jordan. 

Children : 

Samuel II. B., b. Aug. 25, 1794, d. in Port au Prince, Sept. 21, 1816. 

Desire P., b. May 12, 1796, m. Nathaniel Jordan, May 6, 1819. 

George, b. July 16, 1798, m. Achsah Jordan, Jan. 28, 1819; 2d, Mary S. 

Roberts. 
Timothy M., b. July 16, 1800, d. May 12, 1802. 
James, b. Oct. 14, 1802, d. May, 1814. 
Elijah P., b. Dec. 29, 1804, d. June 25, 1831. 
John, b. Feb. 24, 1807, m. Sabrina Hamblen, Jan. 26, 1833. 
Martha, b. Mar. 24, 1809, m. Joseph H. Rich; I'd in Chesterville. 
Josiah, b. Apr. 26, 181 1, d. in Wapello, Iowa, May 9, 1842. 
James, b. June 12, 1814, I'd in Utah. 
Samuel H. B., b. Apr. i, 1816, m. Dolly Lunt of Baddingham, Oct. 7, 1838; d. 

Sept. 19, 1843, in Madison, Ga. 

Rev. James Lewis died Aug. 20, 1855, aged 85. Mrs. Hannah, 
his wife, died May 3, 1848, aged 73. 

(2) George Lewis, son of George, married Rulhy, daughter of Royal 
Lincoln. After his marriage he purchased and cleared the farm in 
Brido-ton, in the district known as Hio, now owned by his grandson 
Edward L. Lewis, where he spent the remainder of his days, with 
the exception of several years in Gorham. Children, all born in 
Bridgton, except Sarah, born in Gorham : 



GENEALOGY. 015 

Royal I.., b. Nov. ii, 1800, m. Mary Marrett ; d. Oct. 14, 1S44. 

Harriet M., b. July 15, 1802, m. Rev. Jacob Bray. 

I.olhrop, b. Sept. 4, 1805, m. Mary Jones, Dec. 13, 18^2; d. Oct. 25, 1879. 

Tabitha L., b. Sept. 23. 1807, m. Stephen Willey ; d. in 1847. 

Jetusha L., b. Nov. 4, iSi i, m. Benjamin Cleaves of Bridgton ; d. Aug. 3, 1876. 

Sarah P., b. Aug. 23, 1817, m. Aaron Woodbury; d. Jan. 17, 1900. 

George Lewis held the rank of major in a regiment of militia. He 
died in Bridgton, Sept. 19, 1S57, aged 82. Mrs. Lewis died in the 
same town, June 25, 1853, aged 73. 

(3) John Lewis, son of James, married Sabrina, daughter of 
Joseph and Polly Hamblen. He lived for man)' years at West Gor- 
ham near his father, then moved to Portland, where he was for some 
time City Forester. Child of John and Sabrina : 

Elijah P., b. Jan. 6, 1834, m. Eliza Wadleigh ; d. Feb. 15, 1870. 
John Lewis died in Portland, June 19, 1874, aged 67. His wife 
died September, 1889. 

(4) Simon J. Lewis, son of George (3) and Achsah, and grandson 

of James (2), married Eliza, daughter of Robert aud Betsey (Jordan) 

Frost of Norway, and lived at West Gorham. Children : 

Samuel, b. Sept. 22, 1S46, d. in Cal. 

Kate E., b. Apr. 15, 1848, m. Oliver Watson, June 12, 1867. 

Abbie F., b. Jan., 1850, m. Chas. F. Maberry; I's in Cleveland, O. 

Mrs. Eliza Lewis died about 185 i, and Mr. Lewis married Amanda 
J. Hayes of Norway and moved to Portland. He had no children by 
his second wife. He died June 12, 1884. 

Abijah Peco Lewis was a Frenchman. We do not know from 
what part of the country he came. He was kidnapped, and put as a 
sailor on board a vessel bound to America. The captain, after 
having made all the use of young Peco that he could in navigating 
his vessel to America, and fearing the consequences of taking him 
back to France, got rid of him, in some way, while his vessel was in 
Portland, Me. At this time his name was Louis Peco ; from some 
reason of his own, or in consequence of a nick-name, he finally 
adopted the name of Abijah Peco Lewis, by which name he was 
married, and ever after known. In 1755, he was of Gorham, and 
here on Dec. 27, of that year, married Rebecca Melcher. Their 
pubhshment says they were both of Gorham. Before the year 1775 
he moved to Buxton. lie was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, 
and always claimed that he, with Corporal William Irish, whose 
daughter afterwards married Peco's son, were both engaged in the 
famous battle of Bunker Hill, on June 17th, 1775. 



616 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Rebecca Melcher, whom Mr. Lewis married, was the daughter of 
Edward Melcher, who came to Gorham from Kennebunkport about 
the year 1750. She had a brother Joseph, born about 1733, who 
married Mary, daughter of Nathaniel and Bethiah (Harding) Cobb, 
and was the ancestor of the Brunswick Melchers. She also had a 
brother Samuel, born about 1743, and a sister who married a Scam- 
mon of Saco. The Melchers were house and ship carpenters and 
builders. 

There is no perfect record of the children of Abijah P. and 
Rebecca Lewis, bat they probably were as follows : 

Abijah, b. about 1756, m. Belty Eldtidge of Buxton, Feb. 24, 1785; was a pri- 
vate, from Buxton, in Capt. Williams' company, Col. Phinney's regt., in 
1775; was a Rev'y pensioner; d. in Hiram, Dec. 17, 1830, aged 74. 

Thomas, m. Sally Baston' of Buxton, Mar. 17, 1791. 

Elizabeth, m. Henry Flood of Buxton, Nov. 30, 17S0. 

Miriam, ni. Adam Cochran of Newcastle, Apr. 9, 1781. 

Anna, m. Winlhrop Eldridge of Buxton, May 7, 1789. 

Jane, m. Aaron Eldridge of Buxton, Mar. 6, 1794. 

Ebenezer, bapt. Apr. 10, 1777, m. Lydia Thompson of Buxton, Dec. 15, 1796. 

Samuel, bapt. Apr. 10, 1777, m. Phebe Irish, Dec. 4, iSco. 

Sarah, bapt. Apr. 10, 1777, m. Benjamin Newcomb of Buxton, Nov. 7, 1793. 

Rebecca, bapt. Nov. 23, 1779, "i- l^lisha Newcomb of Buxton, Oct. 13, 1799 

Abijah Peco Lewis died in Buxton. 

(2) Samuel Lewis, son of Abijah P., was a Free Will Baptist 
preacher. He married Phebe, the daughter of William and Sarah 
(Murch) Irish of Gorham. Their son (3) William I. Lewis, born 
July 7, 1801, married, Nov. 1.5, 1824, Abigail Newcomb of Harrison. 
He married second, Mrs. Betsey (Harmon) Brown, by whom he had 
no children. They lived in Gorham, between White Rock and Great 
Falls, on the place where Horace Libby now lives. William I. Lewis 
died July 9, 1878, aged 77, and his wife Betsey, May 6, 1890, 
aged 89. 

LIBBY. 

The Libby family is of English descent. There have been, and 
still are, many of the name in town. Probably the first Libby who 
came here was Joseph Libby. He came to Gorham from Falmouth, 
about 1760, and settled first on a farm of sixty acres consisting of 
two thirty acre lots, Nos. 82 and 84, on Queen street, which he 

I Sally Baston (or Boston) is said to have come from York. Her sister, Susanna 
Boston, married Joshua Decker of Ciorham (pub. Mar. 13, 17T3), and had a son Joseph 
born in (iorliam about 1770. Joshua Decker, who is said to have been born in York, 
was living iu Gorham as early as 1772. He was a soldier of the Revolution —a member 
of Capt. Whitniore's militia company in 1777. About 1778 he left town, settling near 
Spruce Swamp, in Buxton. He had a brother John who lived in Pearsontown, where he 
married Catherine Hall of that town. 



GENEALOGY. 0)17 

bought of Daniel Rolfe April 16, 1760. In 1779 ^e purchased of 

Joseph Winslow of Falmouth half an acre of land adjoining Horse 

Beef Falls on the west side of the Presumpscot River, with the saw 

mill standing on it, all the mill privilege, and half the falls and the 

dam. The next year he bought of Mr. Winslow one hundred acres 

of land, a part of Mallison's right, near the Falls. For this he paid 

thirteen hundred and thirty-three Spanish milled dollars. Before 

coming to Gorham Mr. Libby married, Jan. 7, 1758, in Falmouth, 

Mary Huston. Children : 

Dorcas, b. in Kalmouth, m. Cieo. Waterhouse, Nov. 23, 1775. 

Polly, b. Mar. 2S, 1761, m. Matthias MurLJi, Mar. r, 17S1. 

John, b. Mar. 10, 1764, m. Phebe Knight, Mar. 12, 1789. 

William, b. Oct. 28, 1769, m. Mrs. Ann (Webb) Bolton, Mar. 30, 1797. 

Sarah, b. , m. Thomas Blake of Falmouth, Dec. 16, 1790. 

Charlotte, b. Sept. 25, 1776, m. James Thomas, Dec. 19, 1795. 
Joseph, b. June 13, 1780, m. Mercy Whitney, June 24, 1801. 

Mr. Libby married second, April 4., 1782, Hannah Hanson of 

Windham. By her he had one child : 

Mary, b. Nov. 12, 1783, m. Greenleaf Rand of Windham, p. Nov. 12, 1802. (?) 
Joseph Libby died Feb. 5, 1801. His wife Hannah died a few 

years later. 

(2) John Libby. son of Joseph, was a farmer. He always lived 

near Horse Beef Falls ; in his early life on the U'indham side, near 

the end of the bridge. In 1787 he with his brother-in-law Matthias 

Murch bought of his father Joseph Libby the mill privilege and mills 

at Horse Beef. He married Phebe, daughter of Capt. Joseph and 

Lydia Knight. Children : 

Hannah, b. Sept. 22, 1789, m. Harry Stevens, Apr. 20, 1816. 

l^ydia, b. Aug. 11, 1791, m. Benjamin F. Johnson, Dec. 5, 181 5. ' 

Statira, b. Apr. 2, 1793, m. Joseph Cox of Holderness, Feb. 28, 1822. 

Tyng S., b. Dec. 8, 1797, m. Sarah Crowell, Mar. 11, 1824; I'd in Vassalboro. 

Samuel, b. May 23, 1800, d. unm. Aug. 22, 1874. 

Ebenezer, b. July 16, 1804, d. unm. in Vassalboro, Apr. 20, 1831. 

Peter, b. 1809, d. unm. Dec. 21, 1830. 

John Libby died March 10, 1826, aged 62. His wife died about 
1842. 

(2) William Libby, son of Joseph, married Mrs. Ann Bolton, daugh- 
ter of Eli and Sarah Webb, and widow of William Bolton. Children : 

Dorcas, b. Feb. 22, 179S, m. James Wescott, Apr. 30, 18 15. 

Lorana, b. Nov. 21, 1800, m. Samuel Freeman of Windham, Mar. 31, 1823. 

William B., b. Jan. 19, 1803, m. Harriet Beck of Portland, Aug. 2, 1837; d. in 

Biddeford, Jan. 5, 1857. 
Elizabeth, b. May i, 1805, d. unm, Nov. 22, 182S. 

Mr. Libby left home when his children were small, and was never 

heard from afterwards. His widow died Dec. 28, 1855, aged 93. 



618 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

(2) Joseph Libby, Jr., son of Joseph, was a carpenter by trade. 
He lived first near Little Falls, and then moved to North Gorham. 
His wife was Mercy, daughter of Joseph and Mehitable Whitney. 

Children : 

Roxanna, b. Nov. 15, 1802, m. William Files, Sept. 27, 1S27. 

Harriet, b. June 10, 1804, d. young. 

Stephen, b. May 27, 1S07, m. Mary W. Lowe of Gray, Dec. 13, 1831. Ch : 

Juliette E., b. Aug. 9, 1832; Adrianna, b. Nov. 29, 1833, m. Daniel C. 

Mellows of Farmington, N. H., Sept. 14, 1851 ; Tyng Wilson, b. Apr. 17, 

1835, m. Nov. 25, 1862, Kate (Meserve) Brackett, widow of Solomon 

Brackett, no ch., d. Feb. 24, 1898; Harriet A., b. Sept. 29, 1837, m. 

Charles L. McAllister of I'ortland, Mar. 5. i86cS; Winfield S.. b. Oct. 3, 

1841, m. Izora Hamblen, Apr. 29, 1877. Stephen Libby was a farmer 

and shoemaker ; l\e bought his farm about 1830 of Josejjh Haskell. He 

d. July 3, 18S1 ; his wife d. Mar. 23, 18S1. 
Ansel, b. Nov. 22, 1809, d. unm. May 12, 186S. 
Edmund, b. Mar. 14, 1812, m. Hannah C. Elder of Windham, July 29, 1S38 ; 

moved to Portland about 1855. 
William B., b. Nov. 17, 1814, m. Elizabeth Hamblen, in 1838; 2d, m., 1844, 

Charlotte Johnson ; 3d, in 1868, Jennie V. Rideout ; moved to Portland 

in 1864. 
Daniel, b. July 15, 1818, m. Pamelia Moore of Windham, Dec, 1843. ^^'■ 

Charles J., m. Lizzie J. Carr ; Anna Augusta, m. Joseph E. Libby. 

Daniel Libby I'd near Little Falls; he d. Jan. 2, 1893, ^^^ ^is wife, July 

4, 1899, ag. 77. 
Joseph Libby, Jr.. died April 2, 1843 < his widow died in Portland, 
May 25, i860, aged 83. 

Joab Libby, son of John of Scarborough, was born Sept, 13, 1745. 
In 1775 he enlisted as a private in Capt. Stuart's company, Col. 
Phinney's regiment. His home was near Little Falls. He married, 
Sept. 21, 1769, Susanna Lombard. Children: 

John, b. July 31. 1770, m. Hannah Gray of Standish ; d. about 1815; his widow 

m. Gabriel Welch of Raymond. 
Jonathan, b. Oct. 9, 1772, was a farmer; I'd for a time in Standish, then in 
Gorham, then returned to Standish, where he d. His ch. by his first 
wife, Mary Stevens, were b. in Standish. Ch. by his second wife, Abigail 
Jordan of Raymond, all b. in Gorham, were : Thomas, d. unm. in Casco, 
June, 1876; Susan, m. Bradley Cram of Gorham; Margaret J., m. James 
P. Gates, Sept. 25, 1834, and 2d, David Frost ; Jane, b. July 4, 1816, m. 
James Staples; Abigail, b. June 4, 1823, m. Charles Dingley ; Ann 
Rebecca, b. June 4, 1823, m. Andrew R. Gay. 
Susanna, b. July 3, 1777, m. Jedediah Dorsett, Jan. 12, 1797. 

Joab Libby died April 17, 1781, and his widow married. Oct. 20, 
1784, Jedediah Lombard. 

Reuben Libby came to Gorham from Rye, N. H., where he was 
born Aug. 11, 1734. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. 
He married Sarah Goss of Rye, July i, 1754, and by her had seven 
children. Richard and Reuben, two of these children, settled in 
Gorham. After the death of his wife, Sarah (Goss) Libby, Reuben 
is said to have married in Portsmouth, N. PL, March 31, 1773, Sarah 



GENEALOGY. 



GIO 



Tucker, and the same year came to Gorham, where he had the fol- 
lowing children born. On the town records a part of these children 
are recorded as children of Reuben and Abigail Libby, and we have 
been told that the name of his last wife was Abigail Foss. 

Abigail, b. , m. Isaac Allen of Pownal. 

Isaac, b. June 27, 1776, m. Rebecca C. Crockett, Dec. 20, 1798. 

Mary, b. July 30, 1779, m. Wallis Frost of Rochester, N. H., June 11, 1799. 

Elizabeth, b. Oct. 15, 1781, d. yoiing, probably. 

John, b. Jan. 22, 1784, m. Joanna Baker of Albion ; went to Albion. 

Benjamin, b. May 5, 1786, m. Priscilla Clay, p. Apr. 4, 1816; went to Gray. 

William, b. -, went East, and was never heard from. 

Jacob, b. , d. unm. Apr. 8, 1864; I'd in Pownal. 

Rachel, b. , m. Charles E. Paine of Bethel. 

Reuben Libby died in Albany at his son Benjamin's about 1820. 

His wife died in Gray about 18 15. 

(2) Richard Libby, son of Reuben and Sarah (Goss) Libby^ was 
born in Rye, N. H., April 8, 1762. He married, Nov. 16, 1788, 
Sarah Ross of No. Yarmouth, daughter of James and Hannah Ross, 
formerly of Gorham, and settled on the seventy acre lot 56 at White 
Rock. This is the farm owned by the late Otis Purinton. Richard 
Libby was a cooper by trade, and after building his new house made 
the first one into a cooper shop. He and his wife were both mem- 
bers of the Society of Friends. Children : 

James, b. July 1 f , 17S9, m. Sarah Grant, of Saco, Jan. 23, 1S12 ; I'd in Saco. 

Walter, b. Feb. 28, 1791, went to New York .State. 

Joel, b. Oct. ID, 1792, m. Dec. 22, 181 5, Joanna, dau. of Thos. and Ruth Clay 
of Gorham. One child: Walter, b. June 6, 1816, m. Ruth C. Libby, 
June 2, 1839, I'd in Albany. Mrs. Joanna Libby d. in Gorham, Mar. 11, 
181 7, and Mr. Libby m. Jan. 31, 1819, Fanny, dau. of John and Molly 
Silla. Ch : Ephraim S., b. in Baldwin, Jan. 2, 1820; Levi, b. Dec. 9, 
1821 ; Lot Davis, b. Feb. 8, 1824; Joanna, b. June 20, 1826; Martha S., 
b. in Gorham, Feb. 13, 1829, m. Nathan Mason, 2d, Benja. Davis; 
Charles E., b. in G., Oct. 18, 1831, m. Rebecca S. Cash of Casco, Oct. 
18, 1859; Tyng, b. in G., May 30, 1835, m. Mary Brazier, 2d, Mrs. Mary 
E. Barter. Joel Libby was a carpenter and farmer. He d. in Raymond, 
July 22, 1856, and his wife Fanny, May 24, 187T. 

Sarah, b. Apr. 3, 1794, d. unm. Mar. 25, 1856. 

Hannah R., b. Oct. 12, 1795, d. unm. Mar. 25, 1877. 

Reuben, b. Jan. 21, 1798, m. Olive Marston of No. Yarmouth, Aug. 21, 1822; 
d. Oct. 22, 1825. 

Anna, b. July 17, 1800, m. William Roberts, Sept. 18, 1834; d. Oct. 26, 1844. 

Daniel, b. Nov. 4, 1802, m. Sally T. (Sanborn) Libby; d. July 10, 1857. 

D.ivid, b. June 7, 1804, d. unm. Mar. 22, 1877. 

Mary, b. Sept. 30, 1S08, d. unm. May 6, 1824. 

Amos, b. May 29, 181Q, m. Anna T. Roberts; 2d, Martha Parker; I'd in 111. 

Richard Libby died Sept. 7, 1838. His wife died April 19, 1833, 
aged 67. 

(2) Reuben Libby, Jr., son of Reuben and Sarah (Goss) Libby, was 
born in Rye, N. H., in 1763, and came with his father to Gorham. 



020 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

He learned the shoemaker's trade, and lived on a farm not far from 
the present town farm. He married, Sept. ii, 1794, Abigail, daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Deliverance Irish. Children : 

Jane, b. , m. Jacob Irish, Jan. 15, 1818. 

Ann, b. , m. Benjamin Burnell of Baldwin. 

Thomas, b. 1798, m. Nancy Hilborn of Hebron ; d. in Oxford. 

Samuel, b. Oct. 5, 1799, m. Oct. 21, 1833, Sally, dan. of Simeon l.ibby, Jr. Ch : 
William H. P., b. May 16, 1834, d. Apr. 14, 1840 ; Phineas I., b. Aug. 
23, 183S, m. Eliza Ellen Ricker of Peru; Albert F., b. Oct. 20, 1S43, d. 
Jan. 14, 1845; William F., b. Nov. 10, 1845, d. July 9, 1862. Samuel 
Libby was a farmer, and settled on the old James ^lorton place, the 
farm since occupied by his son, Phineas I. Libby. He d. Apr. 18, 1875, 
and his wife, Nov. 22, 1898. 

Asa, b. about 1802, m. Abigail Douglass; 2d, Mary Kennison ; I'd in Bridgton. 

Mary, b. 1805, d. unm. Apr. 12, 1825. 

Delilah, b. Apr. 16, 1807, m. Hanson Newcomb, Nov. 27, 1827. 

Reuben Libby died Oct. 15, 1807, and his wife Abigail, April 14, 
1856. 

Simeon, Allison and Edward Libby were brothers. They were 
born in Scarborough, and were the sons of Allison Libby of that 
town. The three brothers served in the Revolutionary army. 
Edward was at the battle of Bunker Mill. None of the brothers 
received any injuries during the war. 

(i) Simeon was born April 3, 1755. He married, Dec. 22, 1783, 

Abigail Smith of Biddeford. After his marriage he settled in Gorham 

on the farm lately owned by his grandson Lewis Libby. His two 

oldest children were born in Scarborough : 

Simeon, b. Jan. 11, 1784, m. Sarah Lombard, Mar. 25, 1810. 

Joseph C, b. Dec. 4, 1785, m. Betsey Phinney, Feb. 15, 1809; 2'd, Love Phinney. 

Rebecca, b. Oct. 4, 1787, m. Benjamin Carsley, Dec. 26, 18 19. 

Olive, b. Mar. 19, 1789, m. Caleb Richardson of Pownal. 

Daniel, b. Mar. 18, 1792, m. Martha Morton, Jan. 22, 1818; 2d, Alice Morton. 

Abigail, b. June 28, 1794, m. Enoch IJbby of Scarborough. 

Samuel, b. Apr. 21, 1797, d. unm. Apr. 18, 1822. 

Ai, b. Nov. 21, 1799, m. Martha Skillings, Dec. i, 1824; 2d, Elizabeth Files. 

Mrs. Abigail Libby died May 8, 1802, and Mr. Libby married, 

June 24, 1807, Mrs. Ann Phinney, daughter of Simon Huston, and 

widow of Stephen Phinney. By her he had one child, Stephen, born 

Aug. 8, 1808, who was lost at sea. Simeon Libby died March 11, 

1830, and his wife Ann, Jan. 9, 1849. 

(i) Allison Libby was born April 6, 1757. He was one of the 
first settlers in the northern part of Gorham, clearing the place where 
William Wescott, 3d, now lives. At the time of his settlement here 
the road from Scarborough to (iorham had not been laid out, and he 
was obliged to go by way of Stroudwater village and Saccarappa, 



GENEALOGY. ' 621 

from which latter place he went by a logging road up the Windham 

side of the river to Horse Beef Falls, crossing the Presumpscot at 

that place on the ice, as it was midwinter, and from there reached 

his lot by another logging road. He married, Feb. 15, 1781, in 

Scarborough, Sarah Dame, who was born Dec. 12, 1760. Their first 

three children were born in Scarborough, and the others in Gorham. 

Children : 

Sarah, b. Sept. 14, 1781, m. Daniel Brown of Windham, Dec. i, 1802. 

Olive, b. Mar. 5, 1783, d. June, 1786. 

Ephraim, b. Oct. 30, 1784, m. Polly Blake, Jan. 26, 1S07. 

Allison, b. Mar. 8, 1787, m. Lois Cross, June 27, 1812. 

Thomas, b. Jan. 22, 1789, d. July 8, 1807. 

Abigail, b. Feb. 24, 1791, m. James Thomes, Feb. 28, 1819. 

Hugh, b. May 26, 1793, m. Theodosia Small, Mar. 23, 1826. 

Henry, b. July 15, 1795, m. Dorcas Jordan of Raymond, Dec. 5, 1822. 

Joseph, b. Sept. 11, 1797, m. Eunice Lombard, Oct. 5, 1823. 

James, b. Jan. 20, 1800, m. Esther P. Irish, Nov. 14, 1832. 

Bryant, born Feb. 22, 1802, m. Elizabeth J. Waterhouse of Poland; went to 

La Grange; d. Feb. 23, 1858, and his wife, July 22, 1878. 
Lothrop L., b. May 14, 1804, m. Frances Knight of Westbrook, Sept. 24, 1837. 
Jeremiah N., b. Jan. 12, iSoS, m. Lucy Bangs, Apr. 13, 1834; 2d, Mary Ann 

Kennard. 

Mr. Libby died on the farm which he had cleared, May 14, 1816. 
After his death his widow married, March 20, 1825, Maj. Daniel 
Small of Limington, and died in (iorham, Feb. 23, 1849, aged 88. 

(i) Edward Libby was born Feb. 10, 1759. Soon after the close 

of the Revolution he came to Gorham, where he settled on a farm 

adjoining that of his brother Simeon. He married, Oct. 2, 1791, 

Elizabeth Libby of Scarborough. Children : 

Sewall, b. June 10, 1793, m. Achsa Hall, May 18, 1817; went to Durham. 

Dorotha, b. Sept. 4, 1794, m. Thomas Johnson, p. Apr. 16, i83f. 

Sarah, b. June 11, 1796, m. John Jones, Feb. 4, 1823. 

Gardner, b. Jan. 22, 1798, m. Hannah Moulton, Oct. 11, 1S21 ; I'd in Standish. 

Hannah, b. Jan. 18, 1800, m. Reuben Shaw, Sept. 23, 1823. 

Marreit, b. May 3, 1802, m. Mary Libby, Feb. 6, 1828. 

Eliza, b. May Si 1804, m. John Johnson, Dec. 4, 1822; 2d, William Johnson. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 10, 1806, m. Mary A. Libby, Nov. 22, 1832; moved to 

Brunswick. 
Alvah, b. Feb. 11, 1808, m. Ann Harmon, June 28, 1831. 
Ebenezer H., b. Dec. 22, 1810, m. Catherine R. Irish, Sept. 23, 1832. 
Maria G., b. Apr. 9, 1813, d. Oct. 10, 1832. 

Edward Libby died March 15, 1848, and his wife, April 27, 1853, 

aged 84. 

(2) Simeon Libby, Jr., son of Simeon, married Sarah, daughter of 
Richard and Lydia Lombard. Soon after he moved to Otisfield, 
where most of his children were born. About 1832 he returned to 
Gorham, and lived on the farm now occupied by Charles Martin Libby. 
Children : 



022 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

Abigail, b. Nov. 26, 1810, m. Mark Carsley. 

Simon, b. June 21, 1812, m. Rebecca A. Morse of Gray, July 20, 1834. 

Sally, b. Aug. 26, 1814, m. Samuel Libby, Oct. 21, 1833. 

John, b. Nov. 26, 181 6, d. young. 

Solomon L., b. Oct. 27, 1818, m. Mary A. Bangs, May 21, 1843 ; d. in Mass. 

Samuel, b. Aug. 22, 1820, m. Dec. 7, 1843, Rosalia B., dau. of Epliraim and 
Jane Lombard. Ch : Sarah J., b. Apr. 20, 1845, m. J. A. Smith 
Ephraim A., b. Nov. i. 1846, m. Victoria Hill of Biddeford, Dec. 24 
1870 ; Louisa R., b. Feb. 19, 1848, d. y. ; James IL, b. Aug. 8, 1850, m 
Melvina M. Waterhouse, Nov. 26, 1868, d. Jan. 13, 1884; Ida L., b 
June 19, 1855, d. y. ; Chas. Martin, b. Jan. 18, 1857, m. Clara M. Cloud 
man, June 15, 1879. Mrs. Rosalia Libby d. May 30, 1858, ag. 35, and 
Mr. Libby m. Sept. ir, 1859, Damaris W. Stone. Samuel Libby, 3d, I'd 
on his father's place, near the Branch, on Miglity St. He d. Sept. 20, 
187S, and his wife, Apr. 17, 1896. 

Joseph, b. Oct., 1S22, d. young. 

Benj. Franklin, b. Oct. 6, 1824, m. Lavina P. Whitney of Farmington, Jan. 
I, 1S49. 

Henry T., b. Oct. 9, 1826, m. Sarah Cobb, Oct. 28, 1S51. 

Hetsey C, b. Nov. 14, 1828, m. Wilder M. Libby, Apr. 2, 1850. 

Edwin E., b. Apr. 6, 1831, m. Lydia G. Nason of Windham, May 21, 1854. 

Simeon Libby, Jr., died Dec. 15, 1870, and his wife, July 18, 1870, 
aged 81. 

(2) Joseph C. Libby, son of Simeon, lived on the Randall Elder 
farm, and afterwards where his son Daniel C. Libby lately lived. 
He married Betsey, daughter of Stephen and Anna Phinney. 
Children : 

David P., b. Jan. 9, 1810, m. Ann L. Hodges of Sandwich, N. H. Ch: Wm. Fran- 
cis, b. Sept. 12, 1839, m. Ellen C. Dayman, Mar. i, 1S68; Mary E., b. 
Jan. 9, 1843, m. Benjamin F. Metcalf, Aug. 17, 1862, 2d, Wm. H. Bar- 
tol ; Stephen P., b. Feb. i, 1845, m. Clara E. Hanson, Nov. 5, 1868; Ai, 
b. June I, 1850, m. Mary E. Lombard, Feb. 27, 1868, 2d, Lavinia Spen- 
cer; Ella J., b. July 28, 1852, m. Madison J. Hayman of Cambridgeport, 
Mass. ; Cynthia H., b. May 16, 1856, d. May 6, 1S75; Walter M., b. Jan. 
17, 1859, m. Adelle Freeman of Deering, Apr. 8, 1880. David P. Libby 
d. Mar. 6, 1864, and his wife, Jan. 27, 1870. 

Mary A., b. Apr. 21, iSii, d. Aug. 24, 181 1. 

Mary A., b. June 16, 181 2, m. Joseph V. Libby, Sept. 20, 1836. 

Stephen, I ■ , /- o j 

o- *^ ; b. June 16, i<Si4, d. young. 

Smieon, ) -^ ' -+' .7 & 

Elizabeth, b. June 6, 1815, d. young. 

Daniel C, b. Oct. 22, 1816, m. Mar. 20, 1851, Ruth, dau. of Daniel and Octavia 
Mosher. Ch: Fred M., b. Apr. 20, 1852, m. Nancy B. Libby, May 2, 
1872 ; Ida O., b. Dec. 16, 1853, m. Albert M. Hamblen, Jan. 7, 1875; 
Andrew C. M., b. Aug. 12, 1855, d. June 6. 1863; Ella W., b. Jan. 22, 
1857, m. Frank Leavitt, d. May 26, 1885; Mary A., b. June 6, 1859. m. 
Stephen Anderson; A. Clinton, b. Apr. 28, 1863, m. fJzzie Hopkinson. 
Daniel C. Libby d. Feb. 28, 1897, and his wife d. Feb. 27, 1897. 

Mrs. Betsey Libby died March 7, 1824, and Mr. Libby married 

her sister. Love Phinney, in October, 1826. He died Sept. 6, 1835 ; 

his widow, May 22, 1851. 

(2) Daniel Libby, son of Simeon, lived on the farm at " the North," 
since owned by Daniel Johnson. He married Martha, daughter of 
David and Mary Morton. Child : 



GENEALOGY. 628 

Albert H., b. Dec. 20, 1S19, m. Eliza Ann Woodward, Aug. 12, 1845; he and 
his wife d. in Dunkirk, N. Y. 

Mrs. Libby died Dec. 31, 182 i, and Mr. Libby married, May 19, 

1822, her sister, Alice Morton. Children : 

Daniel F., b. Aug. 24, 1823, m. Roxana L. lones, Dec. 7, 1843; d. Oct. 20, 

1897. 
Samuel S, b. Jan. 22, 1825, m. Patience E. Farr, July 3, 1856; I'd in Durham. 
Martha, b. June 21, 1S26, m. Alden Reed. 

Daniel Libby died May 11, 1826, and his widow married, Sept. 29, 

1828, Henry W. Elwell, and third, Bourne. She died April 6, 

1874, at East Bridgewater, Mass., at the home of her daughter 
Martha. 

(2) Ai Libby, .son of Simeon, lived on his father's homestead. He 
married Martha, daughter of Benjamin Skillings. Children : 

Wilder M., b. Mar. 3, 1825, d. young. 

Wilder M., b. Feb. 15, 1827, m. Apr. 2, 1850, Hetsey C, dau. of Simeon Libby, 
Jr. Ch : Olive A., b. Sept. 8, 1852, m. James L. Haines, Aug. 25, 
1870; Emma E., b. July 22, 1833. m. Cortez F. Berry, Nov. 30, 1873; 
Albert F., b Dec. 21, 1858; Gertrude L., b. Mar. 19, 1865, m. Daniel 
Getchell; Alice Inez, b. June 22, 1869. Wilder Mack Libby I'd on the 
farm just south of the burying yard by the North church, of which 
church he had been sexton for many years. He d. Sept. i, 1902. 

Lewis, b. Jan. 11, 1829, I'd on the homestead; was one of the selectmen for three 
years, and tax collector for two ; d. Feb. 21, 1901. 

Franklin S., b. June 12, 1831, m. Abba P. Hale, Jan. i, 1854. 

Mrs. Libby died Oct. 11, 1831. aged 27, and Mr. Libby married, 

Sept. 3, 1833, Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Anna Files, by 

whom he had : 

Martha, b. Sept. 20, 1834, m. Charles Johnson, Jan. 2, 1S54. 
Rose Ann, b. .'\pr. 6, 183(1, m. Matthew- Johnson, Apr. 23, 18^5. 

Ai Libby died June 22, 1838, and his widow married, March 3, 
1854, Samuel Johnson. 

(2) Ephraim Libby, son of Allison, lived in Gorham and Naples. 

He married Polly, daughter of John Blake. Children : 

Sally, b. Oct. 22, 1808, m. Joab Libby. 

Deborah, b. Mar. 5, 1810, m. Jacob Dingley, Jan. i, 1828. 

Eliza, b. Feb. 18, i8t2, d. young. 

Abigail, b. May 12, 1814, m. Samuel Pearce of New Gloucester. 

Allison, b. Feb. 7, 181 7, m. Mary P. White of Sebago, June 4, 1848 ; d. Dec. 9, 

1891. 
Andrew, b. Aug. 9, 1819, m. Mary Ann Dingley of Casco, Dec. 27, 184-5. 
Hugh, b. Dec. 21, 1822, d. young. 

Ephraim Libby died in Gorham, Dec. 6, 1866, and his wife, April 
18, 1866, aged 82. ' 

(2) Allison Libby, son of Allison, married Lois, daughter of Dea. 
Thomas Cross. He moved to Harrison, where all of his children, 



624 HISTORY OF GOKIIAM. 

except the oldest, James P.. were born. Mrs. Mary G. Plaisted. 
widow of Major Plaisted, was his youngest child. Mrs. Lois Libby 
died March 25, i860, aged 76. 

(2) Hugh Libby, son of Allison, married his cousin, Theodosia 

Small. He was sexton of the Congregational church for many years. 

Children : 

Elizabeth, b. June 25, 1S28, d. yoving. 

William H., b. Feb. 28, 1830, m. Catherine Norton, Jan. 28, 1868. 

Elizabeth D., b. Jan. i, 1832, m. John Watson of St. Paul, Minn. 

John F., b. May 17, 1S34, m. Zilpha Libby, Nov. 27, 1862. 

Thomas R., b. Dec. 17, 1839, m. Abby York of Mollis, Mar. 3, 1861. 

Hugh Libby died July 8, 1872. and his wife, April 10, 1850. 

(2) Joseph Libby, .son of Allison, lived for a short time in Ray- 
mond, then returned to Gorham, and lived on a part of the farm of 
Rev. Ebenezer Lombard, who was his wife's father. He married 
Eunice Lombard. Children : 

Simon, b. Aug. 14, 1824, d. young. 

Simon, b. Feb. 28, 1826, d. in 1881, unni. 

Sarah, b. Aug. 31, 1827, m. Trentiss M. Waterhouse. 

Mary, b. May 2, 1829, m. Benjamin Graffam. 

James N., b. Mar. 22, 1831, m. Harriet Foster of Portland, Nov. 24, 1856; 

went to Cal. 
Harriet, b. Jan. 18, 1833, m. Richard E. Carr. 
Ebenezer, b. Aug. 10, 1S35, m. Alta G. Brimblecomb of Lynn, May 17, 1856; 

d. in Gorham. 
Eliza A., b. Aug. 10, 1S37, d. Aug. 12, 1842. 
Jane N., b. May 11, 1841, m. James E. Freeman, Apr. 9, 1859. 
Joseph E., b. Feb. 14, 1844, m. Anna A. Libby, May 7, 1871 ; d. Oct. 9, 1894. 

Joseph Libby died July 4, 1873, and his wife, Oct. 18, 1880. 

(2) James Libby, son of Allison, lived at one time on the Jacob 

Irish place. He afterwards bought the place where his children 

lately lived. He married Esther P., daughter of Benjamin Irish, Jr. 

Children : 

Benjamin L, b. Nov. 12, 1833, d. Oct. 28, 1900. 

Elizabeth A., b. Sept. 28, 1835, m. Lemuel Jordan of Raymond, Dec. 19, 1857. 

Sarah S., b. Jan. 7, 1841, d. unm. Oct. 6, 1875. 

Ephraim, b. Apr. 19, 1846. 

Lauriette, b. Feb. 8, 1850, d. young. 

James Libby died March 18, 1864, and his wife. April 11, 1876, 

aged 67. 

(2) Jeremiah Noyes Libby, son of Allison, lived for a time in La 
Grange ; then returned to Gorham, and settled on his father's farm. 
For two years he carried on the town farm, after which he purchased 
the place where he died. He married Lucy, daughter of Joseph and 
Polly Bang's. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 625 

Zilpha, b. Mar. 7, 1835, "^- John F. Libby ; d. ,Sept. 17, 1896. 

Royal T., b. ^Iay 26, 1836, d. young. 

Albion K. P., b. Sept. 19, 1837, m. Caroline M., dau. of Hanson Newcomb, 

Aug. 31, 1864. Ch: Lucy A. ; Elmer H. 

Ann Maria, b. Mar. 20, 1S40, d. Sept. 24, 1856. 

Mary B., / , . , „ \ d. young. 

rv • 1 . ' b. Ju y 14, 1844, . J {. ," o 

Daniel S., ( j .r •+' -t-+' I ^ Sept. 21, 1851. 

Jordan, b. June 13, 1847, ^- Violet A. Parker of Buxton, Aug. 10, 1874. 

Mrs. Lucy Libby died April 15, 1862, aged 48, and Mr. Libby 
married, Feb. 9, 1869, ]\Liry A. Kennard of Brownfield. He died 
March 25, 1887. 

(2) Marrett Libby, son of Edward, lived for the greater part of 
his life at the north part of the town. He married Mary, daughter 
of Jethro Libby. After their marriage they lived for a time in Dur- 
ham, where all of their children were born. They were : 

Edward, b. May 7, 1829, m. Sarah E. Mitchell of Raymond. Feb. 7, 1862. 
Priscilla F., b. Mar. 15, 1833, m. Daniel D. Ward, Oct. 4, 1S54 ; 2d, Samuel S. 

Waterhouse, May 7, 1874. 
Eliza J., b. Mar. 2r, 1S36, m. James 11. Baker of Portland, May i, 1867. 
John J., b. Dec. 20, 1841, d. young. 
Clara A., b. Apr. 27, 1843, m. Chas. I. McLellan, Mar. 28, 1866. 

Marrett Libby died Sept. 23. 1885. and his wife, Nov. 7, 1879, 
aged 80. 

(2) Alvah Libby, son of Edward, married Ann, daughter of Rufus 
Harmon. Children : 

Julia Ann, b. Aug. 25, 1833, m. Rev. Sargent S. Gray, Nov. 11, 1854. 
Almon L, b. June 16, 1835, d. July 6, 1883. 

Frances H., b. Sept. 24, 1838, m. Harmon Fogg, Feb. 7, 1867 ; 2d, Lewis Doug- 
lass, Mar. 12, 1876. 

Ransom D., b. Mar. 27, 1840, d. unm. Apr. 29, 1864. 

Livonia E., b. July i, 1844. m. Sewall PL Douglass, 187S. 

Horace H., b. July 28, 1849, m. Adelle Sawyer of Cornish. 

Lizzie L., b. Aug. 25, 1856, m. Bion McKenney, May, 18S0. 

Alvah Libby died March 15, 1889, Ann, his wife, Sept. i, 1901. 

(2) Ebenezer H. Libby, son of Edward, married Catherine R., 
daughter of Daniel L'ish. Child : 

E. Sewall, b. Dec. 22, 1S32, m. Mary A. Sanborn of Standish, June 23, 1855. 

Ebenezer H. Libby died Feb. 15, 1833, and his widow married 
Joseph Sanborn of Standish. 

Hanson Libby was the son of Ichabod Libby of Scarborough, and 

was born about 1766. He settled in Gorham on the farm afterwards 

known as the David Swett place. He married, Oct. 2, 1788, x^bigail 

Mirick. Children, the first two born in Scarborough : 

Elizalieth M., b. 1789, m. Benjamin Irish, Jr., Nov. 25, 1807. 

Hannah, b. 1790, m. Caleb Sinart of Thornton, N. H., p. Dec. 12, 1S12. 



020 HISTORY OF GORFIAM. 

Mary, b. Nov. 5, 1791, m. Elisha Irish, Nov. 28, 1816. 

John J., b. May 28, 1793, ^- ^ally Burbank of Thornton, N. H., 1817. 

Ann H., b. Apr. 29, 1795, ^- unm. Mar. 25, 1812. 

Hanson Llbby died in 1796, and his widow married, Jan. 16, 1797, 

Enos Newcomb. 

Jethro and John Libby were brothers, children of Jethro Libby of 
Scarborough and his second wife Hannah Moody. Jethro, Jr., was 
born in Scarborough in 1763. He married, Sept. 14, 1788, Lettice 
Wescott. About 1790, he moved to Gorham, and settled on a seventy 
acre lot in the north part of the town. Children : 

Hannah W., b. 1789, m. \Vm. Chase, Feb. iS, 1815; d. Nov. 24, 1843. 

Thomas, b. , m. ■ -. 

Elliot, b. Aug. 24, 1792, m. Susan Hall of Falmouth, Apr. 13, 1822; d. in 
Harrison. 

Parmelia, b. , m. Samuel Flood, Dec. 4, 1817. 

Jethro, b. Mar. 19, 1796, m. Olive Flood, Dec. 26, 1819; d. in Harrison. 

Josiah W., b. Apr. 28, 1798, m. P^liza Hall of P'almouth, June 10, 1821. 

Mary, b. Aug. i 1, 1800, m. Marrett Libby, Feb. 6, 1828. 

Benjamin, b. about 1802, d. aged 2 years. 

William, b. Sept. 3, 1804, m. Jane Cannell of Standish, Feb. 20, 1830; 2d, Mrs. 
Maria (Wood) Lillis. 

James, b. , lost at sea. Mar. 9, 1836. 

Alfred, b. Dec. 4, 181 1, m. Esther H. Libby of Scarborough, Nov. 27, 1838; 
had no ch., but adopted Lizzie, dau. of John Wescott; she d. June 22, 
1SS7, ag. 40. Mr. Libby I'd with his father until his, Jethro's, death, in 
1849, when he exchanged the farm with Joshua L. Brown, for a store 
and farm at Great Falls. He d. Mar., 1902. 

Jethro Libby was a cooper by trade, and a farmer. He died Feb. 

8, 1849, and Lettice, his wife. May 3, 1852, aged 84. 

John Libby, the brother of Jethro above, was born in Scarborough, 
December, 1770. He came to Gorham, and settled on the farm next 
to that of Jethro, and married, July 29, 1S02, Dorcas Roberts of 
Westbrook. Children : 

Joanna, b. June 21, 1803, m. Chas. (^uiniby, Apr., 1S45. 

Charles, b. Dec. 30, 1804, m. Sophronia Shaw of Standish, Nov. 28, 1S33; d. in 

Harrison. 
Lucy R., 1). July 16, 1806, m. Samuel S. Babb, Mar., 1S42. 
John, b. Sept. 8, 1808, d. Apr. 2, 1822. 
Benjamin, b. July 15, iSio, d. yoimg. 
Caleb, b. Aug. 25, 1S12, m. Nov. 20, 1845, Betsey, dau. of Lemuel and Sarah 

(Phinney) Rich of Standish. Ch : John W., b. Mir. 4, 1847; Sarah R., 

b. Nov. I, 1849; William F., b. Nov. 21, 1852, m. Alta G. Libby, widow 

of Eben'r Libby, Nov. 25, 1S74. Caleb Libby I'd on his father's farm. 

He was a captain in the militia. For seven years he carried on the town 

farm. He d. Jan. 14, 1876; his wife, Oct. 7, 1879. 
Woodbury S., b. May 19, 1816, m. Apphia T. Moody, May 10, 1846; I'd in 

Scarboro. 
Elmira, b. Nov. 7, 182 1, m. Stephen Harris, Mar. 21, 1850. 
William F., b. Sept. 5, 1823, d. unni. in ISridgton, Apr. 25, 1S4S. 

John Libby died March 10, 1826, and his wife, March 16, 1864. 



GENEALOGY. 627 

Benjamin Libby, born in Scarborough, Feb. 17, 1760, was the son 
of Elisha Libb}-. He married Phebe Rackliffe of Scarborough, Dec. 
2, 1788 ; and came to Gorham about 1792. He cleared the farm at 
"the North," which was afterwards occupied by his son Benjamin, 
and since owned by his granddaughter Martha A. Wescott. He first 
built a log house, then about 181 1, the house now standing on the 
place. Children, the two eldest born in Scarborough : 

Solomon, b. Nov. 10, 1789, m. Warren of Buxton; 2d, Martha Fogg of 

Buxton. 

Anna, b. Sept. 27, 1791, m. Luther Flood, July 13, 1S15. 

Pelina, b. Nov. 17, 1793, m. Samuel Woodman of Bu.xton, June 5. 1S15. 

Benjamin, b. Sept. 27, 1795, m- Mar. i, 1821, Ann, dau. of Edmund Wescott, 
who d. soon after her marriage, and Mr. Libby m. June 8, 1823, Betsey, 
dau. of Reuben We.scott. Ch : Martha, b. Mar. 8, 1824, d. y. ; Martha 
A., b. June 14, 1825, m. Dr. William Wescott, Mar. 21, 1847; Jordan P., 
b. Feb. 19, 1830, d. Sept. 4, 1S46; Ai S., b. May 13, 1837, d. Mar. 8, 1843. 
Mrs. Libby d. July 16, 1866, ag. 68, and Mr. Libby m. Nov. 21, '1868, 
Mrs. Lavinia (Harris) Tapley of New Gloucester. Benjamin Libby was 
a soldier in the War of 1812. He d. Mar. 24, 1S71. 

Elisha, 1). May 30, 1797, d. y. 

Jordan, b. Feb. 28, 1799, d. Jan., 1820. 

Hannah R., b. Aug. 5, 1801, d. unm. June i, 186S. 

Phebe, b. Mar. 31, 1804, m. Jos. F. Hamblen, June 14, 1827; 2d, Thos. Davis. 

Martha, b. Nov. 3, 1S07, d. in 1S25. 

Mr. Libby died April 8, 1843, and his wife, Aug. 15, 1840, aged 
75- 

Edward Libby was the son of Edward Libby of Scarborough, and 
was born in that town, Nov. 7, 1770. He came to Gorham, and 
settled near White Rock on the seventy acre lot, 47. April 5, 1789, 
he married Jane Libby. Children : 

Esther, b. , m. Jonathan E. Files, Sept. 11, 181 1. 

Joseph, b. about 1793, "''• Mehitable Moses, May 22, 1823 ; d. on Standish Neck. 

Gary, b. about 1795, m. Betsey Haskell of New Gloucester; 2d, Mrs. Elizabeth 
Chase ; I'd in Saco. 

Morris, b. ■ — , m. Jane Latham ; d. in .Stoneham, 1878. 

Solomon, b. , 1798, m. Susan, dau. of James G., and Molly Sturgis, Mar. 

24, 1823. Ch: Caroline S., b. Nov. 13, 1824, m. Josiah P. Chadbourne, 
June, 1852 ; Esther' P., b. Feb. 6, 182S, m. William H. Murch, June 17, 
1853; Charlotte, b. July 29, 1830, m. George W. Johnson, Apr. 30, 1854. 
Solomon Libby was a farmer, and I'd near White Rock. He d. Sept. 
29, 1S60; his wife d. July 26, 1862. 

Andrew, b. Apr. 2, 1800, m. Jan. 6, 1830, Sophronia, dau. of Francis and 
Dorothy (Libby) Small. Ch : Melissa, b. May 21, 1832, m. Grin Babb, 
Dec. 8, 1850; Sophronia, b June 6, 1834, d. Nov. 2, 1836; Sophronia L., 
b. June 2, 1836, m. George E. Cole, Nov. 21, 1855; Alonzo, b. July 31, 
1838, d. Apr. 12, 1840; Alonzo, b. Feb. 6, i84i,m. Alice A. Boothby of 
Bu.xton, June 19, 1864; Henrietta, b. Apr. 3, 1843, m. Bryce M. Edwards, 
Jan. 5, 1S64 ; Laura F., b. Apr. 9, 1845, m. Alonzo F. Cook, Dec. 31, 
1874; Marianna, b. Aug. 24, 1848, m. Frederick Walker, Dec. 18, 1873. 
Mr. Libby d. May 7, 1848 ; his wife d. in Saccarappa, Oct. 12, 1868. 

Charlotte, b, , d. unm. 

Edward, b. Aug. 8, 1804, m. Christiana Strout of Raymond, Aug., 1841. 

Mary, b. , m. Joseph Leavitt of Newtield, Feb. z^, 1837. 



G28 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Edward Libby died Aug. 19. 1848; and his wife, Jan. 19, 1844, 
aged 80. 

Daniel Libby was the son of Francis Libby of Scarborough, and 
was born Sept. 15, 1784. He was a farmer.. After his marriage he 
came to Gorham, purchased land of James Warren, and built the 
house where Jeremiah Osborne has since lived. He married, Aug. 6, 
18 10, Betsey, daughter of James and Martha (McLellan) Warren. 
One child : 

Charles Oliver, b. May 11, 181 1, m. Hannah McDougall, May 21, 1834. 

Daniel Libby died May 17, 1839, his wife, March 13, 1878. 

Isaac Libby, brother of Daniel, was born Feb. 24, 1788. After 

his marriage, Aug. 6, 1810, with Susanna Rounds of Buxton, he 

opened a blacksmith shop at Gorham corner. For many years 

he was sexton of the Congregational church. Children : 

Lucy A. M., b. Sept. 18, 1810, m. Joseph T. Hoole, Oct. 27, 1836. 

Harriet R., b. Sept. 8, 1812, d. unm.July 29, 1S41. 

Abigail G., b. Apr. 13, 1S15, m. Albert S. Cobb, Oct. 15, 1840. 

Susan, b. Oct. 23, 181 7, d. unm. Jan. 14, 1839. 

Olive G., b. Mar. 7, 1820, m. Mulberry Merrill; 2d, Gilbert Bradbury of Buxton. 

Adeline, b. Aug. 28, 1822, m. Samuel Thompson of Lowell, Mass., Feb. 17, 

1847. 
Rhoda D., b. Apr. 9, 1826, m. Manthano Pickering of Portland, Jan. 22, 1848. 
Joseph F.. b. Jan. 30, 1S29, m. Eliza J. Brazier, July 25, 1850; 2d, Sabra A. 

Preble. 
Isaac Libby died June 24, 1851. Mrs. Libby died in Portland, 
April 29, 1871. 

Peter Libby was a brother of Daniel and Isaac Libby, and was 
born April ix, 1796. He moved to Gorham about 1823, where he 
was in trade for a number of years. He afterwards returned to 
Scarborough. He was a land surveyor, clock repairer, and Free 
Baptist preacher. He married Mary Libby. They had no children. 

(2) Charles O. Libby, son of Daniel, was for some years a farmer 
and teacher. He was one of the selectmen in 1839-40-41. In 1844 
he was ordained as a P>ee Baptist preacher, and was a prominent 
member of that denomination ; holding many offices in the Free 
Baptist Missionary Society. He lived in Gorham till about 1851. 
He married Hannah, daughter of David McDougall. Children, all 
born in Gorham : 

Oliver, b. June 7, 1835, graduate of Bowdoin — lawyer at Green Bay, Wis. 

Martha W., b. Mar. 23, 1837, m. Roscoe G. Smith, July 31, 1859. 

Mary E., b. Apr. 8, 1839, d. June 8, 1841. 

Phebe P., b. Mar. 16, 1841, m. J. Frank Mclntire of Boston; 2d, Jos. J. 
Dearborn of S. Deerfield, N. H. 



GENEALOGY. 629 

Susan, b. Sept. 4, 1S43, m. Thomas M. L. Thompson of Contai, India, Oct. 31, 

1S76; d. in India in 187S. 
Emily G., b. Nov. 25, 1844, m. Woodbury J. Dudley. 
Mary E., b. Jan. 26, 1846. 

Alice I., b. May 4, 1848, m. R. Chase Goodwin of Portland. Me. 
Curtis S., b. Nov. 6, 1850, d. young. 

Mr. Libby died in Dover, N. H., Dec. 21, 1876. Mr.s. Libby died 
in Candia, N. H., Sept. 26, 1897. 

Lemuel Libby was born in Scarborough in 1749. He moved to 
Gorham about 1783, and settled in the south part of the town. He 
married Mehitable Bragdon of Scarborough. Their children, of 
whom the first five were born in Scarborough, and the remainder in 
Gorham, were : 

Solomon, b. • , d. young. 

Sarah, 1). Apr. 24, 1774, d. Dec. 31, 1872. 

Mehitable, b. , m. Timothy Plummer, Feb. 20, 1800. 

Elizabeth, b. , m. Israel Perry, Dec. 21, 1800. 

Solomon, b. , d. young. 

Lemuel, b. Jan. 10, 1784, m. Narcissa Harmon of Scarborough, Oct., 18 14. 
Ch: Harriet B., b. June 2, 18 15, m. Zebulon B. Deering, Mar. 11, 1844; 
Isaac, b. Feb. 15, 1817, m. Elizabeth P. Morris, Oct. 31, 1847 ; Abram', 
b. Oct., i82i,m. Hannah Linscott of Buxton, moved to Auburn. Lem- 
uel Libby spent most of his life on his father's place. He d. Dec. 7, 
1854. Mrs. Libby d. in Auburn. 

Abraham, b. Dec. 10, 1785, m. Phebe Moulton, Mar. 24, 1814. 

Lucy, b. , m. Allison Libby, Aug. 30, 1806. 

Mary, b. , m. Samuel Small, June 7, 1810. 

Hannah, b. July, 1789, m. Allison Libby, Oct. 14, 1840. (Second wife.) 

Darius, b. , d. young. 

Olive, b. , d. young. 

Darius, b. July, 1795, '"• Phebe Small of Limington ; d. in Gorham, July i, 

1873- 
Apollos, b. May, 179S, d. Oct., 1801. 

Lemuel Libby died Sept. 28, 1829 ; his wife died May 24, 1817. 

William Libby was born in Scarborough, May 16, 176^. He 

came to Gorham, and settled at White Rock. He married, Sept. 29, 

1785, Mary Fogg. Children, all born in Gorham : 

Lydia, b. June 13, 1787, d. unm., Dec. 15, 1863. 

William, b. Feb. i, 1789, m. Apphia Harmon, Jan. 27, 1814. 

Mary, b. Oct. 20, 1792, d. unm. Mar. 21, 1S73. 

Luther, b. Jan. 16, 1794, m. Hannah Libby; 2d, Sarah P. Files. 

^"'^'■^^^■' I b. Mar. 29, 1796, ! "^- ?r'^\?fK^n^?'- ' '' '^J^' 
Moses, ) ^' ' ^ ' / m. Mary Mitchell, Apr. 17, 1822. 

Hannah, b. July 8, 1801, m. Rev. John Purkis of Gray, Nov. 18, 1828; 2d, 

Francis liarrows. 

William Libby returned to Scarborough about 1802, and died Oct. 
1, 1838. His widow died Feb. 23, 1840. 

(2) Luther Libby, son of William, was a farmer, and lived in the 
south part of the town. He married Hannah Libby. Children: 



630 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Charles, b. Sept. 5, 1817, d. Nov. 5, 1826. 

Martha, b. May 24, 1S20, d. Aug. 21, 1826. 

William H., b. Jan. 28, 1822, d. Sept. 22, 1826. 

Lucy Ann, b. Feb. 27, 1S24, m. David W. Habb of Westbrook, Nov. 28, 1847. 

John, b. Dec. 23, 1825, m. Lucretia Libby, Nov. 13, 1853. 

Charles, b. , d. young. 

Mary F., b. Dec. 14, 1829, m. John Brown of Westbrook, Nov. 21, 1S4S. 

Harriet E., b. Nov. 17, 1831, m. Doniinicus Libby, Nov. 27, 1853. 

Francis B., b. July 4, 1834, m. Mary E. Tounge of Dayton; 2d, Mrs. Mary E. 

Pennell. 
Hannah C, b. Oct. 7, 1836, m. Joseph P. Files, Oct. 19, 1S55. 
Martha C, b. June 22, 1840, d. Aug. i, i860. 

Mrs. Hannah Libby died Sept. 2, 1841. and Mr. Libby married, 

Jan. 22, 1843, Sarah P. Files. She died Aug. 24, 1878. 

Lemuel Libby, born in Scarborough, Nov. 8, 1770, married, June 
II. 1795, Patience, daughter of Capt. Samuel and Mary Whitmore 
of Gorham. After his marriage he bought a farm in the south part of 
Gorham. About 1835, Mr. Libby moved to Wayne. Children : 

Mary, b. June 7, 1796, m. Elder Peter Libby. 

Ebenezer, b. Nov. 29. 1797, m. EmeUne Harding, Nov. 3, 1825. 

Abigail, b. Aug. 25, 1800, d. unm. July 28, 1S38. 

Lucy, b. Feb. 2, 1803, d. unm. Dec, 1819. 

Louisa, b. June 12, 1807, d. unm. Sept. 30, 1821. 

Elizabeth H., b. July 5, 1809, m. Francis L. Rounds; d. in Gorham, July 13, 

1869. 
Ann, b. Dec. 23, 181 1, m. Charles Watts, Sept. 5, 1833. 
Samuel, b. June 11, 1816, d. Sept. i, 1821. 

Solomon Libby was the son of Demas Libby of Scarborough. He 
came to Gorham about 1834, and settled in the Hurricane district, 
near White Rock. He married, Sept. 18, 1834, Abigail Jackson of 
Cape Elizabeth. Children : 

Ellen, b. July 23, 1836, m. Daniel Wescott, Dec. 31, 1863. 

Ivory, b. Sept. 22, 1839, m. Susan A. Jackson, Jan. 2, 1868; moved to Windham. 

Mary A., b. Oct. 16, 1846, m. Wm. R. Maybury, Sept. 14, 1867 ; 2d, Henry B. 

Jackson. 
Maranda J., b. Aug. 17, i85t. 

Solomon Libby died July 19. 1875. Abigail, his wife, died July 
22, 1884. 

Joseph V. Libby was the son of Solomon Libby of Brunswick, and 

was born in that town, April 15, 181 2. He settled at Gorham village, 

on the place where his son Cyrus now lives. He married Mary 

Ann, daughter of Joseph C Libby. Children : 

Lizzie R., b. Sept. 27, 1838, m. Joseph Hine of Schofield, Mich., Feb., 1871 ; 

d. Aug. 17, 1900. 
Cyrus S.,b. Feb. 9, 1841, m. Martha Pike of Cornish, Sept., 1866. 
Charles F., b. Jan. 27, 1843, d. Feb. 11, 1844. 
Frances A., b. Jan. 3, 1845, m. Lawrence S. Hoadley. 
Catherine E., b. July 15, 1850, d. young. 



GENEALOGY. 631 

Randall E., b. July 20, 1852, d. young. 
Lulu M., 1). Mar. i, 1856, d. young. 

Joseph V. Libby died in October. 1872. and his widow, ]\lay 2, 
1897. 

LINCOLN. 

Samuel Lincohi, vvho came from Ilingham, England, and settled 
m New Hingham, Mass., in 1637, was the ancestor of most of the 
Lincolns in this country, and from him Abraham Lincoln was 
undoubtedly descended. 

Royal Lincoln, son of Jonathan, and the fourth generation from 
Samuel Lincoln, was born in Ilingham, Sept. 15, 1754. He married 
(pub. Oct. 10, 177S), Jerusha, daughter of Josiah and Thankful 
Waterman of Weymouth, born at Weymouth, April 22, 1758. 'Mr. 
Lincoln and family moved to Gorham where for some years he was 
a trader at the village. He purchased and occupied the farm once 
owned by William Lakeman, and since by the late Byron Coburn. 
In 1776-7 he served on board the armed brig "Hazard." Under 
the Act of June 7, 1832, he received for this service a pension from 
the Government. Children of Royal and Jerusha Lincoln, all born 
in Hingham : 

Royal, b. Oct. 18, 1779, m. Harriet McLellan of Portland, Ian. 28, 180c; ; d. in 

1865. 
Ruthy, b. Feb. 16, 1781, m. Geo. Lewis, Jr., Feb. 3, iSoo; I'd in Bridgton. 
Sophia, b. Jan. 31, 1784, m. Jas. Swett of Gorham, p. Nov. 29, 1806. 
Cotton, b. Nov. 23, 1785, m. Betsey Thompson of Cornish; d. Apr. 17, 1846. 
Thankful, b. Oct. 28, 1787, d. unm. Oct. 25, 1831. 

Jerusha, b. Apr. 16, 1790, m. Wm. Woodbury, Jan. 3, 182 1 ; d. Mar., 1872. 
Susanna, b. Aug. 18, 1793, "i- Calvin Edwards of Gorham, Sept. 20, 18 13. 
Eliza Beal, b. Dec. 10, 1794, m. James M. Carsley, May 8, 1822. 
William, b. Apr. 24, 1796, d. Sept. 4, 1797. 

Royal Lincoln moved from Gorham to Cornish where he died, 
March 28, 1837, aged 83. Mrs. Lincoln died March 30. 1848, 
aged 90. 

John Lincoln, brother of Royal, was born in Hingham, Nov. 15, 
1762. He was a master mariner. He married in Hingham, Apr. 20, 
1792, Bethia, daughter of John and Bethia (Lincoln) Thaxter, born in 
Hingham, Sept. 23, 1768. Capt. Lincoln and family moved from 
Hingham to Gorham, where he bought in 1804, of James McCorrison, 
the farm at West Gorham, since owned for many years by Theophilus 
Dame, now the property of Lewis Files. Here he lived till his 
removal to North Yarmouth. Children of John and Bethia Lincoln, 
the two oldest born in Hingham, and the rest in Gorham : 



632 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

.Sarah T., b. May 12, 1793, m. Toppnn Rohie, Stpt. 17, 1811 ; was the mother 
of Ex-Gov. Kobie. 

John, b. Apr. 5, 1795, ^- ^' ^^^ '" ^^^ winter of 181S. (Mr. Rand's journal.) 

Samuel, b. June 28, 1797, m. Eliza, dau. of Daniel and Hannah Fogg, July 8, 
1827, who d. Dec. 15, 182S, ag. 27, leaving no ch. Mr. Lincoln m. 2d, Mrs. 
Jane R. (Thomas) Lewis. Ch : Eliza, d. y. ; Edward R., I's in Portland. 
Samuel Lincoln I'd for several y'rs after his marriage at \V. Gorham, 
where he was a trader; his store, which he builr, was the one in which 
the Post Office was lately located. Lie moved to Portland and went into 
trade there. He d. in Portland, where his wife also d.. she, Oct. i, 1872. 

Maria, b. Dec. 23, 1798, d. unm. at Maiden, Mass.. July 2, 1885. 

Harriet, b. Apr. 25, 1800, m. William Stephenson, Aug. 30, 1818. 

Bethia T., b. Apr. 4, 1803, m, Alexander M. Staples, Aug. 2, 1827; 2d, Mr. 
Green. 

Catherine, b. May 3, iSoS, m. Sweetsir ; d. in Yarmouth. 

Levi T., b. Mar. 29, 181 1, m. Mary Brown of Portland. 

Mary Ann, b. Aug. 25, 1813, m. Oliver Hale of Waterford. 

Capt. John Lincoln died at North Yarmouth, March 22, 1842 ; Mrs. 
Bethia Lincoln died at the same place, May 9, 1843. 

LOMBARD. 

Thomas Lumbert, or Lombard, was the first inn-keeper in the town 
of Barnstable, Mass. His license was dated Dec. 3, 1639. He had 
six sons and two daughters. His fifth son, Jedediah, married, in 
1668, Hannah Wing. Of the sons of Jedediah and Hannah (Wing) 
Lumbert, Jedediah, Jr. and Thomas moved to Truro, where they 
were largely engaged in the whaling and fish business, and became 
wealthy. Jedediah's son, Jedediah, Jr., married, Nov. 8, 1699, 
Hannah, daughter of Lieut. James Lewis of Barnstable. Their oldest 
child, .Solomon, was born in Truro, April 5, 1702. He married, June 
13, 1724, in Truro, Sarah Purrinton. Solomon and Sarah joined the 
Truro church Jan. 30, 1734/5, and were dismissed to the church in 
Gorham, July 7, 1751. 

On the list of original Proprietors of Gorhamtown we find the 
names of three Lumberts, — Jedediah and Caleb, both of Barnstable, 
who owned respectively rights 47 and 19, and Jonathan of Tisbury, who 
owned No. 117. The Proprietors of Ciorhamtown, before giving Mr. 
Lombard a call to settle here, held a special meeting, at which they 
decided that " Whereas the 30 acre lot, No. 47, — being the property 
of Mr. Solomon Lombard, — being spruce swamp and not capable of 
settlement ; in consideration thereof, Voted that said Lombard have 
in exchange therefor thirty acres adjoining to Nos. 34 and 61 : and 
to lie in the same form as the other 30 acre lots, he giving a quit- 
claim of the aforesaid thirty acres unto William Cotton for the further 
use and order of the Proprietors." From the foregoing it appears 
more than probable that the Rev. Solomon Lombard inherited the 



GENEALOGY. 633 

right of his grandfather Jedediah in the Proprietary of Gorham. As 
good a judge of lands as Mr. Lombard afterwards proved himself to 
be would hardly have purchased the swamp. 

Mr. Lombard's home was on the thirty acre lot, 57, which lot the 
Proprietors of the town gave him on account of his being the first 
settled minister. His house was nearly opposite that of Capt. 
Phinney, on the place where Mrs. Samuel Roberts lives. The children 
of Solomon and Sarah (Purrinton) Lombard were born before the 
family came to Gorham and were all baptized in Truro. They were : 

Anna, b. Sept. 26, 1725, m. Simon Lombard, and remained in Truro. 

Jedediah, b. Apr. 8, 172S, m. Susan Dorsett; 2d, Mrs. Susanna Libby. 

Sarah, b. June 8, 1730. 

Hannah, b. May 11, 1732, living., unm, in 1784. 

Susanna, b. Aug. 5, 1734, m. Wentworth Stuart, Feb. 7, 1753. 

Salome, b. June 10, 1736, m. Austin Alden, Nov. 25, 1756. 

Solomon, b. May 15, 173S, m. Lydia Grant, June 15, 1759. 

Mary, b. Sept. 9, 1740. 

Richard, b. Feb. 23, 1743/4, m. Lydia Bangs, June iS, 1764. 

Ebenezer, b. Mar. 26, 1745. 

Hezekiah, b. Sept. 30, 1746. 

Calvin, b. May 25, 1748, m. Martha Grant; 2d, Mary Walker. 

Rev. Mr. Lombard died in 1781, aged 79 years. 

( 2 ) Jedediah Lombard, son of Solomon, was a man possessed of 
great strength. He was a sailor, following the sea for forty years, 
twenty of which was as mate. He was cast away on Cape Cod 
during a violent snow storm on Sunday, March 29, 1769, but escaped 
without injury. During the Revolution he served on board a 
privateer, in company with a number of other Gorham men. Being 
captured, and confined on board the prison ship " Jersey," he made his 
escape in company with Lieut. Gary McLellan and two others. His 
home was on the western half of the hundred acre lot 105, on what 
has since been called Mighty street. He married for his first wife, 
Susan Dorsett. Children, of whom we have no perfect record : 

Sarah, b. , m. Benjamin Green, Sept. 29, 1774. 

Jedediah, b. 1760, m. Lydia Rand, July 12, 1785. 

Hezekiah, b. , said to have been lost at sea. 

Phebe, b. , m. Benjamin Blake, Jr., Oct. 20, 17S5. 

Salome, b. 1764, m. Dorsett; 2d, Sargent Shaw {2d wife) of Standish. 

Mrs. Susan Lombard died July 18, 1784, and Mr. Lombard mar- 
ried, Oct. 20, 1784, Mrs. Susanna (Lombard) Libby, widow of Joab 
Libby. Jedediah Lombard died Jan. 24, 1820, aged 92. 

(2) Solomon Lombard, Jr., son of Solomon, lived on the hundred 
acre lot, 5, where his grandson Lewis Lombard now lives. He was a 
member of Capt. Joseph Woodman's company in the Northern army in 
1757. His wife was Lydia Grant of Berwick. Children : 



634 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Richard, b. May 17, 1761, d. when about 14 or 15 years of age. 
Susanna, b. June 15, 1762, m. Christopher Dunn, Feb. 3, 1782. 
Hannah, b. Jan. 23, 1764, m. Ebenezer March, Nov. 30, 17S6. 
Solomon, b. Oct. 23. 1766, d. young. 

James, b. Oct. 19, 1768, m. Bethiah Smith, Dec. 13, 1792. 
Lydia, b. Oct. 25, 1771, m. Abram Nason, Feb. 14, 1793. 
Peter, b. Nov. 9, 1772, d. young. 

Ephraim, b. Jan. 18, 1774, m. Polly Perkins, Nov. 20, 1794 ; 2d, Jane Larrabee. 
Solomon, b. Apr. 21, 1775, m. Susanna Hunt, lune 26, 1796; moved to Read- 
field. 

Maiy, b. May 10, 1777, m. John Godsoe, Sept. 26, 181 1 ; 2d, Chamberlain. 

Samuel, b. Oct. 8. 1779, m. Chanty Merrill, Apr. 12, 1810. 

(2) Richard Lombard, .son of Solomon, lived near his brother 

Jedediah, on the place where Charles Martin Libby now lives. He 

married Lydia Bangs of Cape Cod. Children : 

John, b. Aug. 11, 1764, m. Elizabeth Sawyer, Jan. 13, 1785. 

Paul, b. June 30, 1766, m. Betty Libby, Aug. 15, 1791 ; moved to Limington. 

Joseph, b. Dec. 24, 1768, m. Fanny Silla, May 12, 1788; 2d, Hannah Bolton. 

Lydia, b. Mar. 16, 1770, m. Joseph Morton, Nov. 22, 1789. 

Ebenezer, b. Jan. 3, 1773, m. Jenny Freeman, Nov. 12, 1794. 

Bathshuah, b. Dec. 3, 1776, m. Elisha Morton, Feb. 18, 1796. 

Richard, b. June 3, 1782, m. Eunice Sawyer; was a Methodist preacher. 

Simon, b. Aug. 11, 1784, I'd on his father's place; d. unm. May 9, 1843. 

Sarah, b. June 28, 1789, m. Simeon Libby, Mar. 25, 1810. 

Col. Richard Lombard died Oct. 21, 1825, and was buried in the 

old Fort Hill yard. His wife died Sept. 18, 1823, aged 83. 

(2) Calvin Lombard, son of Solomon, lived on the farm where his 
father had lived, and which he left to him in his will. He was a very 
impulsive man, caring little for consequences. At the time when Col. 
Phinney's regiment was called into Falmouth, in consequence of 
Capt. Mowatt's ship being in the harbor and about to burn the town, 
Lombard accompanied his neighbors, the Gorham men, as a volun- 
teer. The ship lay some distance from the landing — Lombard had 
what he thought to be an extraordinarily good gun, and wished to 
try it. Accordingly, getting as near the landing as he could con- 
veniently, and not be seen by those on the ship, and screening 
himself behind a hogshead, he let go from thence at the sentry as he 
passed the gangway, and the ball hit directly at the feet of the man, 
in the side of the ship. Some of the officers reached over and with 
a knife took the ball from the place where it hit ; and in a few min- 
utes the ship was worked to a safer distance. It is said that 
Lombard afterwards served in the regular army. He married Martha 
Grant of Berwick, and their children were : 

Polly, b. Aug. 4, 1768, m. Nelson Fogg, June 3, 1790. 

Martha, b. Dec. 4, 1769, m. Edmund Flood, Aug. 10, 1788. 

Luther, b. Jan. 24, 1771, m. Mary Plumtaer, Jan. 10, 1793. (Monmouth.) 



GENEALOGY. 635 

Dorcas, b. Apr. 7, 1772, m. Jeremiah Foc;g, Jr., Dec. 24, 1794; d. Mav 11, 

1802. 
Rachel, b. Aug. 5, 1773, m. Stephen Hopkinson of Buxton. 

Wentworth, b. Oct., 1776, m. Moody of Cape Elizabeth; I'd in Wales. 

Hezekiah, b. Feb. 12, 1779, m. McLucas. 

vSalome, b. Oct. iS, 1780, m. Joshua McKenney of Limington. 

Mr. Lombard moved to Limington, where hi.s wife Martha died, 

and he married Mary Walker, by whom he had : 

Calvin, b. Aug. 21, 1799, m. Eunice Chapman of Limington, Apr. 13, 1824; d. 

in Baldwin, Dec. 13, 187 1. 
Eliza M., b. Dec. 18, 1S03, m. Samuel Huntress; I'd in Limington. 

Calvin Lombard died in Limington in 1808, and Mary, his wife, 
in 1834, also in Limington. 

(3) Jedediah Lombard, Jr., son of Jedediah, lived in Gorham until 
about the year 1800, when he moved to Standish Neck. He served 
for seven years in the Revolutionary army. He was a member of 
Capt. Richard Mayberry's company, in Col. Tupper's regiment, in 
1778. In 1 78 1 he was a member of Capt. Whittnore's militia com- 
pany. Mr. Lombard was also a soldier in the War of 18 12. He 
married Lydia, daughter of Jeremiah and Lydia Rand. Children : 

Marcy, b. Apr. 27, 1786, m. Jeremiah McLucas, p. July 8, 1809 ; d. in 1874. 

Nathaniel, b. June 24, 1788, m. McLucas; d. on Raymond Cape. 

Betsey, b. Aug. 13, 1796, m. Ebenezer Meserve, Dec. 29, 1824; I'd in Standish. 

Hezekiah, b. ■, m. Mrs. Witham. 

John, b. . m. .Sally Welch or Witham; d. in Raymond. 

Polly, b. , m. Wm. Knight, Nov. 27, 1S22; d. on vStandish Neck. 

-Sargent, b. , 1803, m. Eunice West; I'd in -Standish, near the lake; d. 

Nov. II, 1876. 
William, b. -, 1806, m. Sally Cole; I'd at "Rich ville," m Standish ; d. in 

1868. 

Esther, b. -, d. unm. 

Sally, b. , d. unm. 

Jedediah Lombard, Jr., died in Standish, March 16, 1842, aged 82, 
and his wife Lydia, Jan. 13, 1830, aged 61. 

(3) James Lombard, .son of Solomon, Jr., married Bethiah, daughter 
of Hezekiah Smith. He lived on the hundred acre lot, 19, which he 
bought of his father-in-law, Smith, in 1796, and is now known as the 
old Weeks farm. Children : 

Polly S., b. July 6, 1793, m. Elijah C. Wingate, July 14, 181 1. 
Richard, b. Mar. 20, 1795, m. Temperance L. Hamblen, Mar. 17, 1818. 

James, b. Dec. 2, 1796, m. -Snell ; was a doctor ; d. in the West. 

Hannah, b. Oct. 6, 1798, d. Feb. 16, 1815. 

Peter, b. Mar. 4, 1801, m. Harriet — . (Florida.) 

Sukey, b. Apr. 1 1, 1803, m. Solomon Baker, p. Apr. 20, 1822. 
Samuel, b. May 11, 1S07, m. Harriet Huston. 

James Lombard died Sept. 18, 1808, aged 40, and Mrs. Lombard 
married, Dec. 13, 1808, Robert Weeks. 



G36 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(3) Ephraim Lombard, son of Solomon, Jr., lived on the hundred 

acre lot No. 9, where John E. Meserve now lives. He married Polly, 

the daughter of John and Lois (Hadaway) Perkins. Children : 

James H., b. Aug. 7, 1795, *^- May, 1796. 

Lucy P., b. Dec. 2, 1796, m. James Nason of Standish, Mar. 24, 1S29. 
Solomon, b. Feb. 23. 1798, m. Sarah Wescott, Mar. 30, 1823; I'd in Standish. 
Eliza, b. Feb. 22, 1800, m. Daniel Knowlton of Augusta. 

Louisa, b. , m. Piper. 

Susanna, b. Jan. 31, 1802, d. Feb., 1802. 
Bethiah, ) , , , 00 • d. young. 

Ti ,, J- b. July iS, 1801, < •',., & .. , r ,,-■ ,, ,^ r. 

Polly, ) •' •' -*' t m. hbenezer Hawkes of A\ indham, Dec. 30, 1824. 

Mrs. Polly Lombard died July 18, 1803. aged 29, and Mr. Lombard 

married Mrs. Jane (Norton) Larrabee of Bluehill, (pub. Sept. i, 

1804,) by whom he had : 

Sophronia, b. May 8, 1807, m. Richard Dunn; went to Fredericktown, N. B. 

Ephraim, b. Sept. 17, 1808, went to sea — U. S. N. 

Josephine, b. Apr. 29, 1810, m Dennis Harmon. 

Margaret, I). Jan. 23. 1812, m. Francis Beverly; went to Fredericktown, N. B. 

James, b. Apr. 23, 18 14, m. Mrs. Stevens; d. at Mobile, Ala. 

Octavia, b. Jan. 21, 1816, m. Charles Watts of New Brunswick. 

Stephen, b. June 2, 1819, went to sea; d. in Miss. 

Olive, b. Sept. 8, i82r, m. Daniel Merrill ; d. July 26, 1846. 

Rosalia B., b. Aug. 27, 1823, m. Samuel l.ibby, 3d, Dec. 7, 1843. 

Ephraim Lombard died July 23, 1843 ; his wife Jane died March 
23, 1859, aged 82. 

(3) Samuel Lombard, son of Solomon, Jr., was a soldier in the 

War of 181 2. In October, 18 13, he was a teamster under Col. 

Eustice, from Chesterton to Burlington, Vt. He married Charity, 

daughter of Daniel and Dorcas Merrill. Children : 

Alvin, b. May 17, i8u, d. Dec. 16, 1890, unm. 

Lydia, b. June 19, 1813, m. George Knight, Jan. 7, 1831. 

Adeline, b. Oct. 28, 1816, m. John Hodgdon, June 2, 1844. 

Susanna, b. May 5, 1818, d. July, 1820. 

Lewis, b. Dec. 31, 1819, I'd on his father's place; d. Nov. 18, 1902. 

Susanna, b. Dec. 19, 1821, m. Isaac Harmon, May 24, 1843; d. in Canton, Me., 

Apr. 16, 1895. 
Martha A., b. Oct. 6, 1823, m. Reuben Wescott, Nov. 14, 1847. 
Almira, b. Apr. 3, 1826, m. Jeremiah T. McQuillan, Jan. 31, 1854. 

Mr. Lombard lived on South St., a mile and three-quarters from 
the village, on the farm which had been his father's. He built the 
house since owned and occupied by his son Lewis. His wife Charity 
died Jan. 13, 1830. aged 39. April 8, 1832, he married Martha, 
daughter of Jeremiah 'I'owle. Samuel Lombard died July 19, 1863, 
and his wife Martha, Nov. 23, 1872, aged 74. 

(3) John Lombard, son of Richard, married Elizabeth Sawyer of 
Otisfield, daughter of Capt. Jonathan and Martha Sawyer. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 637 

Hannah, h. Sept. 8, 1785, m. Geo. Keyes, and 2d, David Silla. 

Lydia, (it c_ \ 

i\/ ^u b. June 24, 1707, ,, 

Martha, J -^ ^' ' " | m. Green. 

Abraham L., b. Feb. 2, 1790, d. at Megalloway. 

Salome, b. Mar. 11, 1793. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 14, 1795, m. Stubbs ; 2d, Thing Moore; moved to 

Wisconsin; d. Apr., 1S23. 

Mary, b. June 6, 1797. 

Richard, 1). May 31, 1799, m. Ciallison. 

Deliverance, b. May 10, 1802. 

Sarah, b. June 14, 1807, d. Feb. 27, 1S08. 

John, b. May 2, 181 o, d. Apr. 28, 181 i. 

John Lombard died in Otisfield in 1853, aged 89 years. 

(3) Joseph Lombard, son of Richard, married Fanny, daughter of 

William and Anna Silla. Children : 

Nancy, b. Oct. 6, 1788, m. Joseph Stuart, p. Nov. 2, 1805. 

Lydia, b. , m. Hezekiah Green of Otisfield, July 18, 1807. 

Joseph, b. , m. Mary Peabody ; was a joiner; I'd in Otisfield. 

Mr. Lombard married, July 11, 1795, Mrs. Hannah Bolton, widow 

of Thomas Bolton, and daughter of Lieut. Joshua and Hannah 

Crockett. Children : 

Sewell, b. — — — ■, I'd in Portland. 

Harry, b. , m. Tabitha, dau. of Ebenezer Lombard, Feb. 24, 1820. Ch : 

Martha A.; Joseph, was a carpenter; Ellen; Albert; Eunice; \Vm. H. 

P., was a hatter in Portland; Betsey, d. y. Henry Lombard d. Apr. 3, 

1837, and his widow m. Nov. 20, 1842, Levi Bragdon, and I'd in Saco or 

Biddeford. She d. Aug. 3, 1865. 
Betsey, b. Jaa. 6, iSoi, m. Morris Irish, Apr. 23, 1823. 

This family moved to Otisfield. Mrs. Hannah Lombard died Dec. 
28, 1843, aged 83. 

(3) Ebenezer Lombard, son of Richard, was a Methodist minister. 
He was the first Methodist class-leader in Gorham. He lived near 
Winship's corner, on the place where Geo. Libby now lives. He 
married Jenny, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Freeman. Children : 

Tabitha, b. Apr. 15, 1795, m. Henry Lomlmrd, Feb. 24, 1820; 2d, Levi 
Bragdon. 

Mary, b. Feb. 7, 1797, m. John Craigue, Jr., of Windham, p. June 20, 1817. 

Lydia, b. Jan. 6, 1799, m. Adams Whitney of Standish, June 3, 18 16. 

Eunice, b. June 20, 1801, m. Joseph Libby, Jr., Oct. 5, 1823. 

Jane, b. July 24, 1803, m. John Walker, Apr. 22, 1821. 

Alfred, b. July 29, 1805, m. Itleanor Gilpatrick, June 4, 1S26. Ch: Sarah J., 
b. Apr. 23, 1827; Harriet, b. May 22, 1828, d. July 18, 1832; Robert 
A., b. May 6, 1830; Andrew S., b. June 15, 1832; Martha, b. Apr. 14, 
1834, d. y. Alfred Lombard d. July 14, 1837, and his wife, Apr. 22, 
1834, ag. 27. 

Harriet, b. July 31, 1807, m. Andrew Sawyer of Oldtown. 

Anna, b. Oct. 31, 1809, m. Wentworth Files of Portland, p. Mar. 25, 1837. 

Benjamin F.,b. P'eb. 11, 1812, d. in Alabama. 

James L., b. Mar. 2, 1S14, m. Abigail Lunt ; d. in California. 

David F., b. May 12, 1816, m. Joanna Senate, p. 1S40 ; 2d, Miss Varrell ; 3d, 
Mrs. Cynthia (Floyd) Thompson. 



038 HISTORY OF GOKHA.M. 

Simon H., b. Nov. 4, 1S17, m. Maria, dau. of Nath'l and Lucy Phinney, Sept. 
22, 1839. Ch : Ebenezer, m. Mary Read; Eliza, m. Almon Files; 
Angela, m. (jardner Haines; Viola, m. Albert O. Hill; Lucy, m. Kdwin 
Nichols, 2d, Sallust Field; Lucius, d. y. Mr. Lombard I'd in Sebago, 
from which place he moved to Gorham, where he and his wife d. at 
Little Falls, he Mar. 18, 1885, and she, Jan. 5, 1898. 

Rev. Ebenezer Lombard died in Sebago. Both he and liis wife 
are buried in the graveyard at " the North." 

(4) Richard Lombard, son of James, lived on the farm near the 
Buxton line, where Mr. Holt now lives. He afterwards moved to 
the village and built a house on State St. Me was a blacksmith. 
His wife was Temperance, daughter of Samuel, Jr., and Molly 
Hamblen. Children : 

William H., b. Apr. 9, 1819, m. Mary R., dau. of John R. and Sally Clay, Feb. 
22, 1843. Ch: Margaret L., b. Nov. 22, 1843, ^- Charles Alexander, 
d. about 1888; Kllen, b. Sept. 27, 1847, d. y. ; William H., b. Jan. 10, 
1852, m. Lydia A. Barrett. Mrs. Mary Lombard, d. July 19, 1862, ag. 
39, and Mr. Lombard m. Nov. 6, 1863. Adeline M. Beane. He is a 
machinist and blacksmith and I's on the Saco road. 

Mary Ann, b. Dec. 17, 1820, d. young. 

Harriet, b. Apr. 17, 1822, m. John Murray. 

Stephen, b. June 5, 1824, m. Mary A. Beckfordof Saco ; I'd in Saco; d. in 1866. 

Albert, b. Dec. 25, 1S27, m. Sarah Silla of Saco, 1846. Ch: James, b. Dec. 24, 
1846, m. Eunice Whitney; Mary Ann, b. Dec. 20, 184S, m. Edwin .S. 
Harding; Francis A., b. June i, 1850, m. Jennie Small, d. in Portland; 
Georgietta, b. June 27, i85i,d. y. ; Sarah E., b. Nov. 27, 1854, m. John 
Curtis, 2d, Eugene Davis ; Jessie, d. y. ; Charlts O., b. 1861, d. July 14, 
1880. Albert Lombard d. Mar. 26, 1887, and his wife, Mar. 29, 1887, ag. 
60. He was a blacksmith, and I'd at Gorham village. 

Jeanette, b. June 29, 1829, m. Leander (Iraffam. 

Eliza, b. July 29, 1831, m. David L. Taylor. 

Hannah M., b. Mar. i r, 1S35, m. Richard Ingham; I'd in Buffalo, N. Y. 

Mary E., b Apr. 17, 1837, m. Ai Libby, Feb. 27, 186S; d. in Gorham, Dec. 
17, 1S69. 

Caroline P., b. 1839, m. Jacob Warren Libby, Sept. 2, 1856. 

Georgiana J., b. May 9, 1842, d. unm., July, 1868. 

Mrs. Temperance Lombard died Nov. 21, 1864, aged 70, and ]\Ir. 
Lombard married Mrs. Sarah (Spencer) (Merrill) Plowman. She 
died in March, 1880, and he died Sept. 30, 1880. 

Nathaniel Lombard lived in town before the Revolution. He 
owned no land, but settled back of Waterhouse'.s, probably on the 
hundred acre lot, 57, or thereabouts. He served in the Revolution- 
ary army ; a member of Capt. Williams' company in 1775, and in 
1778, a corporal in Capt. Maybeny's company. He married, June 
7, 1783, Ruth, daughter of Daniel and Dilla Hamblen of Gorham, 
by whom he had the following children recorded in Gorham : Abigail, 
born April 20, 1784: Nathaniel, born January 8, 1786. The family 
li\ed at one time on the Worcester place. They finally moved to 
Otisfield. 



GENEALOGY. 639 

There was a Caleb Lombard who lived in Gorham in 1776, when 
he enlisted in Capt. Mayberry's company for three years. He seems 
to have left town about 1782, when his name disappears from the 
tax lists, going to Turner, where he died April 19, 1833. He had a 
wife named Hannah, but we have no record of a family. 

John Lombard, with his wife and family, came to Gorham from 
Barnstable. He settled on the Flagg)' Meadow road. Lombard 
was a seafaring man, and served in the navy during the Revolution- 
ary war. We have no record of his children, but there are said to 
have been : 

John, m. Priscilla Harding, Aug. 13, 1780. "^ 

Thomas, m. Hannah Linnell of Pearsonstown, Dec. i =;, i7''^S- 
Sarah, m. Thomas Thomes, Dec. 23, 1779. 
Butler, m. Jemima Clay, Aug. 9, 1787. 
Hannah, m. Joshua Harding. 
Susan, m. Samuel Harding. 

(2) John Lombard, Jr., son of John, married Priscilla, the daughter 

of Zephaniah and Mary Harding. Children : 

Joseph, b. Mar. 15, i7Sr, d. unm., Feb. 26, 1862. 

Polly, b. Feb. 11, 1784, d. unm., June, 1S22. 

John, b. Aug. 26, 1786, d. at .>^ea, unm., probably July 3, 1813. 

Samuel, b. May 14, 1789, m. Eleanor Murch of Buxton, Oct. 21, 1813; d. at sea, 

Sept., 1S16. 
James, b. Aug. 11, 1791, d. unm., May 18, 1841. 
Sally, b. June 17, 1794, d. unm., Apr. 19, 1S52. 
Edmund, b. June 20, 1796, d. June 20, 1797. 
Edmund, b. Feb. 16, 1799, m. Sally W. Davis, June 21, 1821. 
Harding, b. June, 1802, d. Nov. 28, 1874. 

John Lombard died May 24, 1844, and his wife Priscilla, March 
21, 1837, aged 76. 

(2) Butler Lombard was probably the son of John Lombard. He 
lived on the Edmund Lombard lot on Flaggy Meadow road. He was 
a member of Capt. Williams' company, Col. Phinney's regiment, in 
1775, and in 1778 of Capt. Mayberry's company, Col. Tupper's regi- 
ment. He married Jemima Clay, a sister of Molly Clay, who married 
Samuel Hamblen, Jr. Children : 

Molly, b. Dec 4, 1787. 
Anna, b. Sept. 25, 1789. 

(3) Edmund Lombard, son of John, Jr., lived on the northern side 
of the Flaggy Meadow road. His house, which is now gone, stood a 
little west of where the new house built by Mr. Talbot stands. He 
married Sally W. Davis of Buxton, and their children were : 



6-iO HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Simon, b. Aug. 8, 1822, d. June 26, 1S26. 

Mary, b. Apr. 8, 1824, m. Joseph Knight; d. in Cal. 

Lucy, b. Jan. 20, 1826, m. James Hutchins. 

Rebecca, b. Oct. 22, 1827, m. Jacob Ilowe ; I'd in Maiden. 

Caroline, b. , m. Elias Gould. 

Louisa, b. , d. when i8 years old. 

Maria, b. , d. when 16 years old. 

Blanchard, b. , m. Martha Perkins; I'd in Biddeford. 

Cornelia, b. July, 1839, m. Samuel Farnsworth Bacon. 
Asa Frank, b. May 2, 1845, d- Jan. 17, 1850. 

Edmund Lombard died December 17, 1867, aged 68. Mrs. Lom- 
bard died about 1880. 

LONGFELLOW. 

Stephen Longfellow, the first of the name in Gorham, moved here 
from Portland when that town was destroyed by Mowatt in 1775- 
Mr. Longfellow's house, which stood on Fore St., east of India, was 
burned at that time. He was the son of Stephen, and grandson of 
William Longfellow, a native of Hampshire, England, the first of the 
name in New England, who married Anne Sewall in 1678, and was 
a merchant in Byfield, Mass. 

Stephen Longfellow, born in Byfield, Feb. 7,' 1723, was a grad- 
uate of Harvard, class of 1742. He came to Portland in 1745, and 
was master of the Grammar School, and the principal instructor in 
town for some years. He held many important and honorable offices 
in Portland. He was town clerk for twenty-two years ; clerk of the 
first parish for twenty-three years ; clerk of the Proprietors of Com- 
mon Lands for many years, and was the first to hold the ofiices of 
Clerk of the Judicial Courts, and Register of Probate for this County, 
which offices he held for sixteen years. Mr. Willis says : " His 
handwriting, in beautiful characters symbolical of the purity and 
excellence of his own moral character, is impressed on all the records 
of the town and county through many successive years." He married 
Tabitha Bragdon of York, Oct. i, 1749. Children: 

Stephen, b. Aug. 13, 1750, m. Patience Young, Dec. 13, i773- 
Tabitha, b. 1752, m. Capt. John Stephenson, in 1771. 

Samuel, b. , d. on Long Island, N. V., about 17S0-1 ; left no children. 

William, b , d. young. 

Abigail, b. Feb. 3, 1756, d. young. 

Mr. Longfellow died in Gorham May i. 1790, aged 67, and his 

wife Tabitha, Jan. lo, 1777, aged 54 years. 

(2) Stephen Longfellow, son of Stephen, came here with his father 
about 1775. He was one of the leading citizens of Gorham ; a man 
highly honored and esteemed. He held many town offices; was 



GENEALOGY. 641 

selectman for several years ; Representative to the General Court 
of Massachusetts eight years ; also Senator under Massachusetts. 
He was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1798 to 181 1. 
He owned and occupied the farm where Alpheus S. Boothby now 
lives, which at that time included also the Stephenson farm, which 
Judge Longfellow gave to his daughter, Mrs. Stephenson, about 
18 1 2-1 4. The rows of fine elms which border this farm, and are still 
known as the "Longfellow elms," were planted, a hundred years ago, 
under Judge Longfellow's directions, and at his expense ; he paying 
his hired men nine-pence (twelve and a half cents) above their 
wages, for every tree which they would set out, outside of their work- 
ing hours. Mr. Longfellow married Patience Young of York. Their 
children were : 

Tabitha, b. Oct. 9, 1774, m. Lothroj) Lewis, Jan. 20, 1794; d. Apr. 15, 1S07. 

Stephen, b. Mar. 23, 1776, m. Zilpha Wadsworth of Hiram. 

Abigail, b. Jan. iS, 1779, m. Col. vSamuel Stephenson, Oct. 18, iSoi. 

Anna, b. Nov. 26, 1781, d. Dec. 7, 1S17. 

Catherine, b. Aug. 20, 1786, d. July 5, [S04. 

Samuel, b. July 30, 1789, m. Sophia Storer of Saco, r8i6. 

Hon. Stephen Longfellow died May 28, 1824. Mrs. Patience 
Longfellow died Aug. 12, 1830. 

(3) Stephen Longfellow, son of Hon. Stephen, entered Harvard 
College at the age of eighteen, and graduated in the class of 1798. 
He was admitted to the Bar in 1801, and practiced law in Portland 
for many years, and attained great eminence in his profession. He 
was distinguished not only for his legal acquirements, but for his 
probity and uprightness, and was often called upon to exercise 
important trusts. He was a member of the Hartford Convention in 
1814; and later was elected Member of Congress. In 1828 he 
received from Bowdoin the degree of LL. D. He married, in 1804, 
Zilpha, the daughter of Gen. Peleg Wadsworth. They were the 
parents of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, that most famous of Amer- 
ican poets, whose sweet songs are known and read in eveiy corner 
of the civilized world. 

Stephen Longfellow died Aug. 3. 1849, i" Portland. 

(3) Samuel, son of Hon. Stephen Longfellow, spent quite a por- 
tion of his life at sea, as a captain in the merchant service. He 
married Sophia Storer of Saco, and after his marriage lived with his 
father at the old homestead. He died there, Oct. 13, 18 18, leaving 
a widow, and one child, Ann Sophia. In 1824 Mrs. Longfellow mar- 
ried Judge Asa Redington of VVaterville ; a former Principal of 
Gorham Academy. 



642 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

LORD. 

Nahuin and James Lord, with their sister Anne, came from Berwick. 
They were the children of Jeremiah and Grizzel (Orant) Lord, and 
were the nephews and niece of Mrs. Calvin Lombard. Nahum Lord 
was born March i, 1778. He came to Gorham in 1797, where he 
learned the tailor's trade. He lived on the farm where M. C. Burnell 
now lives, about a mile and a half south of Gorham village. This 
farm was settled by George Waterhouse, whose daiighter, Charlotte, 
Nahum Lord married July 11, 1802. Mr. Lord built the house now 
standing on the place. His name appears on the roll of Capt. 
Robie's company, on duty in Portland in 181 4. He removed with 
his family to Chandlersville, now Detroit, Me., Oct. 31, 1830. All 
his children, except the youngest, were born in Gorham. They were : 

George \V., b. Dec. 5, 1S02, m. Ann Bickford of Falmouth ; no ch ; was a sailor 
for some y'rs, but becoming crippled by an accident on a voyage, left the 
sea, and followed shoemaking at Coal Kiln Corner; d. Dec. 15, 1833; 
his wife, in Kennebunk, Nov., 18S0. 

Jeremiah, b. Dec. 11, 1804, m. Sarah Purinton, Mar. 27, 1831. 

Infant, b. July i, 1807, d. young. 

Joseph W., b. Dec. 20, 1808, m. Mary C. Ilodgdon ; 2d, Sybil Bracket! ; d. 
Nov. 30, 1 88 1. 

Infant, b. May 15, 181 1, d. young. 

Mary Ann, b. Sept. 7, 1S13, d. young. 

Nahum, b. Apr. 25, 181 5, d. Oct. 19, 1834. 

Harriet B., b. July 4, 1817, m. James Lord, Nov. 24, 1S36. 

Martha A., b. May 13, 1S20, d. Jan. 11, 1835. 

Leonard, 1). June t, 1822, m. Ellen Crosby, Jan. 9, 1855. 

Major, b. Oct. t2, 1824. m. Susan McNalley, Sept. 14, 1847 ; d. in Clinton, Feb. 
13, 1 88 1. 

James, b. Apr. 13, 1S29, d. Nov. 25, 1S34. 

Alvin L., b. June 8, 1831, drowned in Detroit, Sept. 19, 1833. 

Nahum Lord died Oct. 26, 1846. His wife died March 12, 1870, 
aged 86. 

James Lord, brother to Nahum, was born in 1782, and came to 
Gorham about the year 1800. He later resided in Readfield, Hal- 
lowell and Wiscasset, Me. He built a house and mill in Detroit, and 
at one time kept a hotel in Stillwater. He married Abigail, daugh- 
ter of Ephraim and Al)igail Hunt (pub. Feb. 18, 1804). Children: 

Mary Ann, b. 1805, m. Hubbard Nichols. 

Nancy, b. 1806, m. William Ross. 

Gracey, b. 1807, m. John Holbrook. 

Sarah, b. 1809, m. Geo. Sanborn. 

lames, b. 1810, m. Harriet B. Lord, dau. of Nahum; I'd in Dctioit, Me. 

Charlotte, b. 181 2, m. Benjamin Crawford. 

Abigail, b. 1815, m. Plumley. 

Augusta, b. 1819, m. Janvrin. 

James Lord died at Lincoln, Me., Jan. 4, 1838. 



GENEALOGY. 643 

Anne Lord, sister of Nahum and James, married Austin Alden, 
April 12, 1814. They removed from Gorham to Pownal. Their 
eldest daughter, Sarah Alden, was educated in Gorham. She mar- 
ried Simeon T. Rice of Portland in 1855, and died in 1869, bein<;- 
buried in Gorham. 

(2) Jeremiah Lord, son of Nahum, lived in the " heater piece," 

between the County road and the Gorham road to Scarborough, near 

what is now known as " Bobadill." He kept a store in the lower part 

of his dwelling. The building with its contents was destroyed by fire 

in 1 84 1. After this fire the family moved to the eastern part of the 

State. Mr. Lord married Sarah, daughter of Meshach and Sarah 

Purinton. Children : 

Charlotte E., b. Feb. 26, 1S32, d. Aug. 17, 1855. 

Harriet, b. Nov. 5, 1833. 

Sarah F., b. Feb. 18, 1836. 

Charles F., b. Jan. 18, 1S38. 

Elice B., b. Aug. 25, 1840. 

Mary S., b. Jan. 28, 1843. 

Ivory Lord came to Gorham from Springvale. He married, Nov. 

26, 1834, Mary Jane, daughter of John Crockett. They lived near 

White Rock on the place now owned by then- son John A. Lord. 

Children : 

Hannah P., b. Oct. 16, 1835, d. July 22, 1S38. 

Charles L., b. June 14, 1838, m. Frances Coburn of Vt., 1S74. 

Frances E., b. Dec. 17, 1840. 

John A., b. July 7, 1843, "i. Alice J. Tyler, 1873. 

Sabin B., b. July 14, 1845, d. Nov. 14, 1863. 

Otis, b. Mar. 24, 185 1, d. Aug. 30, 1867. 

Abbie, b. , d. young. 

Ivory Lord died May 3, 189 1, aged So, and his wife, Jan. 25, 186 1, 
aged 45. 

Isaac, George and Samuel Lord were brothers ; natives of Effing- 
ham, N. H., and sons of Isaac and Susan Lord of that place. Isaac 
Lord came to Gorham about 1845, and went into business with his 
brother-in-law. Rev. Mr. Jameson. He was acting postmaster at the 
village at the time of his death. He married Frances Grant, and 
their children were Elizabeth F., married Geo. Sanborn, and 2d, Mr. 
Foster ; Anna G., married Mr. Lincoln ; Isaac ; and Frank. Isaac 
Lord died suddenly, April 24, 1857, aged 53. His wife died in 
Boston. 

Samuel W. Lord came to Gorham about 1846-7. He was in trade 
here with Mr. Jameson, and afterwards formed a partnership with 
James Mann, under the firm name of Lord and Mann. Their store 



644 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

was that which was burned in 1892 on the spot now occupied by that 
of F, H. Emery. He was postmaster at the village from 1853 to '57. 
He was also town treasurer in 1853 and from 1862 to '65. Mr. 
Lord built the house lately occupied by Dr. Straw on Main St. He 
married, Nov. 2, 1842, Ann, daughter of John and Huldah (Morrell) 
White of Windham. Children, all born in Gorham, but John who 
was born in Effingham : 

John, m. Frances Bell of Kennebunk ; 2d, Ella Mason of S. Boston. 

Charles, m. Mary Warriner of Fryeburg. 

Helen A., d. March 8, 1S50. 

Annie, m. Fred S. Hawkes of Windham Centre. 

Henry, m. Susie Richardson of Boston. 

Samuel, m. Louise Jordan of Portland. 

Edwin A., d. Mar. 28, 1857. 

Fannie, m. Loring Hawkes. 

Edwin, m. Lizzie Moore of Boston. 

Frank. 

Samuel Lord died in Windham in 1887. 

LOWELL. 

The Lowells of Gorham claim descent from Percival Lowell, who 
emigrated from Bristol, England, to Newbury, Mass., in 1639. 

Stephen Lowell was the son of Daniel and Mercy Lowell and was 
born in Standish, Sept. 27, 1781. He married, Oct. 19, 1809, 
Wealthy, daughter of Joel Sawyer who was an early settler in Gor- 
ham. Mr. and Mrs. Lowell resided in Standish till about 1829, when 
they removed to Gorham. Their children were born in Standish. 
Mrs. Lowell was a worthy and consistent member of the Congrega- 
tional church in Gorham, and we find the baptisms of her children 
on the church books, recorded by Rev. Mr. Rand. These chil- 
dren were : 

William, b. Nov. 17, 1810, m. Catherine Ramsey; moved to Mass. 

Amos, b. Feb. 9, 1814, m. Caroline Cutis; I'd in Mass. 

Mary, b. May 14, 1816, m. Anderson of Windham; 2d, Henry Broad; 

3d, Stephen Brown of Limington. 

Elizabeth, b. May 14, 1S19, m. Arthur M. Benson, Dec. i, 1844. 

George W., b. Jan. 29, 1822, m. Lucy J. Landers, Aug. 5, 1842; 2d, Sarah J. 
Lowell. 

Francis, b. Sept. 12, 1826, went whaling; was lost at sea. 

Stephen Lowell died at Gorham village, Aug. 7, 1848, aged 67. 
Mrs. Lowell died Sept. 18, 1859, aged 71. 

(2) George W. Lowell, .son of Stephen, was a builder and con- 
tractor, and designed a number of dwelling-houses and other build- 
ings in Gorham. He was also a member of the firm of Lovyell and 
Shackford, lumber dealers. He married Lucy J. Landers of Buck- 
field. Children : 




GEORGE W. LOWELL. 



GENEALOGY. G45 

Lucy A., b. Mar. 5, 1845, d. young. 

Julia Ella, b. Nov. 8, 1847, d. Oct. 4, 1881. 

Mrs. Lucy J. Lowell died Aug. 17, 1849, aged 24, and Mr. Lowell 

married, April 25, 185 i, Sarah J. Lowell of Hiram. Children : 

Lucy E., b. Eeb. 19, 1S52, d. Nov. 5, 1887. 
Edwin H., b. Apr. 2, 1S55, d. June 19, 1855. 
Carrie F., b. Dec. 26, 1859, d. Jan. 8, 1865. 
George A„ b. Feb. 13, 1867, d. Apr. 2, 1S67. 

Mr. Lowell died at his residence on Main St.. April 10, 1S97. 

Another branch of the Lowell family came to Gorham from Hiram, 
about the years 1836-40. They were Reuben; Henry; Mary Ann, 
who married Daniel Douglass ; Sarah J., who married George VV. 
Lowell; and Rhoda, who married Joseph Cressey, Jr., children of 
Reuben and Rhoda (Lord) Lowell of Hiram, and grandchildren 
of Jonathan K. Lowell of Flintstown who married, Dec. 11. 1783, 
Rachel Morton. 

Reuben Lowell, born March 18, 1816, lived at West Gorham, 
w'here he kept a team-tavern for several years till the days of rail- 
roads destroyed the business of teaming. He married Abigail P., 
daughter of Greenleaf P. and Lydia Watson. Their children were 
Ellen A., Greenleaf, and Edward G., who are all dead, Charles who 
married Elizabeth Bean, and Abba A., who died young. Reuben 
Lowell died June 7, 1882, aged 66. His wife died Oct. 17, 1896, 
aged 80. 

Henry Lowell, brother of Reuben, married Betsey, daughter of 

John Rice of Gorham. They lived where Mr. Bradbury now lives, 

on the new road to Saccarappa. Children : 

John R., b. Dec. 2, 1842. 

Sarah J., b. Oct. 7, 1845, "''■ James H.'Merritt of Portland, Oct. 23, 1865. 

Oscar A., b. Sept. 14, 1847, d- young. 

Louis H., b. July 4, 1852, m. Annie S. Faulkner of Westbrook, May 2, 1874. 

Mary L., b. Aug. 22, 1854, d. May 22, i860. 

Herbert H., b. Feb. 14, 1857, d. Aug. 26, 1863. 

Arthur, b. Mar. 4, 1859, d. young. 

Fred E., b. Aug. 24, 1861, d. July ri, 1880. (Drowned.) 

Henry Lowell died Nov. 13, 1862, aged 43, and his wife Betsey, 
July 10, 1889, aged 69. 

LOWREY. 

Robert Lowrey was born in Belfast, Ireland. He was a carpet 
weaver, and spent some years at work at this trade in Edinburgh, 
Scotland, where he had relatives. He married Mary A. Neil, who 
was born in the Isle of Guernsev. Soon after their marriage Mr. and 



646 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

Mrs. Lowrey came to America. They lived for a time in Northamp- 
ton, Mass. where their eldest child was born. From that place they 
removed to Lowell where Mr. Lowrey was employed in the Talbot 
Carpet Factory. About 1835 he moved to Gorham to become the 
superintendent of the carpet factory which Gen. Irish was about put- 
ting in operation. Mr. Lowrey afterwards built a factory for himself, 
on the west side of Water St., near the house where he then lived. 
This house and factory were burned in June, 1844. When John 
Tyler became President, Mr. Lowrey presented to him a carpet of his 
own manufacture with Tyler's name woven in the pattern. The Pres- 
ident accepted the gift, invited the donor to dine with him at the 
White House, gave him a silver mounted cane, and an appointment 
in the Custom House in Portland. This office he held during Tyler's 
administration. On his return to Gorham he bought and occupied 
the Dr. Baxter house on South St. During the administrations of 
Pierce and Buchanan, Mr. Lowrey held an appointment in the Boston 
Custom House. 

The children of Robert and Mary A. Lowrey were : 

Frances, b. Sept. 30, 1S25, m. Thos. Mulvey ; I'd in Hollis ; d. leaving two dau's. 

Sarali, b. July 6, 1827, d. unm. in I.ewiston, Me. 

James, b. Mar. 29, 1830, d. Aug. 8, 1841. 

Robert B., b. Oct. 29, 1832, d. Sept. 17, 1856, in St. Louis, Mo. 

Mary Ann, b. June 26, 1834, d. in Lewiston. 

Margaret, b. June 2, 1836, i.s a milliner in Portland. 

Julia A., b. Apr. 21, 1838, d. in Lewiston. 

Jane, b. July 14, 1840, d. Mar. 7, 1842. 

Ellen Jennie, b. June 18, 1842, d. July 9. 1868. 

Elizabeth T., b. Nov. 9, 1844, d. in Portland, Apr., 1901. 

John N.. b. Nov. 27, 1846, d. Mar. 3, 1847. 

Mrs. Lowrey died March 4, 1854, aged 48. Mr. Lowrey died in 

Augusta. 

MANN. 

William Mann came from England with some of the earlier settlers 
of Massachusetts and settled in Cambridge, and married Mary Farrel. 
Their only child, Samuel, born in 1647, was one of the first students 
of Harvard. He preached in Wrentham forty-seven years, and died 
in that town May 23, 17 19. Daniel Mann was born in Wrentham, 
Mass., Feb. 25, 1770, and was probably the son of Daniel and great- 
grandson of Samuel above. When a young man he came to Gorham 
where he was for some time engaged in teaching. He married, Aug. 
23, 1792, Hannah, daughter of Decker and Hannah (Hamblen) 
Phinney, and lived on Fort Hill in the old Decker Phinney house, 
then a one story dwelling. The graves still to be seen in the orchard 



GENEALOGY. 647 

on the easterly side of the Fort Hill road, just south of the residence 

of Mr. Palmer, are those of Decker Phinney and some members of 

the Mann family. Children of Daniel and Hannah Mann : 

Edmund, b. Jan. 12, 1793, m. Sally Gould, Dec. 31, 1S14. 
Hannah, b. Mar. 2, 1795, '''o record, prob'y d. young., 

Mrs. Hannah Mann died Aug. 14, 1795, ^S*^^^ -i> and Mr. Mann 
married, Elizabeth, daughter of Gershom and Deborah (Jenkins) 
Hamblen. Children : 

Daniel, b. in Raymond, Dec. 26, 1803, m. three times ; was a physician. 
Hannah Eliza, b. in Portland, 1S06, m. M. F. Haley ; d. in Salem, Mass., 

Aug. 20, 1844. 
Katherine, b. in Portland, Apr. 9, 1S09, m. Azariah Edwards of Lincoln; d. 

June, 1870. 
Mary Hamblen, b. in Portland, Nov. 21, 1814, m. Ivory K. Maxwell; d. in 

Shrewsbury, Mass.. Jan. 12, 1S53. 

Daniel Mann removed to Raymond, and thence to Portland.' On 
deeds of sale of his property in Gorham he is styled " mariner." He 
was at one time engaged in the coasting trade. He was a lieutenant 
and adjutant in the War of 1S12, and died in the service at Buffalo, 
N. Y., in 1814. His wife Elizabeth died in Lincoln about 1850. His 
daughters Mrs. Edwards and Mrs, Maxwell were authoresses of repute. 

(2) Edmund Mann, son of Daniel, filled many offices of import- 
ance in town and State. He was selectman for eight years, and 
Representative to the Legislature in 1829-30. He was a member of 
Gov. Dunlap's Council, and also County Commissioner. He was a 
member of the Free Baptist Church, and took an active and promi- 
nent part in enlarging and improving the edifice which formerly stood 
on Fort Hill. He resided on Fort Hill in the house formerly 
occupied by his father, which he altered and enlarged to its present 
form. He married Sally Gould, and their children were : 

Betsey P., b. June 21, 1S16, d. May 10, 1834. 

Hannah, b. Dec. 6, 1821, d. young. 

Georse ) ( unm. ; was a Dr. in Buffalo; was a Capt. in the 

lames ' 1 ^' •^""*^ ""' '^--' 1 Confederate army, and was killed at Viekslnirg. 

' ) ' m. Miriam F. Johnson, Nov. 25, 1S41. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 13, 1824, m. Rev. Peletiah Hobson, p. Mar. 8, 1S46. 

Hon. Edmund Mann died March 8, 1862, and his wife Sally, luly 
5, 1868, aged 79. 

(3) James Mann, son of Edmund, lived for a time on Fort Hill ; (the 
house has since burned). He afterwards lived at the village in the 
house now owned by Elisha Douglass, and was engaged in trade 
with Samuel W. Lord, under the firm name of Lord and Mann 
He was Representative to the Legislature in 1849-50, and State 



648 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

senator two years. He was also County Treasurer in 1862. In the 

War of the Rebellion he was appointed Paymaster in the Union army. 

After the close of the war he went South, and was elected to Congress 

from Louisiana. His wife was Miriam F., daughter of Robert R. 

Johnson of Gorham. Children : 

Horace P., b. Oct. 23, 1843, m. Nellie Colby of Gorham. 
James R., b. Dec. 16, 1851, m. Lottie Torrey of Deer Isle, Me. 
George E., b. Aug. 8, 1853, m. Florence Green of Newton. 

Hon. James Mann died in New Orleans, Aug. 26, 1868. Mrs. 

Mann died Jan. 8, 1902. 

MARCH. 

Col. James March was the son of Col. Samuel and Annah March 

of Scarborough, and was born in that town, Feb. 9, 1769. When 

but eleven years and three months of age, on May 15, 1 780, he enlisted 

as a fifer in Capt. Jedediah Goodwin's company, Col. Jos. Prime's 

Mass. regiment, and served for six months under command of Brig. 

Gen. Wadsworth. About the year 1806 he came to Gorham where he 

kept the " Bell Tavern " in the three story brick house, afterwards 

known as the " Gorham House." and since burned. His mother, 

Mrs. Annah March, died at his home, Nov. 15, 1815, aged 84. July 

9, 1800 Col. March was married by the Rev. Paul Coffin to Miss 

Sally Jose of Buxton. Their children, the first three of whom were 

born in Scarborough, were : 

Ann, b. May 16, 1801, m. Capt. John Farnham, Feb. 28, 1825. 

Abigail M., b. July 5, 1803, m. Daniel Marrett of Standish, Jan. 26, 1825; d. 

Mar. 15, 1856; he d. Dec. 3, 1875. 
Hannah, b. Dec. 9, 1805, m. Dr. Wm. H. Peabody, Sept. 9, 1828. 
Sarah J., b. Dec. 29, 1807, m. Col. Samuel L. Valentine of Bangor, Sept. 30, 

1833; 2d, James (iinn. 
Maria M., b. Jan. 21, 1809, m. Isaac C. Irish, Sept. 5, 1830. 
Lucinda P.,b. Oct. 6, 1812, m. John C. Proctor of Portland, Apr. 10, 1837. 
Emily P., b. Nov. 6, 18 14, m. Charles Robie, Sept. 2, 1835. 
Caroline E., b. July 17, 1S22, m. Augustus F. Gerrish of Portland, Dec. 27, 1848. 

Col. James March died March 29, 1823, and his wife Sally, Aug. 
22, 1863, aged Ss- 

MAYBERRY. 

Richard Mayberry, the first of the name who settled in Gorham, 
was a descendant of William Mayberry, who came to this country 
from Ballemoney, County Antrim, Ireland, and settled in Windham, 
where he died in 1765. Richard was the son of William and Jane 
(Miller) Mayberry, and was born in Windham, March 18, 1767. 
He married, Oct. 22, 1798, Mary, daughter of Simon and Eliza- 



GENEALOGY. 049 

beth Huston of Gorham. His home was on the now unused road 
in the Horton district, known as the Mayberry road, and was about 
a half mile west of the house of William Cobb, now occupied by 
Isaac L. Johnson. Here the remains of his cellar are still to be 
seen. Children : 

Lydia II., b. Aug. 8, 1799, "i- Mills H. Brown of Scarboro, Dec. 7, 1S34. 
Jane, b. Oct. 31, iSoi, m. William Mayberry of Gray, Oct. 20, 1827. 

Simon, b. , d. young. 

Stephen P., b. Mar. 12, 1S04, drowned in Little river, June 10, 1824. 
Maty Ann, b. June 5, 1S06, d. Aug., 1827. 

Mrs. Mary Mayberry died Nov. 7, 1826, aged 55. and Mr. 
Mayberry married in 182S, Betsey Brackett of Limington. Child: 
Sarah Ann. 

Richard Mayberry died Jan. 13, 1853, aged 87. 

Jefferson Mabry, son of Abraham and Ann Maberry, was born 

in Standish, Jan. 30, 1814. He lived at Great Falls, and was a 

lumberman and trader. In 1841 he married Lucretia, daughter of 

Col. Clark Swett. Children : 

Martha E.,b. Nov. 11, 1843. 

Charles H., b. Sept. 13, 1845. 

Georgiana, b. Aug. 14, 1847, m. Charles Nason, d. Apr. 23, 1875. 

Enoch, b. Aug. 17, 1849, ^'^- Susan Dole; 2d, Augusta E. Sprague. 

Ella F., b. June 14, 1854, d. July 29, 1855. 

Fannie A., b. June 28, 1863, m. Edward Mo>es. 

Mr. Mayberry died Dec. 30, 1871, and his wife, July 3, 1885. 

Henry Mayberry came from Windham in 1849 to Gorham, where 
he lives at Great Falls. He is a blacksmith. In 1879, '80 and '81 
Mr. Mayberry was one of the board of selectmen of Gorham. He 
married Elizabeth A. Bennett of New Gloucester. Children : 

Charles Fred. b. Jan. 13, 1850, is Prof, of Chemistry in Case School of Applied 

Sciences, Cleveland, Ohio. 
Emma, b. 1856, m. John Dowling of Bridgeport, Conn. 
Cora J., b. 1S60, d. May 8, 1876. 
Geo. VV.,b. 1862, d. Mar. 4, 1868. 

McCORRISON. 

Our old records have the name as McCallister. WHiether this is 
the right spelling or not we do not say, but this we do say, that 
there are many names on the old records which differ surprisingly 
from the present mode of writing them. W'e find this name writ- 
ten McCallister, McCullister. McCoUister, McCullison and McCorson. 
The latter was the usual name the Rev. James affixed to the marriage 
certificates he returned to the town clerk; but the descendants of 



650 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

William, after using various spellings, have finally settled down on 
McCorrison, by which name the numerous members of the family are 
known throughout the country, which name we shall adopt in this 
notice. 

William McCorrison was one of the early inhabitants of Narragan- 
sett No. 7, or Gorhamtown, and was one of those who, with his 
family, lived in the old fort during the Indian war of 1746. Of his 
ancestors we know nothing. His family claim that they are English, 
but it will be seen that he was a Mac. Hence it appears very prob- 
able that his ancestors were either Scotch or Irish. His name does 
not appear on the old Proprietors' Records, but this is no proof 
of his not being an owner of land and an inhabitant. A proprietor 
purchased his right by the number of the right, with all the after divis- 
ions of land thereto pertaining, which would include his first thirty 
acre lot, which bore the number of his right, to which number would 
be drawn an hundred acre lot, and a seventy acre lot ; then he owned 
his share in all the gores, strips and other common land within the 
town. A person was not called a proprietor, by simply purchasing a 
piece of land, unless the settler con^■eyed his right as proprietor in 
all the after divisions. We have proof that William McCorrison 
cleared land and built a house here, although he may never have 
completed a purchase of land in Gorham ; for in a Proprietors' tax to 
raise the sum of ^65 lawful money, to pay the debts of the proprie- 
tary, including the balance due the Rev. Solomon Lombard in the 
final settlement ; to build Little river bridge, and to repair roads, 
his name is not found. The first tax we find assessed to him is in the 
County rates for 1763, where he is taxed with two polls, with no real 
estate or personal property. One of these polls was for his son, who 
must have been between sixteen and twenty-one years of age. By 
reference to the Old Colony laws, it will be seen that poll taxes were 
assessed on all males, except Church Elders and magistrates; minors 
between sixteen and twenty-one to be assessed to their parents or 
guardians. Mr. McCorrison's name does not appear in the bills for 
1772, or after that time. 

We do not know where or to whom William McCorrison was mar- 
ried. It is probable he came into town with a family, or at least 
with a wife. There was a Mary, who married William Irish, July 18, 
1765 ; Elizabeth, who married a Gershom Davis, Dec. 26, 1779, and 
James, who marmed Deliverance Rich ; consequently we come to the 
conclusion that William had at least three children, all probably born 
here; whether he had more we cannot say. When or where William 



GENEALOGY. 651 

or his wife died we can find no record, nor have we been able to find 
any tradition touching the fact. 

(2) James McCorrison, who was a prominent Free Will Baptist 
preacher of the old style, was the son of William. He was born in 
the old fort, on Fort Hill. Of the time we have no record, but some 
say it was March 4, 1750. It is more probable that he was born 
about the year 1747. From a careful examination and comparison 
of dates, we think Mary was born in 1745, James about 1747. and 
Elizabeth in 1758, or near to these dates. Report says James was 
married when about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and if we 
add eighteen years to the date of his birth, it would have him mar- 
ried in 1765, and at his death he would have been not far from 73 
years of age. James married, Oct. 6, 1765, Deliverance, daughter 
of Lemuel Rich, who came to Gorham about 1762. The children of 
James and Deliverance McCorrison were : 

Lemuel, b. Aug. 28, 1767, m. Mehitable Richardson of Standish, Dec. 6, 1792. 

Amos, b. June 16, 1769. 

James, Jr., b. Oct. 11, 1771, m. Dorcas Brackett of Falmouth, Feb. 19, iSoi. 

Mary, b. Jan. i, 1774. 

Patience, b. Feb. 22, 1776. 

Betty, b. Oct. 27, 1779, "^- Ebenezer Hamblen, Jr., Jan. 25, 1799. 

When Deliverance died we do not know, but in 1782, Jan. 31, 

James married Mary Flood of Portland, a sister of Edmund Flood, 

late of Buxton, near Oroveville. By her he had : 

Benjamin, b. Jan. 10, 1783, m. Al)igail Richardson of Standish, Sept. 8, 1805. 

Hannah, b. Sept. 17, 1784. 

Rebecca, b. Apr. 4, 1786. 

Mary, b. Feb. 16, 1789, m. a Knight. 

Nabby, b. Feb 13, 1791. 

Isaac, b. Jan. 13, 1794. 

Daniel, b. Jan. 26, 1796. 

Joseph, b. July 6, 1798. 

Sarah, b. Sept. 7, 1800. 

After Mr. McCorrison's marriage with Deliverance Rich he pur- 
chased a part of the hundred acre lot, 81, next north of that part 
purchased by John Watson, and built himself a house as he thought 
on his own lot. This was before the roads in that part of the town 
were located. When the road from Watson's corner, running north- 
erly toward West Gorham, was opened, he found his farm on the 
west and his house on the east side of the road. By this arrange- 
ment he was either obliged to move his house, or purchase a house- 
lot. He took the latter course, and bought a small lot from No. 80. 
His house stood opposite where the house of the late Joseph Gilkey 
now stands, and where his old cellar is to be seen. When he made 



652 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

his clearing and built his house it was the most northwesterly of any 
in town. Mr. Watson had not at that time built on the southerly 
end of the lot. At this time the old fort was standing, and a part of 
it used for public worship, and being no longer of use for defensive 
purposes, it had several rooms which could be had rent free. They 
were often used by the settlers till they could put up houses on their 
lots. One of these rooms is said to have been occupied by Mr. 
McCorrison and his wife for a short time. The road running westerly 
from the Fort Hill road between the land now owned by Archelaus 
L. Hamblen and Mr. Dyer, past where Moses Whitney and John 
Cressey formerly lived, and where Charles Cressey has more recently 
resided, on to the saw mill which stood on the falls below what is 
now known as Stephenson's bridge, is a very old road, and is said 
to have been used before the road running northerly from where 
Samuel Cressey recently lived to the saw mill, was laid out. McCor- 
rison's usual track from the fort to his lot was across lots to John 
Cressey's, thence westerly down the hill to the mill, thence through 
the dark hole, so called, to his land, i^e must have been a man of 
some energy, for we find him in 1772, probably four years after he 
became of age, possessed of but little real, or personal estate, and 
with three children on hand ; and in the year 1780 he had increased 
in worldly goods to a respectable standing, and a family of six chil- 
dren, and was taxed for about one hundred and fifty acres of land, 
one house, one barn, one horse, one colt, two oxen, two cows, four 
young cattle, and ten sheep ; cut twelve tons of hay, and had fifty- 
six acres of tillage ; this would certainly indicate that he was a large 
cultivator of the soil, and one who attended well to his business. 

Mr. McCorrison was from his youth, (so says our informer, who 
was a very near connection of his,) a very moral and upright man, 
early impressed with religious views, but could not make his ideals 
conform to the standard of the times. His belief was that religion 
should be of a free and easy kind ; that the teacher needed no edu- 
cation, and that religion should be under no restraint of forms and 
ceremonies. He thought that God would give utterance and find 
words for his preachers as they went along whether they were ignorant 
or learned ; that religious preaching and teaching should never be 
paid for ; as they were doing God's work, he would abundantly 
provide for his ministers ; and that a paid clergy were an abomina- 
tion, and the hirelings of the devil. He was particularly down on 
the old standing order, and the learned clergy, and the payment of 
the ministerial tax. He was one of the Come-outers, as they were 



GENEALOGY. 653 

called. But with all this, Mr. McCorrison was an honest citizen, 
doing what he conscientiously thought to be right, according to the 
good book, as he believed its teachings to be. lie died in Buxton, 
Oct. 14, 1S20. 

Mcdonald. 

The McDonalds, or McDaniels, as the name was often called, 
came to this country from Olencoe, Scotland, and landed on Cape 
Cod. John McDonald probably went to Wells in 1726. He was in 
the war against the Indians; and finally came to Gorham, where he 
settled in the western part of the town, on a farm adjoining that of 

the late William Warren. He married Susanna , and had 

six children of whom we have record, the three eldest of whom 
were probably born in \'ork : 

John, Jr., b. , m. Joanna Rounds of Buxton, Feb. 25, 1762. 

Robert, b. Jan. 8, 1744, ni. Mary Kendrick, July i, 1770. 

Mary, b. May 10, 1746. 

Joseph, b. Sept. 3, 1748, m. Sarah Towel, p. Nov. 16, 1776. 

Peletiah, b. May 2, 1754, m. Elizabeth ; 2d, Dorcas Stuart. 

Abner, b. , m. Polly Wiswell of Falmouth, p. July 21, 1781. C'li : Wil- 
liam, b. Mar. 13, 17S2; Dorcas, b. Apr. 26, 1785; Sally, b. Sept. 16, 
1787 ; Enoch, b. Sept. 11, 1790. 

John McDonald died on his farm May 9, 1768. 

(2) Robert McDonald, son of John, married Mary Kendrick of 
Pepperellborough, now Saco. Children : 

Samuel M., b. Jan. 28, 1771, m. Anna Whitten, Dec. 25, 1 7(14 ; I'd in Standish 

and Chatham. 
John, b. Apr. 6, 1773, settled in Limerick; State Senator five years; Maj. Gen. 

of militia; was father of Moses McDonald, late member of Congress, 

and Collector for Dist. of Portland. 
Robert, b May 3, 1775, I'd in Standish ; was drowned. 
Abner. b. Jan. 14, 1778. m. Elizabeth (Dyer) Choat, dau. of Capt. Jonah Dyer, 

June 28, i8o[. Child: Charles, b. Jan. 29, 1802, m. Elizabeth Dyer, 

prob. went to the Provinces. Capt. Abner McDonald I'd in Buxton ; d. 

about 1803 ; his widow m., May 18, 1804, David IL Bradley. 
Miriam, b. Jan. 21, 1782. 

Benoni, b. Jan. 28, 1785, m. Hannah Emery of Buxton ; I'd in liiram. 
Susan, b. , m. Robert Usher; 2d, Seth Hamblen of Lmiington. 

Robert McDonald died in Limerick. 

(2) Joseph McDonald, son of John, was one of the earliest settlers 

in the northeast part of the town. In 1779 he took part in the 

Bagaduce expedition, being a corporal in Capt. McLellan's company. 

He married Sarah Towel. She w-as the daughter of Thomas and 

Lydia Towel, and was born in Falmouth, Dec. 27, 1752. Children : 

James, b. , m. Rachel Webb, Jan. 20, 1803. 

John, b. 1782, m. Betsey Jordan of Poland; d. in Standish, Apr. 8, 1S57 ; she, 
Apr. 8, 1880, ag. 93 y'rs. 



654 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Charles, b. , m. Abigail Morse of Gray ; d. in \Yindham. 

Joseph, b. 17S8, m. Dolly Shaw, June 30, 181 1. 

Stephen, b. , was in War of 181 2 ; d. in Sandy Hill, N. Y., in 1828. 

Joseph McDonald died in 1815, and was buried in the graveyard 
near the site of the old church at White Rock. Mrs. McDonald died 
Sept. 14, 1828. 

(2 ) Peletiah McDonald, son of John, lived at West Gorham. He 

was a soldier of' the Revolution. He married Elizabeth . 

Children on record were : 

William, b. at Fort Putnam, N. Y., Apr. 3, 1779. 

Eleanor, b. at Gorham, June 14, 1785, m. Benoni Wood, Apr. 4, 1807. 

Mr. McDonald married, Aug. 17, 1787, Dorcas, daughter of 
Wentworth Stuart. After this marriage he lived in Standish, where 
other children were born : Randolph, died at sea about 1805 ; Edmund ; 
C'atherine, married Robert Nason of Hollis; George, I'd at Bonny 
Eagle; Joanna, married Wm. R. Sturgis of Gorham; Mary; Francis; 
Stuart; John, and Abner, who married Eunice Shaw, and second, 
Ksther McDonald. Peletiah McDonald died near Bonny Eagle, Aug. 
31, 1841, and his wife Dorcas, March 3, 1847, aged 80. 

(3) James McDonald, son of Jo.seph, kept a hotel at Windham 
Upper Corner. He married Rachel, daughter of Eli and Sarah 
\\'ebb. Children : 

James, b. July 23, 1803, m. Abigail, dau. of James G., and Molly Sturgis, July 
iS, 1826. Ch : Martha E., b. Sept. 20, 1S28, d. Sept. 20, 1832 ; Frances 
0., b. Aug. 6, 1829, d. P"eb. 28, 1836; Jame.s G., b. Oct. 3, 1832 ; vSidney 
S., b. Nov. 24, 1834, m. Mary H. Bayley of Peru, Feb. 5, 1854, d. Oct. i, 
1855; Sarah E., b. July 20, 1837; Mary A., b. July 23, 1839; Susan S., 
b. June 9, 1841, d. June 4, 1846. James McDonald, Jr., I'd near the 
White Rock church ; d. Oct. i, 1870, and his wife Abigail, Mar. 2, 1890. 

Betsey, b. June i6, 1805, d. lune 30, 1828. 

Eli, b. Aug. 8, 1807. 

Abner, b. Jan. 6, 1810. 

Edward, b. Jan. 29, 18 12. 

Thomas, b. (Jet. 12, 1814. 

Sally, b. Jan. 14, 1817. 

Mary Ann, b. July 19, 1820. 

Mr. McDonald died at North Windham. 

(3) loseph McDonald, son of Joseph, was for many years collector 

of taxes in (iorham. He lived in the north part of the town on a 

farm in the McDonald district, so called. He married Dolly Shaw of 

Standish. Children : 

Edmund S., b. Aug. 25, 1812, 

Esther P., b. Mar. 10, 1S14, m. Nov. 17, 1S53, Abner McDonald, (2d wife) ; I'd 

in Standish. 
Alvah, b. Nov. 4, 1816, m. Hannah Harmon, [844. 
Joseph, b. May 10, 1819, m. Rose; I'd in Mass. 



GENEALOGY. 655 

Marshall, b. Aug. ii, 1S22, m. Anna A. Fickett, Aug. 21, 1852 ; d. in Portland. 
July S, 1896. 

Zebulon, b. , d. young. 

Enoch S., b. Sept. 17, 1S29, m. Sarah Thomes of Harrison. 

William F., b. -, d. young. 

Frances A., b. Mar. 31, 1S35, m. John Higgins of Standish Neck. 

Mrs. McDonald died March 31, 1845, ^ged 53, and Mr. McDonald 
married in 1S46, Mrs. Agnes (Moulton) Harding, widow of William 
Harding. Joseph McDonald died Nov. 4, 1854. 

Charles McDonald was probably a brother to John McDonald, Sr. 

He owned the thirty acre lot, 53, which lot he exchanged with John 

Cressey for a farm west of Little river, near where David Warren 

lived. Dea. Alden in his diary records the marriage of Charles 

" McDaniels." He married in Gorham, Jan. 21, 1762, Priscilla Davis 

of Gorham, probably the daughter of Capt. Simon and Priscilla 

(Hamblen) Davis of Barnstable, and sister to the first wife of Zeph- 

aniah Harding. Mr. McDonald was a private in ('apt. McLellan's 

company. Col. Mitchell's regiment, and took part in the Bagaduce 

expedition, in the Revolution. Children : 

Meribah, b. Nov. 21, 1763. ni. Cornelius iJramhall, Feb. 2(S, 1788. 

Susanna, b. July 21, 1766. 

Nancy, b. Aug. 10, 1769, m. William Dyer, Oct. 1 i, 1792. 

Simon Davis, b. Aug. 19, 1773, m. July 16, 1800, Betty, prob. dau. of Benjamin 

and Sarah Brown. One child recorded, Joseph Brown, b. Sept. 19, iSoi. 

Simon D. McDonald was a "mariner." He owned a part of the hundred 

acre lot, 64, on the Flaggy Meadow road, where he probably lived. 

This he sold July 8, 1802, to Joseph Cressey. 
Jacob, b. Nov. 14, 1775, m. Betsey Morse (?) of Gray, p. Sept. 17, 1799. 
Charles, b. May 16, 1777. 
Joseph, b. Nov. 23, 177'). 
Mary, b. Jan. 26, 1782. 
Elizabeth, b. Nov. 24, 17S5. 

McDOUGALL. 

David McDougall was born in Stroudwater, about the year 1763 or 
1764. He was the son of James and Mary (Patrick) McDougall. We 
do not know how much of a family there was, but David had a 
brother James. Their father, who was Scotch, died in Stroudwater, 
when David was a lad. He and his widowed mother were living in 
Gorham in 1779, for at that time he, with the consent of his mother, 
bound himself as an apprentice, to Cary McLellan. His mother, Mrs. 
Mary McDougall, was a cousin to Charles Patrick, the mason, who 
came to Gorham from Stroudwater in 1776. She died in Gorham 
Feb. I, 18 1 5, aged 72. David McDougall lived on the farm lately 
owned by Charles Cushman, near the Buxton line. He married Dec. 
20, 1786, Anna, daughter of Isaac and Mary Elder. She died July 



656 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

5, 1791. aged 26, leaving no children, and he married, Jan. 11, 1794, 
Phebe, daughter of Thomas and Phebe (Freeman) Paine, born in 
Eastham, Mass., March 23, 177 1. Their children were : 

Anna, b. Dec. 11, 1794, m. Nathaniel Hatch, p. Apr. 10, 1S12. 

Thomas, b. Dec. 2, 1795, d. young. 

William, b. Mar. i, 1797, m. Isabella Melcher of Brunswick. Two ch : one of 
whom d. y. ; the other. Rev. Edward McDougall, I's in Milton, Florida. 
William McDougall died in Alabama. Both he and his brother, 
Thomas, were graduates of Bowdoin College. 

Thomas, b. Oct. 2, 1799, went to Alabama, when a young man, as an instructor 
in Greek and Latin. He d. there, unm. 

David, b. Dec. 27, 1802, m. Minerva Garland; went to Milwaukee, Wis., when 
it had but twenty-three inhabitants; d. at Kenosha, Wis. ; no ch. 

Mary, b. Sept. 8, 1803, d. July 26, 1805. 

James, b. Apr. 13, 1805, m. Ann L. Tucker of Standish, Sept. 12, 1835. Ch. b. 
in Gorham: Mary Ann, b. Apr. 10, 1836, m. Henry Hills of Sheboygan 
Falls,Wis., 1862; Phebe P., b. July5, 1838, m. Elisha P. Day of Nevin- 
ville, Iowa, i860, d. in N. in 1861 ; David, b. Jan. 8, 1841, d. in the army 
hospital at Louisville, Ky., in 1865, unm. James McDougall I'd for 
some years in (iorham on the old place ; then moved to Nevinville, Iowa, 
in 1857, where he d. in 1874 ; his wife d. at Sheboygan Falls, Wis., in 
1888. 

Mary, b. Apr. 22, 1S07, m. Chas. Wilder of Me ; d. in Mich. 

Hannah, b. Feb. 9, 1809, m. Rev. C. O. Libby, May 21, 1834. 

David jNIcDougall died Jan. 3, 1849, aged 85 ; Mrs. Phebe 
McDougall died Feb. 16, 1839, aged 68. 

MclNTOSH. 

James Mcintosh was a Scotchman. It is probable that Jane, 
Sophia, Catherine, and Polly Mcintosh were his sisters: Jane married 
Asa Hatch, Dec. 9. 1792 ; Sophia married Dudley VVhitmore, Nov. 
24, 1796; Catherine married Dennis Mulloy, Oct. 2, 1796; Polly 
married Benjamin Patrick, March 27, 1796. 

James Mcintosh married, March 13, 1798, Peggy Patrick, daugh- 
ter of Charles and Mehitable, and sister of Benjamin Patrick. His 
farm was on the new road to Saccarappa, just east of the Mulloy 
place. Children : 

Ann, b. May 22, iSoo. m. Nicholas M. Knight; was burned to death. 

Wiiliam, b. July 22, 1802, m. ; d. in Gorham, June 22, 1S40. 

John, b. Oct. 9, 1805. 

Catherine, b. Mar. 21, 1808, m. Ephraim Rounds, July 14, 1835; 2d. Wm. 

Johnson of Bangor. 
James, b. Aug. 9, 181 o, d. Aug. 20, 1842. 
Stephen, I 1 in y v^ i ^- w""- i'n Gorham in i88t. 

Charles, \ ' ' ' '^' \ m. EHza Mitchell ; I'd in Portland. 

Mary, b. July 18, 18 16, m. Dr. Wadleigh ; I'd in Bangor. 

Margaret, b. , m. A. Ilutchins. 

George, b. June 9, 1820, m. Harriet Mulloy. He d. Feb. 15, 1857, and his 

widow m. 2d, Chas. Roberts. 

James Mcintosh died June 8, 185 1, aged 83. His wife Peggy 
died March 4, 1863. 



GENEALOGY. ' 657 

McKENNEY. 

The family of McKenney is of Scotch origin. It is claimed that 
the name is only another form of McKenzie, and that the McKenneys 
are a branch of that clan. It seems probable, that John McKenney, 
who was in Scarborough as early as 1668, and who was the first of 
the name of whom we have certain record in this part of the country, 
is identical with John McKanne, whose name is found in a list of 
Scotch prisoners captured at the battle of Dunbar, and who came to 
America about 1 65 1 . 

David Hasty McKenney, or as he always chose to write his name, 
McKenny, was of the sixth generation from John of Scarborough. 
His grandparents Humphrey and Elizabeth (Small) McKenney, were 
among the first settlers of the plantation of New Ossipee, now Lim- 
ington. lie was the youngest child of Dominicus and Mary (Hasty) 
McKenney, and was born in Limington, Oct. 23, 18 13. When about 
eighteen years of age, he came to Gorham, and learned the trade of 
tanning and shoemaking, then carried on here by Gen. James Irish, 
at which trade he worked for two or three years. Afterwards he 
engaged in the business of carpet-making, at first with Edward 
McDonald, and afterwards on his own account. The three-story 
building at the junction of Main and Portland Sts., was built by him 
for a carpet factory. Originally it faced on Main St., but was turned 
partly around when it was converted into a dwelling house. Con- 
nected with this was another large building, since removed, which 
was used for a dye-house. The house next east, now called the 
Odiorne house, was built by Mr. McKenney for his residence. After 
discontinuing the business of carpet-making, he spent two years in 
farming in Wisconsin, and several years in the manufacture of agri- 
cultural tools in Worcester, Mass., to which latter place he removed 
his family. Returning to Gorham, in 1867, he bought the Boynton 
place, so called, in the easterly part of the village. In this home he 
passed his declining years, dying Feb. 27, 1893. He married, July 
6, 1841, Rebecca, daughter of Samuel McLellan. Their children 
were : 

Sarah Louise, b. June 8, 1S46, d. Aug. 25, 1849. 

Howard Augustus, b. July 15, 184S, m. Alice L West of Brandon, Vt., June 16, 

1S74; occupies the family home on Main St.; has been for many years a 

member of the school committee of the town. 

Mr. and Mrs. McKenney were early and active supporters of the 
M. E. Church in this village. They were earnest workers for the erec- 
tion of the original church on High St., contributing liberally for 



658 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

that purpose, besides paying the first hundred dollars needed to 
secure the lot upon which to build it. Mrs. McKenney died March 
7, 1892, aged nearly 76. 

McLELLAX. 

The McLellans of Gorhani are descended from Hugh and Elizabeth 
McLellan, whose children intermarried with those of Bryce McLellan 
of Portland, and James McLellan of Saco. James was a brother and 
Bryce a cousin to Hugh. Hugh and Elizabeth were born and mar- 
ried in County Antrim, in the north of Ireland. Br)'ce IMcLellan, 
the ancestor of the Portland branch of the family, came to this 
country several years before Hugh, and settled first in Wells, where 
he owned land July. 1720, and where several of his children were 
born and christened. He moved from that place to Cape Elizabeth, 
and about the year 1730 to Falmouth Neck. 

Hugh was the son of Hugh, and Elizabeth was the daughter of 
Gary McLellan. Their families were remotely connected, and were 
descended from Sir Hugh McLellan of Argyle, Scotland, who was 
knighted in 1515. This branch of the McLellans migrated from 
Scotland (probably the southern part of Ross, where the name is still 
numerous) to the north of Ireland, with a colony of Scotch, some 
seventy or a hundred years previous to the coming to America of 
Hugh and Elizabeth. 

In the year 1733 with their first child, William, they sailed .from 
Londonderry, and after a rough, stormy passage of two months 
arrived in Boston. On their voyage another child was born to them, 
who died in infancy. From Boston they went to York, Me. ; thence 
to Wells, where they purchased land and remained for a time, but 
their farm proving to be poor and unproductive, they disposed of it 
and went to Saco, where Hugh's brother James lived. From Saco 
they went to Falmouth, where Hugh had a sister. Here they lived 
on Moses Pearson's farm at Back Cove, but fearing Indian depreda- 
tions, moved to Falmouth Neck. While living on the Neck, Hugh 
purchased a grantee's right of land in Xarragansett No. 7, which 
right consisted of two hundred acres. For this grant he paid ten 
pounds, which was all the money he had. The deed was given 
by Shubael Gorham. Aug. 10, 1739. They took little with them 
besides a cow, a horse, and a few household goods. It was a wild, 
almost uninhabited region for which they started ; but as they were 
endowed with bold hearts and industrious hands, and trusted in God, 
there was nothing to deter them from their undertaking. 'I'hey moved 



GENEALOGY. 659 

up in the winter of 1738-9, and at first lived in a logging, or hunter's 
camp, and for a short time were poor. During the French and Indian 
war, the family lived in the fort on the hill, which they entered on the 
20th of April (old style) 1746, the day following the massacre of 
the Bryant family, and here their daughter Jane was born. After the 
war, or in about seven years, they returned to their log-house, and 
subsequently, by industry, perseverance and prudence, they accumu- 
lated a competency, and even became wealthy for the times. Hugh 
was a successful farmer and lumberman, and" in 1763 and for many 
years thereafter, he paid the highest provincial tax then paid in the 
town. About the year 1770 he commenced the erection of the brick 
house which stands on the north side of the hill called Academy Hill ; 
it was not completed, however, until the expiration of about four 
years. It is the oldest brick house in the county. The bricks, lised 
in the construction of the house, were made by the family on their 
own land near the brook. The old hunter's camp, in which the fam- 
ily first lived, stood on the eastern side of the road, nearly opposite 
the brick house, a few rods northerly from the house lately owned by 
Dr. Newman. They afterwards built a log-house, which was situated 
on the western side of the road, and a little northerly from the site 
now occupied by the brick house, where they lived until the comple- 
tion of the latter. 

At the time of the Revolution they contributed largely of their 
means in aid of the cause. All their sons and sons-in-law were in 
the army. At a time when the families of the Gorham soldiers in the 
army were in great need, the town being poor in resources, and 
money hard to raise, through the means mostly furnished by Hugh 
McLellan, the town was enabled to purchase a cargo of corn for dis- 
tribution to the soldiers' families. Hugh McLellan was a decided 
Presbyterian in belief, although he became a ruling elder in the 
Congregational church, which, however, for a few years after its 
organization in Gorham, leaned a little towards the Presbyterian 
style of church government, and made choice of elders to fill the 
offices afterwards held by deacons. He was universally considered, 
both within and without the church, an upright, conscientious man, 
hospitable and benevolent. No poor man ever went from his door 
without aid. The children of Hugh and Elizabeth McLellan were : 

William, b. in Ireland, Feb. 22, 1730, m. Rebecca Huston, Dec. S, 1762. 
Gary, bapt. in Wells, Nov. 3, 1734, d. young. 
Abigail, b. in Portland, 1738, m. James McLellan, Aug. 26, 1756. 
Mary, b. in Gorham, 1740, m. Joseph McLellan, Sept., 1756. 
Alexander, b. in Gorham, 1742, m. Margaret Johnson, Oct. 21, 1765. 



6(50 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Gary, b. in Gorham. May i, 1745, m. Eunice Elder, Jan. i, 1767; 2d, Maiy 

Parker. 
Jane, b. in Gorham, Nov. 2, 1748, m. Actor Patten of Topsham. Nov. 20, 1766. 
Martha, b. in Gorham, 1750, d. aged 3 yeans. 

Thomas, b. in Gorham, Oct., 1753, ™- J^"*^ Patterson, Nov. 29, 1777. 
Martha, b. in Gorham, 1755, m. James Warren, Dec. 30, 1773. 

Hugh McLellan died Jan. 2, 1787, aged 77. His wife, who was 
a remarkably intelligent woman, retained her faculties down to a late 
period in her life. At the age of ninet}' she put the saddle and bridle 
upon her horse and mounting from the horse-block rode over two 
miles to the house of her daughter Mrs. Warren, spent the day, and 
returned alone. She died July 16, 1804, in the 96th year of her 
age. At the time of her death she had 234 living descendants. Both 
she and her husband are buried in the old cemetery at the village. 

(2) William McLellan, the eldest child of Hugh and Elizabeth, 
was born in Ireland. He came with his parents to Gorham when 
about nine years old. His home lot was the hundred acre lot No. 2. 
When he commenced to clear this land it was covered with so dense 
a growth of timber that he was obliged to take off the wheels from his 
cart, and roll them in one by one, and to drive his oxen in singly 
between the trees. Here he built a large two-story house, on the 
west side of South St., about a mile from the village, where the cellar 
and the old orchard are still to be seen. This house was raised Sept. 
15. 1763, and a jolly time they had. It was nearly, if not quite, the 
first two-story house raised in town, and company came to the raising 
from all the adjoining towns, and probably some didn't get home till 
morning. This house was taken down by Alexander McLellan, Esq. 
about the year 1826, and most of the material worked into the house, 
lately owned and occupied by Elder Joseph Colby, on High St., in 
the village, near where the Methodist meeting-house formerly stood. 

Mr. McLellan was a short, thick-set man, strong built, rough raised 
and scrubby. Early inured to hardship and toil, knowing nothing of 
fatigue, he was energetic and persevering, never giving up what it 
was possible to accomplish, brave and patriotic to the back-bone. 
Hospitable and generous, he cared but little about the rules of gen- 
teel society, would pay you every cent he owed you, feed you if 
hungry, clothe you if naked, house you if homeless ; but if able, you 
must work and earn your living; laziness he depised. His house 
was always full, if not of such as he would wish, they were of such as 
were picked up in the highways, and when well fed were required to 
work ; if they refused on top of a good square meal, they were ordered 
to march. If we should say he was a religious man, we should go 



GENEALOGY. 661 

too far; if we should say he was a moral man, not quite up to the 
religious standard, probably we should be a little nearer the point, 
but his morals were of a peculiar kind ; — stick to his agreement 
when possible to do so. In point, when the frame of the meeting- 
house fell over, when Dr. Bowman and Mr. Tiyon were killed, more 
timber of a nice and peculiar description was wanted. Mr. McLellan 
agreed with the committee to get the sticks, and deliver them on the 
spot within a given number of days. Inadvertently the time was made 
to fall on Sunday. Mr. McLellan tried to get through Saturday, but 
the thing was not possible. The timber was hauled on Sunday 
and the committee called in to receive it. They objected, as it was 
Sunday. The reply was, " There's the timber, according to agreement 
made by yourselves. If you don't choose to take it, I will haul it 
home and when you want more timber, it's not I that will get it' for 
you." This they knew was final, and they were compelled to let 
the necessity overcotne the objection. The timber was received, and 
Mr. McLellan went home satisfied, for he had done according to 
agreement. 

Mr. McLellan was popularly known throughout the community as 
"Uncle Billy;" a name by which he is still known by the present 
generation. He was a large land owner, and owned mills. He kept 
a large stock ; at times over a hundred head of cattle, and milked 
thirty cows. He found it impossible to prevent them from sometimes 
getting into the road. One night his man came home and reported 
some of his cattle in Pound, at the village. This did not please him, 
although he would have been willing to give Mr. E. twice the amount 
of the fine if he had needed it. But having his cattle taken up, and 
then to be made to pay for it, went against the grain. He saddled 
his old horse, called his negro Prince, and with a stout lever on his 
shoulder, started for the Pound. The gate was made with one of the 
side pieces long and rounded at the ends. These ends were fitted 
to play in holes in the sill and cap-piece, thus making the hinge. 
The lever was applied, and with his shoulder under the cap-piece, he 
soon raised it so as to completely liberate the gate. The cattle were 
turned out, gate replaced all as good as new; the animals were driven 
home, all put to rights, and Mr. McLellan went to bed. He had not 
been there long, before the voice of Prince was heard calling, " O 
Massa Willum, get up, get up, trap spring. Got b'ar, got b'ar here 
dis time." No second call was needed, as Mr. McLellan was quite a 
sportsman. All hands went to the corn field, back of the house, and 
sure enough, Prince had Mr. Bruin trapped fast. He was soon 



662 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

dispatched, brought down to the house, and properly dressed. While 
skinning the bear, probably Mr. AIcLellan's conscience rather told 
him he had not done the right thing, and he said to Prince, " Prince, 
you take the old horse and take a quarter of the bear up to the 
Corner, and leave it at Mr. E.'s door, tie it to the catch, and mind 
you don't make any noise." "Yes, Massa Willum," said Prince, "if 
you say so, I jest does it, but I t'ink dis b'ar meat too good pay for 
pounding cows, any way ; but Prince does dis job so easy you don't 
hear him more dan a mouse in de cheese." The job was done, 
Prince came back, and all went to bed. Next morning Mr. E. found 
his quarter of bear, took it in, found the cows were out of pound, 
smelt a rat, but said nothing. Soon after, he met Mr. McLellan, 
took him by the hand, and pleasantly said, " Sorry I put you to so 
much trouble about the cows last night. I only stopped them in 
the road, and shut them up, that they might not run off. I did not 
put them in Pound, only shut them up. If you 4iad just spoken to 
me, I would have let them out, without any trouble." This rather 
took Mr. McLellan aback. He looked at E. and said, " Well E., if 
that is so, I like a kind act in a neighbor. You shan't loose any- 
thing." He paid him more than twice what the law would have 
claimed, well satisfied, as he did not have to pay for impounding his 
cattle. Mr. E. was a good neighbor, and had done him a kindness. 
Mr. McLellan was a lieutenant in Capt. Hart Williams' company 
in 1775 and '76, under Col. Edmund Phinney. He was one of the 
original trustees of Gorham Academy ; and was a man of great influ- 
ence and prominence in town affairs. He married Rebecca Huston 
of Falmouth. They had no children. Mr. McLellan died Nov. 19, 
1812, aged 83, and his wife, Oct. 13, 1823, aged 81. 

(2) Abigail, daug;hter of Hugh and Elizabeth McLellan, married 
James McLellan, son of Bryce of Portland, and settled in Gorham. 
James's house, which stood till within a few years, was situated on 
the easterly side of South St., about half a mile south of the village. 
The site of the house is now^ owned by Mr. Russell. The building 
of this house was a family affair; the timber was cut on their own 
land, and sawed in their own mills, and the house built for the 
daughter and her husband, as was their custom when one of the family 
" put out." Charles Patrick, who moved to this town from Stroud- 
water, plastered a room in this house, which was the first room 
plastered in the town of Gorham. James McLellan was a cooper by 
trade. He was an excellent man and a devoted Christian, and long a 



GENEALOGY, 



G63 



deacon in the First Congregational church. Children of James and 
Abigail McLellan : 

Sarah, b. May 28, 1757, m. Benjamin Brown of Georgetown, p. Jan. 3, 1776. 

William, b. July 7, 1759, m. Jenny Harding, Aug. 27, 1782. 

Bryce, b. Dec. 21, 1761, m. Betty Sampson, 1790; I'd in Skowhegan ; was Judge 

of Probate for Somerset Co. 
Elizabeth, b. Apr. 18, 1764, m. John Smith, p. May 11, 1782. 
Rebecca, b. Oct. 8, 1766, m. James McLellan of Pepperelboro, June 2t^, 1786. 
George, b. Mar. 4, 1769, m. Rachel Boothby of Scarboro, Jane 4, 1801. 
Martha, b. Sept. 5, 1771, d. young. 

Martha, b. Nov. 6, 1774, m. Samuel Edwards, July 8, 1792. 
James, b. Dec. 30, 1776, m. Eois Fogg, Dec. 5, 1802. 
Abigail, b. Aug. i, 1779, ni. Enoch Edwards, June 16, 1799. 

Dea. James McLellan died Jan. 15, 1792, aged 58, and his wife 
Abigail, May 14, 182 1, aged 8;^. 




CAPT. JOSEPH MCLELLAN, OF PORTLAND. 



(2) Joseph McLellan, son of Bryce, married Mary McLellan, 
daughter of Hugh. This couple settled in Portland. Their house 
was ?7iade in Gorham, hauled to Portland, and there put together for 



664 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



them. It stood on Congress St., nearly opposite the head of Casco 
St., where it remained for over a hundred years. In 1866 it was 
moved to the foot of Preble St. Joseph and Mary McLellan had 
several sons and daughters, who became prominent members of 




MRS. MARY MCLELLAN, WIFE OF CAFT. JOSEPH MCLELLAN. 

Portland society. They were the grandparents of Rev. Elijah Kel- 
logg, and of the late INIrs. Caroline (Fox) Smith of Gorham. 

(2) Alexander McLellan, son of Hugh, owned and lived on the 
thirty acre lot No. 8. on the west side of the Fort Hill road, adjoining 
the old homestead of his father. The house in which he lived was 
torn down to make way for the present one, now owned and occupied 
by Hon. Isaac \V. Dyer. He was a Captain in the war of the Revolu- 
tion, and had command of a company raised in Gorham, which 
belonged to Col. Jonathan Mitchell's regiment, and took part in the 
expedition against Bagaduce, in 1779. He died at home soon after 
his return from that disastrous venture of a fever contracted by 



GENEALOGY. 665 

fatigue and exposure while in the service. He married Margaret, 
daughter of James and Jane Johnson of Fahiiouth. Children : 

Jenny, b. Jan i6, 1766, d. young. 

James, b. Jan. 4, 1768, cl. Jan. 26, 1776. 

Isaac, b. Sept. 15, 1769, m. Mary Blake of Boston; 2d, Eliza Hull; I'd in Bos- 
ton ; was the father of Isaac McLellan, Jr., the poet. 

William, b. May 7, i77i,m. Sally Preble of "S'ork ; I'd in Portland; d. there, 
Oct. 5, 1863. 

Nelly, b. Dec. iS, 1772, m. Elijah Elder, Aug. 19, 1798. 

Alexander, b. Dec. 20, 1774. 

James, b. May 15, 1777, m. Lydia Osgood of Portland; I'd in Bath. 

Jenny, b. Dec. 20, 177S, m. Samuel Barker of Windham. Dec. 16, 179S. 

Capt. Alexander McLellan died Oct. 4, 1779, aged 37. His 
widow married, April 15, 1781, John Miller, and died in (jorham, 
March 20, 1820. 

(2) Gary McLellan, son of Hugh, first settled on the hundred acre 
lot, No. I, adjoining that of his brother William, on South St. Here 
he built the large two-story house which was taken down a few years 
since by Freeman Higgins. He made an even exchange of this lot 
with Daniel Hamblen for the sixty acres on the Buxton road, con- 
sisting of the two thirty acre lots, 16 and 25. This farm, on which 
a large part of the village now stands, ran west from the Corner to 
John Harding's farm. Mr. Hamblen thought he made a grand 
trade, as he could raise corn on his new farm much easier than on 
his old ; it, the old, being much harder land to work. At the head 
of Portland St., Mr. McLellan built a two-story house, where he kept 
a hotel till his death. Within a comparatively few years this building 
has been altered into the store lately occupied by R. G. Harding. 
Gary McLellan was a lieutenant in Gapt. Hart Williams' company, 
Col. Phinney's regiment. He served through three campaigns ; was 
at the siege of Boston, and at the taking of Ticonderoga. His 
commission and discharge, as well as his sword, are in the possession 
of his descendants. He also served as lieutenant of marines on 
several of the American privateers. He had the bad fortune to be 
twice captured by the enemy : once on board of the Retrieve, when 
the crew were carried to Halifax as prisoners, but after being confined 
a short time were exchanged. He was also on another privateer 
that Was captured, when he was confined in the famous, or rather 
infamous, prison ship Jersey, from which he succeeded in making his 
escape, as elsewhere related. While confined on board this ship he 
was shown much kindness by Col. Tyng. When, after the war, Col. 
Tyng made his first appearance in Gorham, at the door of the 
meeting-house no one offered him a seat, when Gary McLellan 



666 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Stepped forward, and escorted him to his own pew. Much as Col. 
Tyng was Uked and respected, it is said that on account of the 
stringent votes and resolutions passed by the town against all tories, 
no other man in'Gorham would have dared to offer the Colonel a 
seat. In 1781 and 1783 Lieut. McLellan was a member of the Gorham 
Committee of Correspondence. Inspection and Safety. He married 

Eunice Elder, daughter of Samuel and (Huston) Elder. 

Children : 

Mary, b. Aug. 2, 1767, m. John demons, Feb. 6, 1789; moved to Ohio. 

Eunice, b. Aug. 13, 1769, d. young. 

Nancy, b. Mar. 17, 1772, d. young. 

Nancy, b. Feb. 13, 1774, m. Samuel Staples, Apr. 28, 1794. 

Gary, b. Mar. 16, 1776, d. unm. 

Eunice, b. June 16, 1778, m. Ai Staples, May 28, 1801. 

Alexander, b. Feb. 28, 1780, m. Chloe Davis, Feb. 9, 1S03 ; 2d, Belinda Don- 
aldson. 

William, b. May 14, 1782, m. Mehitalile Harmon, Aug. 15, 1807. 

Samuel, b. Aug. 12, 1784, m. Sarah B. McLellan, Feb. 8, 1810; 2d, Rebecca 
McLellan; 3d, Tabitha Flood. 

Mrs. Eunice McLellan died Aug. 18, 1784, and Mr. McLellan 

married, Jan. 25, 1785, Mrs. Mary (Strout) Parker of Cape Elizabeth, 

by whom he had : 

David, b. June 21, 1786, m. Betsey Phinney, p. Nov. 5, 1808. 

Sally, b. Jan. 22, 1788, m. in Troy, N. Y., Bailey; no ch ; d. in Troy, 

Apr. i8, 1822. 

Betsey, b. Nov. 7, 1789, m. Ebenezer Davis, Apr. 26, 1809; 2d, Elkanah Mc- 
Lellan ; d. at Farmington, Sept. 19, 1873. 

Thomas, b. Nov. 14, 1791, went to sea on board privateer Globe of Baltimore, 
in the War of 1812, and was never heard from. 

John, b. Oct. 8, 1793, d- Oct. 11, 1793. 

Capt. Cary McLellan died May 12, 1805, aged 60. Mrs. Mary 
McLellan died Dec. 27, 1807, aged 52. 

(2) Thomas McLellan, j-oungest son of Hugh, lived and died in 
the old family mansion on the home farm. In 1803, Mr. McLellan 
gave, from the old farm, the land on which the Academy stands — 
one acre, valued then at S350. He also gave, to be used by the 
First Parish, the land on which the old brick vestry belonging to 
the Congregational church is built, as well as the foundation, or 
lower story, of the building. He married Jenny Patterson of Saco. 
Children : 

Hugh, b. Apr. i, 1779, m. Rhoda Morris, July 4, 1802. 

Elizabeth, b. Jan. 6, 1781, m. Capt. Ebenezer Hatch, Feb. 7, 1S02; 2d, Nathaniel 

I'hinney, 1822. 
Robert, b. Sept. 30, 17S2, m. Rebecca Patten, Mar. 16, 1813- 
Polly, b. Sept. 14, 1785, m. Joseph Hunt, Nov. 14, 1803. 
Benjamin, b. July 6, 1787, m. Lydia Fitch ; I'd in Baldwin, or Hiram. 
Jenny, b. Nov. i, 1789, m. Thomas Harding, Aug. 30, 1818. 
Mary Ann, b. Aug. i, 1791, m. Thomas Harding (ist wife), Jan. iS, 1810. 



GENEALOGY. 067 

Thomas, b. May 19, 1704, m. Mercy Willis, Apr. 19, 1829; I'd in Jasper, Ohio. 
John, b. Oct. 19, 1798, m. Rebecca Hersey, Mar. 31, 1831 ; 2d, Mrs. Eliza A. 

(Cross) Gary. His dau. Mary m. Dea. Marshall Irish. Mr. McL. d. in 

Saccarappa. 

Thomas ^McLellan died Jan. 13, 1829, aged 75. Mrs. AIcLellan 
died Oct. 30, 1841, aged 84. 

(3) William McLellan, 2d, son of James and Abigail, lived in the 
south part of the town, where his grandchildren now reside, on the 
farm opposite that lately owned by Benjamin Waterhouse. His 
farm formerly comprised parts of the hundred acre lot, 21. He was 
a soldier in the Revolution, and served in the Bagaduce expedition. 
He was also one of the Gorham men who were captured in the 
privateer, confined on, and made their escape from, the old prison 
ship Jersey. He married Jenny, daughter of David and Sarah Hard- 
ing. Children : 

Elkanah, b. May 22, 17S3, m. Anna Roberts, Aug. 4, 1S05 ; 2d, Mrs. Betsey 

(McLellan) Davis; d. Sept. 22, 1855. 
Sarah B., b. Aug. 9, 1785, m. Samuel McLellan, Feb. S, 18 10. 
Rebecca, b. Dec. 11, 17S7, m. Samuel McLellan (2d wife), Dec. 22, iSii. 
Elizabeth, b. July 2, 1790, m. Thos. Blake of Westbrook, Feb. 25, 1S19. 
Martha, b. Feb. 15, 1793, m. James Harding of Standish, Jan. 21, 1819. 
James, b. June 13, 1795, ™- '^'S- Abigail Walker, L^ec. 25, 1820; 2d, Sarah A. 

Booker, June 25, 1865; I'd in Litchfield. 
Jane, b. Aug. 21, 1797, m. Simeon Davis of Standish, Nov. 27, 1824. 
Polly, b. Keb. 17, 1800, m. Geo. Manson, Oct. 26, 1835 ; 2d. Rev. John Boothby. 
Samuel, b. Mar. 31, 1802, m. Susan lUirbank of Portland, Nov. i, 1834. 
"g^l'.'^' ^b. Apr. S, 1805, >|"^-^=i'yLibby'D^^-25> 1836, ^, 
Wilham, [ 11:)' m. Amanda P. Jones, May iS, 1837; moved to 

) f Oldtown. 

William McLellan died May 13, 1S43, aged 84. Mrs. Jenny 
McLellan died Sept. i, 1845, aged 88. 

(3) James McLellan, son of James and Abigail, married Lois, 
daughter of Jeremiah and Mary Fogg. They had no children. Mr. 
McLellan was for many years deacon of the Congregational church. 
He is remembered by many still living as cotemporary with Deas. 
Thos. Robie, Samuel Paine and Nahum Chadbourn. His home was 
on South St., in the house now owned by Dea. Albert Sampson. 
Dea. McLellan died Aug. 10, 1845, aged 69. Mrs. Lois McLellan 
died Nov. 20, 1859, aged So. 

(3) Alexander McLellan, son of Cary, built and lived in the large 
two-story house on High St., lately occupied by his son Josiah. 
He was an active and prominent business man. He kept store, and 
was also continuous postmaster from Dec. 5, 1809, to April 18, 1837. 
The building which he occupied for store and post office is still 



668 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

standing, on the corner of High and School Sts., opposite the Con- 
gregational church. He married Chloe, daughter of Sylvanus and 
Elizabeth (Dimmick) Davis. Children : 

Hugh Davis, b. Jan. 24, 1S05, m. Mrs. Elizabeth P. Staples, Dec. 25, 1833. 
Eunice, b. Feb. i, 1807, m. Rev. Clark Perry, Aug. 24, 1840; d. Oct. 17, 1891. 
Elizabeth, b. June 12, 1808, m. Obed Goodspeed of Falmouth, Mass., Sept. 16, 

1845- 
Mrs. Chloe McLellan died June 4, 18 13, aged 31. Mr. McLellan 

married Aug. 27, 181 5, Belinda, daughter of Hugh and Chloe 

(Dimmick) Donaldson of Falmouth, Mass. She was a cousin to his 

first wife. Children : 

Chloe, b. Aug. 31, 1816, m. Dr. John Pierce, Nov. 2, 1S40. 

Ale.xander, b. Feb. 3, 1818, d. June 17, 1830. 

Evelina D., b. June 11, 1819, m. Aaron Clark, Apr. 26, 1837. 

Cary, b. Nov. 28, 1820, d. Mar. 23, 1823. 

Belinda, } ^^ .^^^ ^^^^ j m. James Paine, Oct. 7, 1S56. 

Son, \ ' ( d. young. 

Charles A., b. Dec. 18, 1S23, d. May 27, 1825. 

Josiah T., b. May 17, 1825, m. Eliza J. Leavitt, May 4, 1869. 

Charlotte S., b. Apr. 16, 1827, m. Jared W. Coffin, Sept. 14, 1846. 

Alexander McLellan's descendants, through both his wives, are 

descended in a direct line from Rev. John Robinson of Leyden, 

Holland, the Pilgrim pastor who died in Holland in 1625. Mr. 

McLellan died Feb. 20, 1838, aged 58. His wife Belinda died Sept. 

29, 1862, aged 78. 

(3) William McLellan, son of Cary; was brought up as a son by his 

uncle, William McLellan, Sr., who gave him, at his marriage, the 

farm now owned by his grandson, Chas. I. McLellan. He married 

Mehitable Harmon of Scarboro. Children: 

Mary C, b. July 16, 1808, m. Samuel Allen, May (>, 1829. 

Hugh, b. Oct. 8, 1811, m. Abigail E. Norton, Oct. 30, 1832; I'd and d. in 

Brunswick. 
WiUiam, b. Feb. 26, 1813, m. Mary J. Meserve, June i, 1S37. 
John C, b. May 6, 1815, m. Winfred Shannon, Nov. 12, 1846; I'd in New 

Orleans ; d. 1899. 
Eunice S., b. Nov. 25, 181S, m. Henry Harmon, Dec. 29, 1841; d. May 24, 1901. 
Samuel E., b. June 6, 1821, m. Sarah Babb of Westbrook ; 2d, Rosabel Bacon ; 

I'd in Westbrook; d. in Gorham, Mar. 17, 1887. 
Ishmael H., b. May 2, 1824, d. Feb. 14, 1843. 
Arthur M., b. Mar. 2, 1S27, m. Paulina Atkinson, Oct. 26, 1856; 2d, Grace 

Lord; d. in Boston, June 2, 1892. 

William McLellan died at his home Aug. 13, 1833, aged 51. Mrs. 
McLellan married Samuel Libby of Scarboro, Aug. 16, 1835, and 
after his death in 1854, Benjamin Moses of Durham. She died 
March 28, 1870, aged 84. 

(3) Samuel INlcLellan, son of Cary, was a carpenter. He built 
and lived in the house on School St., now occupied by his son Lewis 



GENEALOGY. ()()9 

McLellan, Esq., who has remodelled, and enlarged the house by the 
addition of a third story and cupola. Mr. McLellan was Sergeant 
Major of Col. Burbank's regiment in Gen. Irish's brigade. He married 
Sarah, daughter of William and Jane McLellan. She died Sept. lo, 
1810, aged 25, and Mr. McLellan married, Dec. 22, 181 1, her sister 
Rebecca. She died Sept. 23, 181 2, aged 25, and he married, Jan. 
10, 18 13, Tabitha, daughter of Edmund and Martha (Lombard) 
Flood of Buxton. Mr. McLellan had no children by his hrst wives. 
By his third wife, Tabitha, he had : 

Sarah B., b. Sept. 13, i<Si3, m. Rev. E. W. Jackson, June 18, 1S40; d. Mar. 18, 

1844. 
Alexander, b. May 19, 181 5, d. young. 

Rebecca, b. Apr. 23, 1816, m. David H. McKenney, July 6, 1841. 
Mary Ann, b. Mar. 3, 1818, d. young. 
Irene, b Apr. i, i8ig, d. young. 
Tabitha E., b. July 6, 1820, m. Rev. E. W. Jackson (2d wife,) Apr. 29, 1845; d. 

in Springfield, Mass., Mar. 12, 1892. 
Martha A., b. Aug. 13, 1822, d. unm. Sept. 7, 1867. 
Simon E., b. July 24, 1824, m. Mary J. Storer of Hiram, Aug. 26, 1854. 
Louisa R., b. Oct. 2, 1826, d. Oct. 27, 1832. 
Isaac, b. Dec. 10, 1828, m. Delia Bradbury, Aug. 7, 1861 ; was selectman of 

Gorham for some years ; has three daughters. 
Lewis, b. Nov. 25, 1S32, m. Mary H. Lavrabee, Dec. 26, 1867; 2d, Frances A. 

Hall. 

Melville !'>., I 1 t o ^ ( d. vounc;. 

r- 1 Tp /- b. lune 9, 1S36, . , •'^ '^ 

Gershom t. C, ^ ■ ^ -^ \ a. young. 

Mr. McLellan died Oct. 20, 1853, aged 69. Mrs. Tabitha 
McLellan, who was the great-granddaughter of the Rev. Solomon 
Lombard, died March 21, 1857, aged 63. 

(3) David McLellan, son of Cary, lived for a time in his father's 

house at the head of Portland St. He afterwards owned and lived 

on the farm formerly owned by Capt. Daniel J-Iunt, now the property 

of parties in Westbrook. The house in which he lived, on the farm, 

was burned about 1890. He married Betsey, daughter of Edmund 

Phinney, Jr. Children : 

Emeline, b. Apr. 7, 1810, m. James H. R. Edwards, p. July 25, 1834. 

Mary P., b. May 31, 1S13, m. Royal Twombly, 1837; d. in .Mich. 

Thomas, b May 17, 181 5, went West. 

David, Jr., b. Feb. 19, 1818, d. Mar. 13, 1844. 

Betsey, b. Aug. 22. 1820. d. Mar. 2r, 1827. 

James, b. July 6, 1823, m. Angle Jordan of Westbrook; d. in Westbrook. 

Sarah J., b. July 27, 1S26, m. Giles Heath; d. in Niles, Mich. 

David McLellan died. March 3, i860, aged 73. His wife Betsey 
died April 21, 1865, aged 78. 

(3) Hugh McLellan, son of Thomas, was a sea captain. He died 
of yellow fever, at sea, Aug. 21, 1803, aged 25. He married Rhoda, 
daughter of Charles amd Rhoda Morris. They had one child : 



(370 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Charles H. P., b. June 6, 1803, m. Rebecca McLellan of Brunswick, p. Dec. 3, 
1S25; was a physician; d. in Poughkeepsie, N. V. 

Mrs. Rhoda McLellan died in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Sept. 23, 
1853' aged 72. 

(3) Robert McLellan, son of Thomas, lived in the house occupied 
by his father and grandfather before him. He commanded a company 
of Light Infantry in Col. Kurbank's regiment in the War of 1812, 
and went to the defense of Portland with his men. He married 
his cousin Rebecca, daughter of Actor and Jane (McLellan) Patten. 
Children of Robert and Rebecca McLellan : 

Actor P., b. Dec. 28, 18 13, m. Lucinda Decker, June, 1845 ; was a soldier in the 

Mexican war, and for 3 years in the Rebellion. 
Augusta, b. Aug. 2, 1S16, m. Seman Foster of Bangor, Aug. 28, 184S; 2d, 

Thos. Hooper; d. in May, 1886. 
Caroline ()., b. Dec. 25, 1818, m. Capt. Joseph Hale of Limerick. Mar. 13, 1844 ; 

2d, Lot Wiggin of Limerick, Nov. 5, 1848. 
Francis H., b. Aug. 27, 1821, m. Alniira Hutchinson of Boston; d. Nov. t, 

Mary 1l., b. Oct. 19, 1824, m. ('apt. Wni. A. (ioll of St. Louis, Mo. 

Paulina P., b. Sept. 12, 1827. 

Charles R., 1). May 20, 1830, m. Julia Coffin of Thorndike. 

Capt. Robert McLellan died Nov. 28, 1830, aged 48. His wife 

Rebecca died Jan. 20, 1861, aged 75. 

(4) David McLellan, son of William and Jenny (Harding) McLel- 
lan, lived on his father's farm, in the south part of the town. He 
married Mary, daughter of Demas and Mary (Berry) Libby of 
Scarboro. Children : 

Charles D., b. July 21, 1838, m. Lizzie ¥.. McLellan, June, 1863 ; d. in Boston, 

Aug. 9, 1872. 
William, b. Mar. 19, 1840, I's on the homestead, unm. 
Mary J., b. May 8, 1843, ^- I^avid Wyman of Portland, Mar. i, 1861 ; d. Sept. 

ID, 1865. 

Liberty, b. Aug. 16, 1846, d. young. 

Amanda M. F., b. Nov. 18, 185 1, m. Abram Bickford, Nov. 28, 1878. 

Adriana, b. July 30, 1857, unm., I's with her brother William. 

David McLellan died at his home Jan. 26, 1870, aged 65. Mrs. 

McLellan died March 17, 1886, aged 68. 

(4) Hugh 1). McLellan, oldest son of Alexander, was for many 
years active and prominent in the affairs of the town. He was 
greatly interested in all matters pertaining to its history, and had the 
present volume near completion at the time of his death. He was 
chairman of the board of selectmen in 1842 and 1843, and repre- 
sented the town for three years in the Legislature, being Speaker of 
the House in 1847 and 1848. He was a member of the Finance 
Committee of the town from 1856 till his death, and chairman of the 




JOSIAH T. McLELLAN. 



GENEALOGY. 671 

same for twenty-three years. He was a member of the New England 
Historical and Genealogical Society. In the militia he took a promi- 
nent part, holding successively the rank of Ensign, Captain, Major 
and Colonel, receiving his commission as Colonel of the 2d regiment 
when but twenty-four years of age. Col. McLellan married Mrs. 
Elizabeth P. Staples, the daughter of Hon. Lothrop and Mrs. Marj^ 
Jackson (Prescott) Lewis, and widow of Col. Stephen McL. Staples. 
Their children were Alexander Prescott, died in infancy ; Katharine 
B. L., married Rev. George Lewis, D. I). ; Edward Henry, died in 
infancy. Mrs. McLellan died Sept. i, 1838, aged 22. Col. McLel- 
lan died Dec. 9, 1878, aged 73. 

(4) Josiah T. McLellan, youngest son of Alexander, went to Cali- 
fornia in 1849, where he remained until the breaking out of the war 
of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in the ist California Cavalry. 
After the close of the war he returned to his old home in Gorhani. 
He married Eliza J., daughter of Capt. Joseph and Eliza J. Leavitt. 
They have one daughter, Evelina I). Mr. McLellan died in Gorham, 
May 3, 1897. 

(4) William McLellan, son of William and Mehitable, lived on his 

father's farm. He married Mary J., daughter of Nathaniel Meserve 

of Freedom, N. H. Children : 

Eliza Ann, b. June 27, 1838, m. Ezekiel Harmon of Freedom, N. H., Jan. 12, 

1862, d. June 12, 1902. 
Ellen R., b. Oct. 30, 1839, d. young. 

Mary Ware, b. Feb. 12, 1841, m. Alexander Allen, June 19, 185S. 
Charles I., b. June 6, 1S43, "i- Clara A. Libby, Mar. 28, 1S66. 
William H., b. May 10, 1845, ^- Ella Haskell of Windham. 
Harriet L., b. July 14, 1847, d. young. 

Winfred M., b. May 21, 1849, ™- Geo. Henry Douglass, Sept. 2, 1871. 
John M., b. May 17, 185 1, m. Cassie Haskell of Windham. 

William McLellan died Sept. i, 1850, aged 37. His wife Mary 
died Dec. 20, 1861, aged 41. 

(4) Simon E. McLellan, son of Samuel, is a watchmaker and 
jeweler at Gorham village. He and his brother Lewis spent several 
years in Cuba as engineers and machinists on sugar plantations there. 
Mr. McLellan built and used, for a machine shop, for ten years, the 
building now occupied by him as a dwelling house. He married 
Mary J. Storer of Hiram. One son: Samuel E., born Aug. 6, 1855, 
died Feb. 4, 1881. 

(4) Lewis McLellan, son of Samuel, resides at the village, in the 
house built by his father. He has for many years taken an active 
part in town matters. He has been one of the board of selectmen 



672 HISTORY OF GORllAM. 

in 1885-86 93-94-95-97 and "98. lie was county treasurer three 
years. He married Mary, daughter of Capt. John Larrabee of Scar- 
boro. One child. Maiy L. Mrs. Mary McLellan died Dec. 21, 
1874, and Mr. McLellan married, Dec. 28, 1876, Frances A. Hall of 
Portland. 

Mcquillan. 

John McQuillan was of Scotch-Irish descent. He came here 

from the north of Ireland. He lived in a one-story house on South 

St., near where Daniel Whittier now lives. He married Abigail 

Cook. Children : 

John, b. Sept. 7, 17S4, m. Jael Towle, May 4, 181 7. 

Rebecca, b. Feb. 7, 1787, d. iinm. 

William, b. May 28, 1790, m. Mary Ward, Oct. 22, 1812 ; d. Nov. 14, 1863. 

Peggy, b. Feb. 13, 1794, m. Thomas Hanna of Portland, 1819. 

Mrs. Abigail McQuillan died in 1794 or 1795, and Mr. McQuillan 

married, Oct. 13, 1796, Elizabeth Brown, who died in 1797, leaving 

no children, and Mr. McQuillan married, Sept. 20, 1798, Olive, 

daughter of Samuel and Mary Edwards. Children : 

Elizabeth B., b. Feb. 3, 1799, "^- Ru^fus Haynes of Saco, about 1825. 

Hannah, b. Apr. 6, 1800, d. young. 

Hugh McL., b. July 18, 1803, m. Elvira Wight of Otisfield ; was a Chr. Bapt. 

preacher; d. in Casco, Apr. 14, 1861. 
Sargent, b. , d. in_the W. Indies, of yellow fever. 

John McQuillan died about 1811 ; his wife died Sept. 17, 1821, 

aged 48. 

(2) John McQuillan, son of John, lived about a mile south of the 

village on the farm now owned by George L. Day ; the house in 

which he lived stood on the spot now occupied by the residence of 

Mr. Day. He married Jael Towle. Children : 

Rebecca M., b. Apr. 25, 1S18, m. Wm. Riggs, p. Dec, 1839. 

Elizabeth W., b. Apr. 5, 1820, d. imm.. May 21, 1850. 

Jeremiah T., b. Apr. 14, 1822, m. Elmira Lombard, Jan. 31, 1854; d. Oct. 8, 

1863, his wife, 1866. 
Martha Ann, b. Nov. 11, 1828, m. Cyrus Sawyer of Bu.xton, Jan. 8, 1S60. 

John McQuillan died Jan. 4, 1841, and his wife in 1875. 

MERRILL. 

Daniel Merrill was born Aug. 12, 1745. He married. Jan. 12, 1775, 
Dorcas^ daughter of Samuel and Priscilla Crockett, at which time he 
was of Falmouth. He probably came to (>orham about 1779 or 1780, 
as his fourth child was born in Gorham in 17S0. He was a farmer, 
and lived on the farm, in the south part of the town, since owned by 




LEWIS McLKLLAN. 



GENEALOfiY. 673 

the late Reuben Wescott. Children of Daniel and Dorcas Merrill, 
the three oldest born in Falmouth : 

John, b. Aug. 25, 1775, m. Lydia Chamberlain, Apr. 21, 1799; d. 1S49. 

Nancy, b. Apr. 21, 1777, m. Francis Hunt, Mar. i, 1796. 

Priscilla, b. Jan. 23, 1778, m. Joseph Roberts, June 3, 1S04. 

Daniel, b. Jan. 26, 1780, m. Rhoda Roberts, June 27, 1802. 

Samuel, b. Jan. 12, 1782, m. Abigail Plumer, p. May 23, 1827. 

Dorcas, b. Jan. i, 1784, m. William Edwards, Nov. 30, 1803. 

Seward, b. Mar. 5, 1786, d. at 5 years of age. 

Nahum, b. June 21, 1788, m. Martha Davis, Jan. 9, 1S12. 

Charity, b. Aug. 21, 1790, m. Samuel Lombard, Apr. 12, iSio. 

Seward, b. July 21, 1793, m. Joanna Day, Nov. 8, 1S18; 2d, Mary Crockett. 

Betsey, b. July 4, 1795, ^- aged 6 y'rs. 

Gardner, b. Apr. 21, 179S, m. Clarissa E. Parker of Scarboro, Mar. 9, 1824 ; d. 

Feb. 18, 1835. U 

Stephen, b. Apr. 15, 1800. 
Harriet, b. Aug. 21, 1S03, m. Lorenzo Towle, Oct. 10, 1830. 

Daniel Merrill died July 11, 1830, aged 85. Mrs. Merrill. died 
June 22, 1830, aged 75. 

(2) Seward Merrill, son of Daniel, lived on the Morris place in 

Scarborough, now Gorham, in the large two-story house built by 

Charles Morris, and since owned by Mr. Knight. Col, Merrill was a 

prominent man in town affairs. He married Joanna Day of Hallowell. 

Children : 

Daniel, b. Mar. 3, 1820, m. Olive Lombard. 
Clarissa A., b. Feb. 9, 1823, m. Charles J. Morris. 

Mrs. Joanna Merrill died Feb. 24, 1828, aged 30, and Col. Merrill 

married, Sept. 13, 1829, Mary, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth 

Crockett. Children : 

Samuel C, b. Oct. 2t„ 1830, d. Nov. 26, 1833. 

Nelson H. G., b. Apr. 16, 1833, m. Mary E. Meserve, Apr. 27, 1S56; d. July 31, 

1857. 

Col. Seward Merrill died Jan. 7, 1863 ; his wife Mary died July 27, 

1872, aged 79. 

Nelson Merrill was born in Portland, from which place he came to 

Gorham about 1840. He purchased and lived on the farm in the 

Shaker neighborhood which Joshua Berry obtained from the Shakers 

by exchange in 18 19. He married Betsey Whitney of Standish. 

Children : 

Lewis F., b. Sept. 16, 1837, d. young. 

Charles F., b. Feb. 22, i84i,m. Emma Whitney. 

Edwin C.,b. July 31, 1843, m. Carrie Bacon; 2d, Hattie Fletcher; d. Nov., 18S2. 

Frank W., b. Jan. 27, 1848, m. Julia Whitney. 

Carrie A., b. Nov. 17, 1850, m. Nathaniel Hatch of Westbrook. 

Capt. Nelson Merrill died Oct. 27, 1877, aged 67, Mrs. Betsey 

Merrill died March 7, 1896. 



674 HISTORV OF GORIIAM. 

Nathaniel Merrill, about 1825, kept a store in the Bailey shop, 
which then stood near the street. Capt. Charles Harding was a clerk 
in this store. It was Mr. Merrill's intention to build and keep a 
public house in front of where the house of Alfred A. Bailey now 
stands, but he abandoned this idea and moved to Gray. He married 
Olive Plaisted. Their children w-ere William Lambert, George, and 
a child born in 1827. 

MESERVE. 

Of the dwellers in the fort on Fort Hill, during the seven-years 
Indian war commencing in 1745, was one Clement Meserve, or as the 
name was often called, " Harvey." 

On consulting the best authorities within our reach, we have come 
to the conclusion that the Meserves of Scarboro and Gorham came 
from Dover or Portsmouth, N. H., where the name appears to have 
been quite common. There was a Lieut. Col. Nathaniel Meserve, of 
the New Hampshire troops, who distinguished himself in the Louis- 
burg expedition in 1745 ; he is said to have been of the same family 
that came to M?iine, and a brother to the Gorham Clement. 

Southgate, in his history of Scarboro, says Clement Meserve 
was in that town in 1725, that he was a joiner by trade, and was suc- 
ceeded by John and Daniel. This is right, but these latter Meserves 
were not a new emigration from the west, but w^ere the sons of 
Clement. This Clement left to his son Clement, by will (proved 
Nov. 5, 1746), 30 acres of land. The latter, who was the Clement 
Meserve of Gorham, was the eldest son of the Clement of Scarboro 
of 1725, and was born, either in Newington or Portsmouth, N. H., 
about the year 1703. When Clement Meserve first lived in Scarboro 
his residence is said to have been on what has latterly been known 
as the Seth Storer farm, near the old Scarboro turnpike. But the 
family afterwards settled near what has since been known as Wescott's 
Hill. On coming to (jorham, Clement brought with him a family of 
children, some of them nearly grown up. That Clement Meserve 
was one of the active men in the fort, is made (]uite certain from the 
fact, which has been handed down in the family, that when Edmund 
Phinney went out in pursuit of the cows, was attacked, wounded, and 
came near being captured by the Indians, as mentioned elsewhere, 
Clement Meserve was one of those who sallied forth to the rescue, 
and brought young Phinney into the fort, which act was highly com- 
mended by all as a display of great bravery by the little party, as the 
Indians were much superior in numbers. Whether this act of 



GENEALOGY. 075 

the elder brought about any remarkable fondness between the 
younger members of the families, we cannot say. 

Clement Meserve married in Newington, Oct. 13, 1726, Sarah 
Decker. Aug. 14, 1738 he married Mrs. Sarah Stone of Scarboro. 
His children were Betty, born Sept. 2, 1730; Clement, born Sept. 2, 
1733; John; Margaret; Hannah; Joseph; Benjamin, bapt. July 4, 
1744, and Nathaniel, born Jan. 26, 1749. Elizabeth, or Betty, was 
the first married ; she married Edmund Phinney after the close of 
the Indian war, probably in 1750. The next was Hannah; she mar- 
ried Timothy Crocker. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. 
Solomon Lombard, December, 1754. Who Crocker was, or from 
whence he came, we do not know ; it w^as not a Gorham name. It is 
believed they settled in Scarboro, though at this time no trace of them 
can be found. Some of the name left Scarboro at or near the time'that 
the Scarboro colony went to INIachias, and the name is found there 
amongst the early settlers of that town. One of the decendants of 
the Meserve family now (1873) living, recollects of hearing his parents 
speak of visiting, and being visited by, uncle and aunt Crocker, and 
that they lived in one of the neighboring towns, but cannot remember 
where it was. Clement, the son, married Mary Wooster of Pearsons- 
town, now Standish, Sept. ig, 1757. There was another \\'ooster 
girl of Pearsonstown who married Dennis Larry of Gorham. We 
can find no other record than the marriages to enlighten us as to who 
these young ladies were; but we have found, after much inquiry, that 
the region around Sebago Pond was sometimes called Sebago town in 
early times. That part of the country was often known as Hobbs- 
town, then Pearsonstown, and finally incorporated as Standish. And 
then we find, in Parson Smith's Journal, under date of 1757, March 
13, "One Clark, of Sebago-town, killed Wooster, and wounded Gray 
and Sands." The history of these persons, or what was the cause of 
the affray, is now lost; but if these girls were the daughters of this 
Wooster, they both found husbands in Gorham, and one of them, and 
possibly both, have descendants now living in town. Clement 
Meserve, the husband of Mary Wooster, moved to Bristol about 1771. 
The last we find of his name is where he was paid for aiding John 
Phinney and Hugh McLellan in clearing the road from Gorham cor- 
ner to Bradgdon's mill, about 1762. John Aleserve married Mary 
Yaton of Pearsonstown, in March, 1757, and if there was no other 
John, which we believe to be the fact, John married a second wife, 
Sarah Strout of Gorham, Jan. 28, 1762. He purchased, lot, 51, on 
which he lived, of David Gorham — deed dated, Aug. 29, 1753. We 



676 HISTORY OF goriiam. 

find no other record of him in town, but he appears in Standish, 
where he had a family, and died, probably in Bridgton, within the 
memor)' of some now (1873) living. Margaret Meserve married, in 
February, 1757, William Wescott, whose father lived on what was 
known as Skillings' Hill, then in Falmouth. They settled on the 
farm in Scarboro since known as the Theodore Libby farm. 
Nathaniel Meserve married Rebecca Martin. 

Clement Meserve did not remain in town many years, — going to 
Pearsonstown in or before 1753 — and there is no record showing 
the number of the lot he owned or occupied in Gorham. The early 
settlers were not always particular to have their titles recorded. 
Some of them thought it sufficient to have their names entered on 
their lot on the Proprietors' plan. There was such a plan, with such 
entries, for which 1 have made diligent search. The last known of 
it was that it was in the hands of the Rev. Solomon Lombard at his 
decease, and went into the hands of his executor. Some of his heirs 
have seen this old plan, then very much dilapidated and used up. 

The descendants of Clement Meserve, the elder, through his chil- 
dren and the various intermarriages of his kindred, have become very 
numerous in Gorham, and among them we reckon some of our best 
citizens. 

Samuel Meserve was the son of Andrew and Eunice Meserve of 

Scarboro, in which town he was born, Aug. 17, 1804. He lived at 

Parker's corner, on the Scarboro Strip, now Gorham. Mr. Meserve 

was a deacon of the Free Baptist Church. He married, Sept. 10, 

1826, Hannah, daughter of John and Elizabeth Rand Green. Children : 

William H., b. Oct. 24, 1827, m. and d. in Gold Hill, Nevada. 

Alvin R., b. June 23, 1833, m. in Cal. 

Mary E., b. Feb. 20, 1836, m. Nelson U. G. Merrill, Apr. 27, 1S56 ; 2d, Merrill T. 

Files, Nov. 10, 1861. 
Sarah M., b. July 10. 1841, m. Gardner M. Parker. 
Esther R., b. Dec. 17, 1845, d. Jan. 9, 1871. 

Dea. Samuel Meserve died Jan. 28, 1870, aged 65. Mrs. Meserve 

died March 8, 1894, aged 90. 

Robert Meserve came to Gorham from Limington about 1836. He 
lived in the Quaker neighborhood, on what is now known as the 
Ansel Stone place. His wife was Mehitable Sawyer. Children : 

l.ucy R., b. Apr. 23, 1829, m. Ansel Stone; d. Feb. 28, 1886. 

Mary A., b. Nov. 25, 1830. 

Catherine, b. June 5, 1833, m. Solomon Brackett, and 2d, Tyng W. Libby. 

Almon, b. Jan. 8, 1836, d. Mar. 13, 1852. 

Ellen F., b. Nov. 12, 1837, d. Sept. 11, 1858. 



GENEALOGY. 677 

Mrs. Mehitable Meserve died June 17, 1865, aged 70, and Mr. 
Meserve married Mrs. Phebe (Gates) Willis, daughter of Ebenezer 
and Anna Gates, and widow of Ebenezer Willis. Robert Meserve 
died Dec. 8, 1880, aged 81 ; his widow died May 22, 1884, aged 80. 

MILLER. 

John Miller, the first of the name who settled in Gorham, was from 
Gape Elizabeth. He was born Jan. 4, 1745, and was the son of 
James Miller. April 15, 1781, he married Mrs. Margaret (Johnson) 
McLellan, daughter of James and Jane Johnson of Falmouth, and 
widow of Gapt. Alexander McLellan, and settled on the farm on the 
Fort Hill road, then owned by the heirs of Gapt. McLellan. 

Soon after the marriage of John, his father, James Miller, came 
from Gape Elizabeth, and resided here several years with his -son. 
He afterwards went to Durham, where he lived with his sons, James 
and Joshua. He died in that town about 1798 or 1799, at the age 
of 85 or 90. In youth and manhood he followed the occupation, 
then so common with the inhabitants of Maine, — he was a mariner 
and fisherman. This elder Miller was a brother of John Miller, the 
husband of Jenny (Graige) Miller, who lived in Portland about 
the year 1740, and who was the daughter of Mar)^ (McLellan) Graige. 

The children of John and Margaret Miller were : 

Polly, b. Jan. 15, 1782, d. July i, 17S6. 

John, b. Mar. 4, 1784, d. June, 1786. 

Samuel, b. May 7, 1786, m. Jane B. Smith, Apr. 12, iSio; 2d, Mary Johnson. 
John Miller and his wife lived on the farm till their death, exem- 
plary persons, respected by all who knew them. She died, aged 
76, March 20, and he May 26, 1820, aged 75. Both were buried in 
the McLellan tomb in the northwest corner of the old cemetery at the 
village. After the death of his father and mother, Samuel Miller 
purchased the right of the McLellan heirs to the farm, and owned 
and occupied it many years. In 1840 he sold it to Dr. Fabyan. It 
is now owned by Hon. Isaac W. Dyer. Samuel Miller married Jane 
Brackett Smith, daughter of James and Mary Smith. By her he had 
one child : 

Jane S., b. Jan. 8, 1812, d. unm , in Lewiston, Nov. 22, 1888. 
Mrs. Miller died Jan. 12, 18 12. Gapt. Miller married, Nov. 2, 
18 1 7, Mary, daughter of Randall Johnson of Westbrook. Ghildren : 

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 20, 1818, m. Emery S. Warren of Durham. 

John, b. May 25, 1822, m. Kate White of Castor, England; d. Oct. 11, 1S81. 
In 1840 Samuel Miller removed to Durham, where he and his son 
kept a hotel. He died April 21, 1861, aged 75. Mrs. Mary Miller 
died at Lewiston, June 20, 1885. 



678 msroKV of gokiiam. 



MILLETT. 



Thomas Millet, born in Chertsey, England, in 1605, came to 
America with his wife and son Thomas in 1635, and settled at 
Dorchester, Mass., and later at Brookfield, Mass. Several of his 
descendants came to Maine to reside. 

Thomas Millet, Jr., probably son of Thomas and Susanna Millet, 
and of the fifth generation from the emigrant, bought, April 2, 1774, 
of Samuel Dunn of Cape Elizabeth a part of the hundred acre lot 46 
in Gorham. lie was a soldier of the Revolution, enlisting from Gor- 

ham in the army for three years. His wife was Lydia — . We 

have been unable to find any record of theii' family. A Rhoda Millet 
of Gorham was published with David Barker of Windham, Sept. 8, 
1 78 1. A Betsey Millet of Gorham was published with John Mariner 
of Gorham, March 5, 1796. Mr. Millet died about 1786. In April, 
1787, Lydia Millet as administratrix of the estate of Thomas Millet, 
jr., of Gorham, deceased, deeded to David Barker of Windham two- 
thirds of the real estate in Gorham belonging to her late husband, 
reserving her own dower. 

Henry R. Millett, of the seventh generation from Thomas Millet 
the emigrant, was born in Leeds Sept. 23, 1832. His great-grand- 
father, Thomas Millet, who died in Leeds, was a Revolutionary 
sodier. Col. Millett came to Gorham when a young man and remained 
for a time. After a short absence he returned here in i860 and took 
charge of the shoe factory of Libby and Walker at Little Falls. This 
position he resigned to enlist April 27, 186 1 in company A, 5th Me. 
Vols. After an honorable service, and having attained the rank of 
lieut. colonel of his regiment, he was mustered out July 27, 1864. 
(See page 341.) Col. Millett has taken a prominent part in town 
affairs, and has been collector two years, and in 1895 was Repre- 
sentative to the Legislature. He has held the otfice of postmaster at 
the village for two terms. For more than twenty years he has been 
chairman of the Republican town committee. Col. Millett married, 
Dec. 29, 1870, M. Antoinette, daughter of Freeman and Eliza (Eaton) 
Whitney of I'ortland, and granddaughter of Stephen and Hannah 
(Freeman) Whitney of Gorham. 

MORRIS. 

Charles Morris came to America about the year 1768 from Wales 
(Great Britain) where he was born Sept. 29, 1749. The tradition in 
the family is that he lost his father in early life, and was reared by 
his father's brother, the Dean of Gloucester. There is a picture in 



GENEALOGY. 679 

the possession of his descendants supposed to be that of the Dean, 

his uncle. The members of the family now (1879) living, who have 

a recollection of Charles Morris, say he resembled in appearance the 

picture alluded to. 

Charles Morris settled and lived in that part of Scarboro, now 

Gorham, known as "the strip," on the farm since known as the Col. 

Seward Merrill place. He built the large two-story house which 

stood just east of John Knight's and which was destroyed by fire 

some years since. He was a miller, and owned the mill privile"-e, 

now the property of S. B. Knight. He married, Sept. 2, 1770, 

Rhoda, daughter of Uea. Jonathan Libby of Scarboro. Children : 

Martha, b. Feb. 24, 1772, m. Allen Davis, July 8, 1792. 

John W., b. May 25, 1775, m. Betsey Elder, Nov. 18, 1798. 

Sally, b. May 7, 1777, m. Dennis Marr; d. May 8, 1829. 

James H., b. Jan. 23, 1779, m. Abigail Buinham about i8ii. 

Rhoda, b. Feb. 17, 1781, m. Hugh McLellan, July 4, 1802. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 4, 1783, m. Capt. Samuel Haines; I'd in Portland. 

Charles, b. Apr. 14, 1785, d. June 9, 1792. 

Ann Louisa, b. Sept. 16, 1787, d. Mar. 8, 1821. 

Polly, b. May 7, 1790, m. Josiah Jose of Scarboro ; d. in 1865. 

Charles, b. June 20, 1792, m. Eliza Emerson, Oct. 27, 1S13. 

Charles Morris died Feb. 6, 181 8, and his wife, Feb. 16, 1S21. 

(2) John W. Morris, son of Charles, lived where Liberty Moulton 
now lives, in the south part of the town. He was a farmer and lum- 
berman. He married Betsey, daughter of Samuel Elder of Gorham. 
Children : 

Hannah F., b. Sept. 14, 1799, d. unm. Aug. 14, 1817. 

Samuel E., b. July 10, 1801, d. July 5, 1810. 

Hugh McL., b. Nov. 2, 1803, m. S. Augusta Hill, Sept. 12, 1847; d. Oct 10, 

1863. 
Mary Ann, b. Feb. 19, 1806, m. Sylvanus Hayes of Limerick, Nov. 22, 18^^ • d 

p-eb. 18, 1888. 
Elizabeth, b. May 3, 1808, m. Rev. Geo. W. Adams, Sept. 6, 1837 ; I'd in Mass. 
Martha H., b. Sept. 8, 1810, m. Joseph Hale of Limerick, Dec. 25, 1839; d. July 

12, 1841. 
Catherine, b. Aug. 10, 1812, d. Sept. 25, 1812. 
Samuel E., b. Apr. 14, 1814, m. Mrs. Abigail Googin, 1855; no children; d. 

Oct. 19, 1892 ; she, Aug. 12, 1888. 
Charles R., b. July 16, 1816, m. Susan Tibbets, Nov. 29, 1838; 2d, Mary A. 

Harding, Jan. 27, 1840; 3d, Jane Clifford, Oct. 9, 1866; d. Nov. 8, 1896. 
John W., b. Mar. 14, 1819, m. Mary J. Monroe, Dec. 25, 1845; d. heb. 26, 1871. 
Edward S., b. July 3, 1821, m. Lizzie N. Priest, Sept. 18, 1851. 
Hannah C, b. Apr. 26, 1824, d. Dec. 4, 1843. 

John W. Morris moved to Limerick in 1824, and died there May 
10, 1847. 

(2) James H. Morris, son of Charles, lived on the old homestead, 
opposite his father. He married Abigail Burnham of Parsonsfield. 
Children : 



680 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

William T., b. June 20, 1812, m. Sarah A. Hardinc, Nov. 27, 1834; d. in Port- 
land, Dec. 29. 18S8. 
Harriet N., b. Nov. 24, 1814, d. Aug. 4. 1833. 
Ann Louisa, b. Oct. 4, 1822, m. Ally Hawkes of Windham. 
Rhoda C, b. June 23, 1825, d. June 17, 1845. 

James H. Morris died Dec. 18, 1830, aged 52. Mrs. Abigail died 

Dec. 29, 1867, aged 82. After the death of James H. Morris, the 

homestead became the property of his son. William, who sold it and 

moved to Limerick. 

(2) Charles Morris, Jr., son of Charles, lived where Asa Burnham 
now lives, in the south part of the town. He moved to Portland. 
He married Eliza Emerson, sister of Rufus Emerson, Esq. of Port- 
land. Children : 

Sarah L., b. Jan. 2, 181 5, d. unm. in Portland, Nov., 1885. 

Wm. Emerson, b. July 31, 1816, ni. Margery Hammond; 2d, Mary C. Merrill; 

I'd in Gorham, then in Portland, where he was Judge of the Municipal 

Court ; d. in 1896-7. 
Charles James, b. July i, 1823, m. Clarissa Merrill; d. May 25, 1875. 
Elizabeth P., b. July 21, 1826, m. Isaac Libby, Oct. 31, 1847; d. Aug. 28, 1856. 

Charles Morris died March 29, 1840, aged 47. Mrs. Eliza Morris 
died vSept. 5, 1855, aged 64. 

MORTON. 

The first we know of Bryant Morton he was a citizen of Falmouth 
(Cape Elizabeth,) about the year 1738. He was a tax payer there 
in 1743. We do not know from whence he came, although his 
descendants claim him to have been English. His wife, to whom he 
must have been married as early as the year 1730, was Thankful 

. She was the mother of ten of his children. We find no 

record of her death. He married in Cape Elizabeth, June 23, 1771, 
Mrs. Lucy (White) Chamberlain, born in Falmouth, Dec. i, 1732, 
daughter of John and Jerusha White. She was the widow of Aaron 
Chamberlain, and the mother of Benjamin Chamberlain, for many 
years a citizen of Gorham, who died in town, Dec. 25, 1855, at the 
age of ninety-four years and nineteen days ; consequently he must 
have been born Dec. 6, 1761. 

By his second wife Mr. Morton had two children. All of Bryant 
Morton's children, except the two last, were born before he came to 
Gorham, probably in Falmouth (Cape Elizabeth). By record we 
find him as of Cape P'Jizabeth, Sept. 28, 1750, when he purchased 
Augustus Bearse's right in Gorhamtown. In 1751, June 28, the 
Proprietors of Gorham deed him land, at which time he is styled as 
of Gorhamtown. He probably came here between these two dates. 



GENEALOGY. C)81 

He was a large dealer in lands. Few men in town bought and sold 
more lots than Bryant Morton. He owned and lived on the thirty 
acre lot, 15, at Gorham Corner. His dwelling-house stood back and 
near to where Mr. Emery's brick store now stands, and his barn was 
on the lot opposite, across the street, near where the Methodist 
church now stands. Back of the barn were a number of graves, 
where some of the early settlers were buried, but not a stone or mark 
of any kind remains to tell their names, and tradition has preserved 
but few of them. As the first wife of Capt. Bryant Morton must 
have died before 1771, it is probable she was buried on this corner 
lot, — then owned by Mr. Morton, — back of the present Masonic 
building. This was before Mr. Hamblen presented the Corner 
burial yard to the town in 177 i. 

In 1772 Mr. Morton was one of the Committee of Safety and 
Correspondence ; and was a delegate to the Provincial Congress 
held at Cambridge. He rode to Cambridge on horseback, with 
Benjamin Chamberlain behind him to bring back his horse. He 
was Representative to the General Court several years ; and a captain 
in the army, during the war of the Revolution. He had command 
of a company of eighty men, called Sea-coast Guards ; and was 
stationed at Fort Hancock, on Cape Elizabeth. This fort was located 
on the spot now occupied by Fort Preble, and consisted of a battery 
of several cannon for the defence of Portland, then Falmouth. 

For several years Mr. Morton was a iirm supporter of the old 
Congregational church, and was one of its ruling elders in 1758-59. 
With many others he became dissatisfied with the ministrations of 
Mr. Lombard, and with them drew off, built a new meeting-house, 
and settled the Rev. Ebenezer Townsend. Capt. Morton in his 
latter days became a zealous Free Will Baptist. Before his second 
marriage he provided well for his first children. .His homestead at 
Gorham Corner he conveyed to his son Bryant, who by his deed 
conveys " the lot. No. 15, with the Bryant Morton house, and the lot 
opposite, where the Bryant Morton barn stands," to Cary McLellan. 
After his second marriage, Capt. Morton moved on to a small farm, 
since called the "Chamberlain place," situated on the road leading 
from Main St., near the house formerly owned and occupied by Mr. 
James Phinney, to Scarborough. Here he died in the year 1793, 
aged about 88. At his death his estate, real and personal, was 
appraised at about seven hundred dollars. His wife survived him 
many years, and died about the year 18 13. The children of Bryant 
and Thankful Morton were : 



682 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Thomas, b. about 1730, m. Rachel Elwell, May 9, 1751. 

Martha (?), b. , m. James Gilkey, Sept. 11, 174S. 

Joseph, b. about 1734, d. (so says Dea. Alden) Jan. 29, 1763. 

Ebenezer, b. about 1737, m. Sarah Whitney, Dec. 27, 1758. 

Thankful, b. about 1739, m. Abel Whitney, Dec. 16, 1758. 

Jabez, b. about 1741, m. Lucy Whitney, C3ct. 11, 1764. 

Bryant, b. about 1743, m. Love Frost of Berwick, Dec. 30, 1766; can find no 

record of their family ; I'd in the south part of the town ; afterwards 

moved to Berwick. 
Elisha, b. about 1745, find no record of him. 
Anna, b. about 1747, m. Phineas Whitney, Oct. 19, 1769. 
Phineas, b. , moved out of town. 

By his second wife, Lucy Chamberlain, he had : 
Jerusha, b. Sept. 10, 1772. 
John, b. Feb. 1 1, 1775. 

(2) Thomas Morton, son of Bryant, married Rachel Elwell of Cape 
Elizabeth, sister to Jonathan Elwell of Gorham. Children : 

James, b. June, 1753, m. Susan Dyer, July 12, 1777. 

Elisha, b. 1756, I'd in Unity or Thorndike. 

Ebenezer, b. , m. Susan, dau. of Thomas and Deliverance Irish, Dec. 7, 

1780; I'd and d. on Standish Neck ; served in the Revolution, enlisting 

in Capt. Jenkins's company, in the 12th Mass., when little more than a 

boy. 
David, b. June 22, 1761, m. Mary Sanger about 17S3. 

Thankful, b. — , m. Enos Newcomb, Jan. 23, 1783. 

Thomas, b. 1765, m. Betty Frost, Aug. 23, 17S7 ; 2d, Lydia Cotton. 

William, b. , m. Lydia Strout of Cape Elizabeth, Nov. 29, 1787. 

Rachel, b. , m. Jonathan K. Lowell of Hiram, Dec. 11, 17S3. 

Reuben, b. , m. Mary (or Mercy) Dyer of Cape Elizabeth, Jan. 27, 1793 ; 

merchant in Portland in 1797. 
Abigail, b. , m. Ephraim Ryle (or Riley) of Baldwin, Nov. 6, 1791. 

(2) Ebenezer Morton, son of Bryant, enlisted in 1775, in Capt. 
Stuart's company, 31st Mass., as sergeant, and later served under 
Capt. Jenkins, in the 12th Mass. He married Sarah, daughter of 
Nathan and Lydia Whitney. Children : 

Mary, b. Mar. 6, 1760. 

Martha, b. May ig, 1762, m. Ebenezer Irish, Jan. i, 1785. 

Joseph, b. Feb. 9, 1765, m. Lydia Lombard, Nov. 22, 1789. 

Matthias, b. Aug. 31, 1767. 

Elisha, b. Jan. 25, 1770, m. Bathshuah Lombard, Feb. 18, 1796. 

Ebenezer, b. July 15, 1771. 

Josiah, b. July 14, 1773. 

Daniel, b. Nov. 11, 1776. 

(2) Jabez Morton, son of Bryant, married Lucy, daughter of Isaac 
and Sarah Whitney. Their children were : 

Isaac, b. Aug. 18, 1767. 
Anna, b. Jan. 28, 1770. 
Hannah, b. July 17, 1772. 
Sarah, b. Dec. 28, 1774. 
Stephen, b. July 17, 1777. 
Reuben, b. May 12, 1780. 
Eunice, b. Nov. 23, 1782. 
Lucy, b. Apr. 28, 1785. 

This family is said to have moved out of town. 



GENEALOGY. G8o 

(3) James Morton, son of Thomas, was a mason by trade. He 

lived on the Samuel Libby farm, at " the North," where Phineas I. 

Libby now lives. PI is wife was Susan Dyer of Cape Elizabeth. 

Children : 

Hannah, b. Aug. 12, 1778, m. Edmund Wescott, May 15, I7g4. 

Thomas, b. Apr. 7, 1780, m. Hannah Wescott, Nov. 15, 1802. 

Anna, b. Mar. 30, 1781, m. Bryan Martin, Feb. S, 179S. 

Mary, b. June 13, 17S3, m. Bryant Morton, Jr., July 19, 1803. 

Elliot, b. Dec. 13, 1789, d. at sea. 

James, b. Jan. 29, 1792, m. Mary Page; d. in (Jorham, Mar. 26, 1829. 

Betsey, b. Jan. 29, 1794, m. Taylor of Thorndike. 

Wealthy, b. Aug. 30, 1795, m. Joseph Wescott, Oct. 9, 1817. 
Major, b. Mar. 22, 1797, m. Mary Wescott, Feb. 8, 1819. 
Micah, b. June 5, 1798, d. in Gorham about 1804. 

Randall, b. Aug. 16, 1800, m. Elizabeth Wescott, Nov. 18, 1821 ; moved to 
Thomdike. 

James Morton was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, enlL-sting 
as a private in Capt. Hart Williams' company in 1775. The follow- 
ing year he served as sergeant under Capt. Williams, and also in 
Col. Wigglesworth's regiment. Mr. Morton died April 10, 1840, 
aged 87 ; his wife, Oct. 8, 18 16, aged 62. 

(3) David Morton, son of Thomas, was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tion, serving in Capt. Whitmore's company, Col. Fogg's regiment. 
After he was discharged from the army he hired out for six years, in 
the town of Watertown, Mass., to work on a farm, where he married 
his wife, Mary Sanger, about the year 1783. He lived in Gorham, 
near Horse Beef. Children : 

John, b. Aug. 9, 1784, m. Rachel Bolton, May 10, 1807. 

Reuben, b. 1786, m. Esther Plummer, Mar. 23, 1809; d. June 13, 1817. His 
widow m. Joseph Mussey of Standish, Mar. 31, 1819. 

Polly, b. 1788, m. Jesse Butterfield of Standish, June 10, 1813. 

William, b. 1790, m. Mary Rich, Jan. 21, 1819; I'd in Conway, N. H. 

David, b. Jan. 9, 1792, m. Salome Shaw, Oct. 10, 1816; moved to Standish. 

Richard, b. 1794, d. young. 

Martha, b. 1796, m. Daniel Libby, Jan. 22, 1818; d. Dec. 31, 1821. 

Lydia, b. Jan. 2, 1798, m. Peter Shaw of Standish, Sept. 14, 1817. 

"I f m. Zilpha Bangs, Dec. 26, 1825, who d. Oct. 29, 1826, 

Bryant, \^^ . ^^ ^^^^ J and he m. Mary Harmon, Aug. 19, 1827; I'd in 

Anna, ( '1 Bridgton. 

J [m. Edmund Rand of Standish, p. Oct. 30, 1824. 

Elsey, b. Jan. 15, 1805, m. Daniel Libby, May 19, 1822 (2d wife) ; 2d; Henry W. 
Elwell, Sept. 29, 182S; 3d, Bourne; d. Apr. 6, 1874. 

Esther, b. 1809, m. Lewis Hall of Standish. 

David Morton died June 22, 1827, being 66 years old the day he 
died. His wife Mary, Jan. 20, 1S41, aged 74. 

(3) Thomas Morton, son of Thomas, was also a Revolutionary^ 
soldier. He lived on the place where Alston V. Whitney now resides. 
He married Betty, daughter of Benjamin and Susanna Frost of Gor- 
ham. Children : 



684 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Samuel, b. May 25, 1790, d. unm. 

Benjamin, b. Feb. 14, 1792, m. Sarah Green, Aug. 15, 1818. 

Nathaniel, b. Jan. 1 1, 1794, d. unm. Mar. 26, 182S. 

Hannah, b. Jan. 2, 1796, m. Klliot Fickett of C. Eliz'h, p. Dec. 25, 1821. 

Edmund, b. Oct. 11, 1797, d. unm. 

Thomas, b. Mar. 18, 1799. 

Paul, b. Mar. 5, iSoi, d. unm. 

Isaac, b. about 1805, m. Hannah Hall, May 26, 1832. 

Thomas Morton married, June 17, 1835, Lydia Cotton of Standish. 
He died June 19, 1846, aged 81. 

(4) Major Morton, son of James, married Mary, daughter of 

Reuben and Abigail Wescott. Children : 

Susan, b. 1821, m. Zebulon Whitney, Apr. 24, 1839. 
Abigail, b. 1823, m. Wm. S. Whitney, p. June 7, 1840. 

Ma_^or Morton died May 13, 1825, and his wife Mary, Feb. 14, 
1864, aged 67. 

(4) Isaac Morton, son of Thomas, lived on his father's place. He 
married Hannah, daughter of Thomas, and sister of Ebenezer Hall 
of (jorhani. Child: Martha, born Jan. 19, 1833, married Capt. 
Marshall Phillips of Taunton, Mass. 

Isaac Morton died Jan. 28, 1834, aged 28, and his widow married 
Naphtali Harmon, and died July 17, 1866, aged 54. 

(4) John Morton, son of David, was a blacksmith, and lived at 
Winship's Corner, where his son William lately lived. He married 
Rachel, daughter of William IJolton. Children : 

Mary Ann, b. Mar. 29, iSoS, m. Daniel I'Llliott of Parsonsfield, p. Dec. 4, 1S30; 

d. Dec. 17, 1S65. 
Jane McL., b. Feb. 20, iSio, m. Hugh W. Mosher, Jan. 22, 1835; 2d, Aug. 29, 

1853, Freeman Harding. 
William B., b. Feb. 6, 1812, d. Sept. 4, 1S29. 
Clementine, b. Feb. i, 1814, m. Oliver Winship, Nov. 15, 1835. 
Marshall, b. Mar. 16, 1816, m. Abigail, dau. of John and Martha Wescott, in 

1844. Ch: Orlando, b. May 29, 1845, d. May 27, 1865; Emily, b. Apr. 

19, 1S48, m. Woodbury Davis (1st wife); d. June 29, 1868. Mr. Morton 

d. Feb. 24, 1872, and his wife d. May 8, 1S76, ag. 50. 
Twin girls, b. Apr. 27, 1818, d. young. 
Eli W., b. May 24, 1819, d. young. 
R. Eli, b. Aug. 23, 1821, m. Louisa Rounds of Buxton, Mar. 12, 1843; ''^ at 

Winship's Corner. Ch : John, b. Apr. 9, 1850, d. Sept. 5, 1898; Jenny 

M.. m. Clarence E. Clay, who d. Mar. 11, 18S6; Mary Ella, b. Oct. 26, 

1S56, d. Nov. 6, 1868; Annie W., m. O. P. Sargent of Portland. Mrs. 

Louisa Morton d. Apr. 14, i860, ag. 38. and Mr. Morton m. Mrs. Sarah 

H. (Foster) Goshen, who d. Nov. 30, 1876, ag. 40; no ch. Mr. Morton 

d. Nov. 8, 1896. 
Martha B., b. July 21, 1821, m. Albert B. Stevens of Windham, Apr. 26, 1846; 

d. Apr. 8, 1847. 
Lucia H., b. Apr. 9, 1827, m. Samuel Maberry ; d. March i, 1882. 
William, b. Nov. 28, 1831, m. Mary B. Prince of Gray; I'd at Winship's Corner, 

on his father's place. Ch : Charles F., m. Ada Paine; Walter H., m. 



GENEAI.OfiV. GS5 

Ida Walton ; lirandon K., m. Addie Meserve; Lena M., d. Feb. 8, 1S71, 
ag. 8 ; Howard M., d. ag. about 22 ; Horace W.; 1^2veline. Mr. Morton 
d. Aug. 24, 1SS2, and his wife, Mar. 4, 1S99, ag. 66. 

John Morton died Aug. 31, 1833, and his wife Rachel, Aug. 26, 

1874, aged 87. 

MOSHER. 

Daniel Mosher was the son of James, and grandson of Hugh 
Mosher, who came to this country about 1630, from Scotland. It is 
said that Hugh Mosher settled first in New London, Conn., and 
afterwards moved to Newport, R. I. In 1640 he, with Thomas 
Wise, received from George ('leaves and Richard Tucker a convey- 
ance of two hundred acres of land at Back Cove. This land is 
situated not far from the northern end of Tukey's bridge. The 
estate of Hugh Mosher was administered upon in 1666 by his son 
James. 

Daniel Mosher was born at Falmouth, on what is now called the 
Deering farm. Here he lived with his family till he came to Gor- 
ham. He received from Shubael Gorham his first deed of a 
proprietor's right in this town Aug. io, 1739. His homestead lot 
was the thirty acre lot No. 4, next south of the parsonage lot, on the 
western side of the Fort Hill road, and is the lot where Archelaus L. 
Hamblen now lives. This lot he conveyed, Nov. 9, 176 1, to his son- 
in-law Moses Akers, with the buildings (houses and barn) thereon. 
He and his son James afterward moved to the place where Mark 
Mosher lately lived. In 1741 we find Daniel Mosher one of the 
committee appointed by the Proprietors to "lay out a road through 
the woods, from the end of Gorham street to Saccarappa mills," and 
in 1743 it was voted to -'raise sixpence on a right, to pay Daniel 
Mosher, provided he look out and spot a road direct to Black Point." 
Daniel Mosher's wife was Jane Brackett of Falmouth, daughter of 
Zachariah, whose father Anthony was killed by the Indians in 1689. 
She was born Jan. 13, 171 1. Children: 

Hannah B., b. in Falmouth, Sept. 17, 1733, m. Moses Akers, Dec, 1753. 

James, b. July, 1735, m. Abigail Frost, Dec, 1758. 

Katherine, bapt. 1735, m. Joseph Weston, Sept. 3, 1755; 2d, William Haskell, 

Feb. II, 1773. 
A child, bapt. 1739. 

We do not know when Daniel Mosher died, but it was previous to 

the year 1800. 

(2) James Mosher, son of Daniel, purchased May 31, 1770, the 
farm since owned by his grandson Mark Mosher. This farm, con- 



686 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

sisting of eighty-eight acres and twenty rods, and located near what 

was the termination of " Gorham street " as originally laid out, was 

sold by Moses Pearson and Enoch Freeman, at a " public vendue " 

held on the above date at Capt. Joshua Freeman's house. About 

1772 James built a house on the site of the present one, and moved 

there with his family from Fort Hill. His wife was Abigail, daughter 

of Nathaniel Frost. Children : 

Susanna, b. June 17, 1759, m. Joseph Rounds of Buxton, Nov. 5, 1778. 
Nathaniel, b. Oct. 21, 1762, d. Oct. 25, 1768. 
James, b. Apr. 25, 1767, m. Betsey Frost, p. Oct. 5, 1793. 
Nathaniel, b. May 5, 1769, m. Eunice Elder, Nov. 15, 1795. 
Abigail, b. Sept. i, 1771, m. James Phinney, Jr., July 17, 1791. 
Benjamin, b. Jan. 30, 1774, m. Polly Warren, p. Nov. 23, 1805. 
Jenney, b. Oct. 4, 1776, m. Isaac Carsley, June 18, 1797. 

Betsey, b. Mar. 11, 17S0, m. Thomas Lothrop, Apr. 14, 1799; 2d, Uriel Whit- 
ney of No. Yarmouth, Aug. 7, 1819. 
Nancy, b. Nov. 18, 1783, m. Samuel Elder, Jr., Jan. i, 1805. 
Daniel, b. Jan. 14, 1785, m. Octavia Woodman, Jan. 14, 1S16. 

James Mosher died Oct. 2, 1834, aged 99. and his wife Abigail, 

Oct. 24. 1815, aged 74. 

(3) James Mosher, Jr., son of James, married Betsey, daughter of 
Peter Frost of Somersworth, N. H. About the year 1808 Mr. 
Mosher built on his farm the house since owned and occupied by 
Freeman Richardson. This house was not completed until 1831, 
when Joseph M. Gerrish of Portland bought the place and finished 
the house, throughout. Mr. Gerrish li\ed in (jorham until 1837, 
when he returned to Portland. About 1830 Mr. Mosher, with his 
wife and family, moved to Farmington, where many of his descend- 
ants are now living. He died about 1836, and his wife, May 13, 
1850, aged 77. Children: 

Samuel F., b. .\pr. 28, 1795, d. Mar. 4, 1819. 

Abigail, b. Apr. 24, 1797. 

George, b. July 28, 1800. 

William, b. May 28, 1S02. 

Esther F., b. Jan. 26, 1804. 

James M., b. Sept. 5, 1806. 

Ehzabeth G., b. Nov. 28, 1808. 

John, b. Sept. 3, 1810. 

Catherine H., b. June 4, 181 2. 

Thomas, b. Aug. i, 1814, d. Aug. 28, 1814. 

Samuel F., b. Mar. 4, 1819. 

(3) Nathaniel Mosher, son of James, built the house now owned 
and occupied by Mrs. Rufus Mosher. This house he built in 1798, 
before which time he lived in the Joseph Gilkey house, which stood 
on the rising ground just east of his new house, and was torn down 
about 18 1 5. He married Eunice, daughter of Samuel Elder. Chil- 
dren : 



GENEALOGY. 687 

Samuel E., b. Nov. lo, 1797, m. Martha Flood of Buxton, Jan. 21, 1S26; was a 

Free Bapt. preacher. 
James, b. Jan. 21, iSoo, was lost at sea. 
Nathaniel, b. July 30, 1S03, m. Susan Barker, Dec. 2, 1S24. 
Hannah F., b. Apr. 21, 1S05, d. unm. in 1823. 

Edward, b. Apr. i, 1807, d. unm. Dec. 12, 1837; k'd by an accident in Bu.xton. 
Mary G., b. Oct. 15, 1809, m. Capt. Joseph Alexander of Brunswick, in 1845. 
Peter E., b. May 6, 1813, m. Catherine Edwards, p. Nov. i, 1S33 ; 2d, Lorana 

Hobson; d. Sept., 1837, in Waterford. 
Rufus, b. Mar. 31, 1815, m. Dolly Richardson, Dec. 25, 1844; 2d, Martha F. 

Woodman. 

Nathaniel Mosher died May 29, 1848, aged 79, and his wife 
Eunice, July 29, 1852, aged 78. 

(3) Benjamin Mosher, son of James, lived on the old place. About 
18 10 he and his brother Daniel built the large house where his son 
Mark Mosher lately lived. He married Mrs. Polly (Foster) Warren, 
widow of Hugh Warren, and daughter of Ezekiel and Ruth (Brad- 
bury) Foster of Biddeford. Children : 

Cynthia, b. Aug. ii, 1806, ni. James Phinney, Feb. 11, 1830. 

Hugh W., b. Sept. 6, 1809, m. Jane M. Morton, Jan. 22, 1835. 

Benjamin, b. May 28, 1813, m. Mary Elizabeth Merrill of Biddeford, 1839; was 

a sea captain; d. Dec 12, 1885. 
Abigail F., b. Oct. 20, 1815, m. Dr. (x. Thompson of Pownal, June 7, 1842; d. 

July 14, 1876. 
Mark, b. July 5, 1818, m. Lydia McN. Smith, Jan. 11, 1849. 
Meribah W., h. Aug 9, 1820, d. Feb. i, 1825. 
Sarah W., b. Dec. 3, 1822, d. Aug. 24, 1846. 

Benjamin Mosher died March 31, 1863, aged 89, and his wife 
Polly, Nov. 23, 1850, aged 68. 

(3) Daniel Mosher, son of James, built the house, and lived on 

the place since occupied by his son Merrill. He married Octavia, 

daughter of Stephen and Ruth Woodman of Buxton, and half sister 

to his brother Benjamin's wife Polly. Children : 

Merrill W., b. Oit. 10, 1816, d. unm. in Deering, Mar. 25, 1880. 

Augustus L., b. Oct. 20, 1818, d. at the Old Men's Home in Portland, in 1895. 

Ruth W., b. Sept. 7, 1S20, m. Daniel C. Libby, Mar. 20, 1851. 

Abigail P., b. June 15, 1822, d. Mar. 4, 1823. 

Abigail, b. June i, 1824, d. May 12, 1836. 

Daniel, b. Apr. 4, 1S27, m. Almaria C. Flint of Baldwin, Mar. 2, 1881. 

Stephen W., b. June 26, 1828, d. Nov. 21, 1829. 

Stephen W., b. Jan. 28, 1831, d. June 23, 1832. 

Andrew J., b. July 28, 1833, m. Julia Woodford of Westbrook. 

Elbridge, b. J-uly 31, 1836, d. Nov. 18, 1837. 

Capt. Daniel Mosher died Sept. 9, 1848, aged 63, and his wife 
Octavia, Jan. 3, 1853, aged 58. 

(4) Nathaniel Mosher, son of Nathaniel, lived and died with his 
father, on the farm afterwards occupied by his brother Rufus. He 
married Susan Barker. Children : 



688 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Frederic C, d. Aug. 26, 1832, aged 5 years. 

Frances G., ni. Dan Carpenter, June, 1847 ; I'd in -Saccarappa. 

Ellen, d. unm. in Saccarappa in 1S49.. 

Nathaniel Mosher died Nov. 26, 1830, aged 27. His wife survived 

him for some years, and died in Saccarappa. 

(4) Rufus Mosher, son of Nathaniel, married Dolly F., daughter 
of Isaac Richardson. Children : 

Edward, b. Dec, 1845, d. Apr. i, 1846. 

Rufus, b. Jan. 17, 1847, ^- Mary -H. Finnard of Biddeford; d. Oct. 6, 1876; 
she, Nov. 8, 1878. 

Mrs. Dolly F. Mosher died June 25, 1847, aged 25, and Mr. 

Mosher married, Dec. 17, 1848, Martha F., daughter of Stephen and 

Mehitable Woodman of Buxton. Children : 

Edward F., b. Oct. 8, 1849, m. Hannali Everett of Boston, Dec. 24, 1877; d. 

Aug. 21, 1897. 
Nellie E., b. Mar. i, 1851, m. \Villiam A. Bodge of Portland, Nov. 14, 1875 ; d. 

Jan. 31, 1894. 
Estelle W., b. Jan. 17, 1854, m. Reuben Wescott, Nov., 1876. 
Florence F., b. Dec. 23, 1855, m. Horace L. Day, June 6, 1878. He d. at 

Castle Rock, Col., June r, 1S91 ; she m. 2d, Chas. Bailey of Westbrook, 

1895; <i- Sept., 1898. 
Alice O., b. Sept. 14, 1858, m. B. Frank Andrews of Portland, Apr. 26, 1886. 
Freddie N., b. Jan. 17, 1S61, d. at Butte City, Mont., Feb. 15, 1S91. 
vS. Woodman, b. June 9, 1864, m. Gertrude I. Converse, Mar. 6, 1895. 
Clifford, b. Apr. 8, 1867, I'd on the homestead ; was murdered Jan. 12, 1901. 

Rufus Mosher died froifi injuries received from his horse, June 25, 
1889. 

(4) Hugh Warren Mosher, son of Benjamin, lived in the same 
house with his father. He married Jane McL., daughter of John 
Morton. One child : 

Marshall M., b. Dec. 27, 1837, m. Sophia Burbank. He d. Apr. 7, 1863 ; she, 
Sept. 18, 1863, and their son Marshall M., Nov. S, 1863. 

Hugh W. Mosher died April 20, 1842, and his widow married 
Freeman Harding, Aug. 29, 1853. 

(4) Mark Mosher, son of Benjamin, lived on the old Mosher 
place, on the old road to Saccarappa, at the mouth of the Little Falls 
road. He married Lydia McNab Smith of Biddeford. Children : 

Sarah E., b. Oct. 19, 1849, d. Sept. 5, 1S50. 

Foster, b. July 3, 1851, d. May 19, 1862. 

Wilhelmina, b. Aug. 24, 1853, d. Mar. 18, 1863. 

Clinton, ) , a o ^ { m. Effie Stone of Westbrook, Oct. 27, t886. 

- Clara, ' f b- Apr. ^^ ^^S^^ \ a. ,Ju\y 3, ^s 

Albert H., b. Dec. 12, 1859, m. Mary E. Waterhouse of Westbrook, Dec. 25, 
1890. 

Susan S., b. Apr. 15. 1862. m. Frank Hopkinson, Dec. 21, 1S96. 

Mary Belle, b. Nov. 8, 1864, d. Aug. 23, 1865. 

Harry, b. Sept. 21, 1866, m. Mary Douglass, June i, 1S92. 

Thomas S., b. Dec. 16, 1868, d. Aug. 6, 1869. 

Mrs. Lydia Mosher died P'eb. ti, 1887, aged 59. Mr. Mosher 
died Oct. 12, 1901. 



GENEALOGY. 689 

MOTLEY. 

John Motley came from Belfast, Ireland, and settled in Falmouth 
(Portland) before 1738. His grandson Robert Motley, son of Thomas 
of Portland, came to Gorham and lived on the farm on the northerly 
side of Fort Hill still known as the Motley place. He married his 
cousin Nancy, daughter of Daniel and Ann Marble of Portland, by 
whom he had one child : 

Ann liarriet, b. in 1803, d. unm. Mar. 27, 1S44. 

Capt. Motley married second, Mary Ann Marble, sister of his first 
wife. Children : 

George, b. about 1809, m. Harriet S. Steplienson, Dec. iS, 1850; d. in Lowell, 

Mass., Apr. 12, 1900. 
Ellen W., b. Feb. 19, 1S15, d. unm. Sept. 7, 1855. 
Margaret R., b. Dec. 22, 1818, m. Rev. Jos. Bartlett, Oct. 26, 1847; '^^ 'd. in 

Gorham Aug. 12, 1882, and she in Westbrook, in 1895. 

Capt. Motley died at his home on Fort Hill, Feb. 27, 1848, aged 
75, and Mrs. Motley, Sept. 13, 187 i, aged 96. Mrs. Ann Marble, 
mother of Mrs. Robert Motley, died in Gorham, Jan. 17, 1830, aged 
86. Richard Motley, brother of Capt. Motley, died in Gorham Nov. 
19, 1848, aged 73. 

MOULTON. 

The Moulton family is of English origin, and is descended from 
several brothers who came from England and settled in and about 
Hampton, N. H. 

Daniel Moulton, who lived in the north part of the town, son of 

Peter and Joanna (Shaw) Moulton of Standish, was born April i, 

1 78 1, and married Anna, daughter of Sargent Shaw of Standish. 

Children : 

Jonathan, b. Dec. 7. 180S, m. Lucy A. Hanson, p. Oct. 21, 1849 ; d. Oct. 8, 1852. 
Eben, b. Nov. 5, 1810, m. Abigail Moulton; moved to Harrison; d. Nov. 8, 

1887. 
Fanny, b. May 8, 1S15, d. unm. in Gorham, Apr. 3, 1887. 
Sarah, K . -- o i m. Geo. Gould. 

Mary, , ^^- Aug. 26, 1817, j 

Daniel, b. Feb. 2, 1820, d. young. 
Daniel, b. Feb. 4, 1822, m. Mary A. Shaw. 
Abigail, b. Apr. 2, 1824, m. Albion Rounds. 
Hannah, b. June 15, 1S26, m. Samuel M. Rand, 1850. 

Daniel Moulton died Jan. 8, 1861. 

Charles Moulton lived in South Gorham, on the place where his 
son Liberty now lives. He was a blacksmith by trade. At one time 
he was one of the selectmen of the town. He was born May 8, 1801, 
and was the son of Capt. Joshua Moulton, and a descendant of 



690 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

William Moulton, who came from England at the same time as John 

who was the ancestor of Daniel above. He married, Dec. i6, 1829, 

Hannah L., daughter of John Meserve of Scarborough. Children : 

John B., b. May 8, 1831, m. Ada W. Adams. 

Lydia, b. Feb. 2, 1833, m. Johnson Libby of Scarboro, Jan. 24, 1855; d. Sept. 8, 

1884. 
Esther J., b. July 17, 1835, m. Stephen F. Brown, Aug. 25, 1866. 
Matthias, b. May 8, 1839, m. Rose A. Bean ; was a soldier in the Civil War. 
Olive, b. Oct. 14, 1841, is a teacher. 

Charles I., b. Jan. 4, 1844, was a soldier in the Civil War. 
Liberty, b. Jan. 24, 1847, m. Fannie O. McKenney; has one son, Oren. 

Charles Moulton died Feb. 14, 1891, and his wife Hannah, Jan. 17, 

1884, aged 78. 

Zelotes Moulton was the son of John S. Moulton of Scarborough, 

and a descendant of the immigrant, John Moulton of Hampton, N. 

H. Mr. Moulton built the house on Maple St. He married, Feb. 

12, 1835, Almeda Weeks. Children: 

Wendall S., b. Feb. 20, 1836, m. Ellen S. Symms, Aug. 13, 1864. 

Charles H., b. Nov. 10, 1838, m. Esther Greene; 2d, Abby . 

Caroline E., b. , d. young. 

Keene, b. Oct. 13, 1843, '^- young- 
James L., b. Jan. 9, 1S45, m. Martha Crockett. 

George, b. , d. young. 

Lucy E., b. May 15, 1S48, m. Joel Guptill of Portland. 

John S., b. Feb. 14, 1850, I'd in Portland; d. June 23, 1896. 

Fred C, b. Mar. 9, 1852, m. Annie Parker. 

Clara Etta, b. Dec. 11, 1854. 

Frank R., b. Nov. 4, 1856, m. Katie Harrigan. 

Marshall E., b. Dec. 18, 1S58, m. Marcia V. Pillsbury, Feb. 18, 1883. 

Zelotes Moulton died March 19, 1880, aged 66, and his wife 

Almeda, Aug. 26, 1878, aged 64. 

MURCH. 

A tradition has been handed down in the Murch family, that one 
man by the name of Murch emigrated from the north of England to 
America, settling probably on Cape Cod. I'his man is said to have 
had seven sons, from whom have descended all of the name in this 
country. Ebenezer Murch, born in 1786, son of Lieut. Ebenezer, 
affirmed that the four brothers, Walter, John, Samuel and Ebenezer, 
who came early to Gorham from Biddeford, were four of these seven 
sons. Another member of the family, Daniel Murch, settled just 
across the Ciorham line in the edge of Buxton. 

Walter Murch lived on the Flaggy Meadow (old Buxton) road, on 
the Dea. Paine place, now occupied by David Patrick. Mr. Murch 
married, in November, 1758, Jerusha Brown, and probably came to 
this town not far from that time. He was a lame man, and we find a 



GENEALOGY. 691 

record that the town of Saco in 1756 voted "to pay Dr. Samuel 
White, Esq. (physician and magistrate) of Portland, 26^-6*^', lawful 
money for service done in dressing Walter Murch's leg." The 
children of Walter Murch and his wife Jerusha were : 

James, b. Aug. 29, 1760, m. Jenney Bailey of Falmouth, 1785. Ch. on record 
in Gorham: Rebecca, b. Oct. 20, 17S6, m. Jacob B. Owen, Nov. 27, 1808 ; 
Edmund, b., Feb. 13, 1788; William, b. Nov. 13, 1789, d. Mar. i, 1831. 
About 1790 the family moved to Buxton, where other ch. were b. 

Sarah, b. Dec. 4, 1762, m. William Irish, 1781. 

Benjamin, b. Jan., 1765. 

Susanna, b. Sept. 12, 1766, m. Joshua Newcomb, Nov. 26, 1789. (.-') 

Simeon, b. Feb. 24, 1769, m. Rachel Paine, Jan. 21, 1791. Ch : Rebecca, b. 
Nov. 11,1791; Josiah, b. in Buxton, July 11, 1793, m. Olive Whitney, I'd 
in Unity; Esther, b. at 25-mile Pond, Sept. 18, 1795; Ephraim, b. at 
25-mile Pond, Sept. 4, 179S, I'd in Unity; Jepthah, went to Iowa; 
Bowdoin, was a lawyer at Belfast; Richard, I'd in Unity. Simeon 
Murch d. at Unity. 

Zebulon, b. Mar. 19, 1771, m. Molly Pennell of Buxton, Oct. 23, 1794. 

Atha, b. Apr. 12, 1773. 

Joanna, b. Sept. 27, 1775. 

Ephraim, b. Feb. i, 1778. 

Edmund, b. Jan. 27, 1780. 

John March probably came to Gorham about 1760. His home 
was on the seventy acre lot, 48, at White Rock near where his great- 
grandson Caleb lately resided. His wife was Annah . Children : 

Matthias, b. Mar., 1759, m. Mary Libby, Mar. i, 1781. 

Molly, b. May 7, 1761, m. John Silla, Dec. 15, 1786. 

William, b. June 29, 1763, left town. 

Eunice, b. Apr. 18, 1765. 

George, b. Feb. 8, 1767, m. Hannah Roberts, Mar. 24, 1791. 

Samuel, b. Nov. 29, 1769, m. Elizabeth Murch, May 6, 1798. 

Tabitha, b. Apr. 17, 1773. 

Joshua, b. Sept. 27, 1775. 

Martha, b. July 27, 1777, m. Josedeck Sanborn, Sept. 22, 1796. 

John Murch's name disappears from the tax list after 1792, and it 
seems probable that this is about the time of his death. His wife 
Annah died Nov. 15, 18 15, aged 84. Both Mr. and Mrs. Murch 
were buried on their farm. 

Samuel Murch married, Feb. 28, 1760, Deborah Emery of Bidde- 

ford. They lived in Gorham on the Flaggy Meadow road. (See 

below.) Their children, of whose birth we have no record, were, as 

far as can be ascertained : 

Ebenezer, m. Hannah Lombard, Nov. 30, 1786. 

Deborah, m. James Whitney, Aug. 15, 1785. 

Mary, m. Benjamin Skillings of No. Yarmouth, July 10, 1794. (?) 

EHzabeth, m. Samuel Murch, May 6, 1798. 

We have no record of the death of Samuel Murch, but his wife 

Deborah died April 27, 1803. 



692 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Ebenezer Murch and his brother Samuel settled on adjoining 
farms ; Samuel where Wesley Murch now lives, and Ebenezer on 
the farm where Mr. Stokes lately lived, on the Flagg}' Meadow road. 
This farm, which was the southern half of the hundred acre lot, 68, 
Ebenezer bought, March 26, 1761, of Abijah P. Lewis, he having 
purchased it of David Gorham, Esq. At the time the brothers came 
here and took up their land and erected their dwellings, they were 
entirely shut in by the thick woods. When they had succeeded in 
clearing away enough of the dense forest to enable them to see the 
light shining out from each others windows they said it gave them a 
very comfortable neighborly feeling. During the Revolutionary war 
Ebenezer Murch was lirst lieut. in Capt. Whitmore's Gorham com- 
pany of militia. In 1776 he enlisted as second lieut. under Capt. 
Paul Ellis of Falmouth. He was second in command of a company 
of soldiers, which was raised in Gorham in 1779, under command of 
Capr. Alexander McLellan, and joined the forces for the capture 
of Bagaduce (Castine). On the failure of that expedition he, with 
others of the company, made their way home through the woods. 
He married, Dec. 25, 1763, INlargery Phillips of Pepperellborough. 
Children : 

Joseph, b. Aug. 28, 1764, m. Mary Small; moved to Madison, where he d. 

Jeremiah, b. Feb. 8, 1766, m. Ann Murch, Oct. 29, 1788. Ch : George, b. July 
15, 1789; John, b. Sept. 3, 1790; Samuel, b. July 2, 1796. L'd for a time 
on his father's place. 

Isaac, b. Nov. 23, 1767, m. Mary Murray, Sept. 12, 1790 (?) ; 2d, Charity Smith 
of Little Falls, Feb. 19, 1795 ; I'd in Skowhegan. 

John, b. Sept. 14, 1769, m. Polly Boynton, May 3, 180 1. 

Lydia, b. Aug. 23, 177 1, d. unm. May 3, 1853. 

Moses, b. June 29, 1773, d. unm. Mar. i, 1835, 

Aaron, b. Mar. 8, 1777, d. unm. 

Sally, b. Nov. 23, 1778, d. Nov. 13, 1841. 

Betty, b. May 2, 1781, d. unm. 

Ebenezer, b. Nov. ii, 1785, m. Annie Grant of Saco in 1809 ; moved to Unity; 
d. in Plymouth, Me., in 1867. 

Lieut. Murch died June 16, 1824, aged 87. Mrs. Margery INIurch 
died Oct. 20, 1829, aged 86. 

(2) Matthias Murch, son of John, was a sea faring man previous 
to his marriage. He settled first at Horse Beef, where he married 
Polly, daughter of Joseph Libby, and owned and ran the saw and 
grist mills formerly the property of his father-in-law. From Horse 
Beef he removed to White Rock. He was in the Revolutionary war 
three years, serving in Capt. Williams' company, i8th Continental, 
and in Capt. Merrill's company, 12th Mass.. and for these services 
received a pension from the government. Children of Matthias and 
Polly Murch: 



GENEALOGY. 693 

William, b. ■ ■, d. at sea; was unm. 

Matthias, b. May, 1789, ni. Lydia Shackford, p. Sept. 11, 1819. 

Mary, b. , m. Peter Crockett, p. Jan. 6, 1815. 

Benjamin, b. , d. young. 

Joseph, b. , d. young. 

Eastman, b. , d. young. 

Betsey, b. , d. voung. 

Charlotte, b. — , m. Jacob Quinby, of Westbrook, Nov. 4, 1823. 

Daniel, b. , m. Harriet Wescott, June S, 1829. 

Dorcas, b. Oct. 18, 18 19, I'd in Portland; unm.; d. in 1897. 

Mrs. Mary Murch died Oct. 6, 183 1, aged 70, and Mr. Murch 
married (pub. Oct. 26, 1833) Mrs. Hannah (Shackford) Boston, 
daughter of Paul Shackford, Jr., of Kennebunk. Matthias Murch 
died Atig. 9, 1842, aged 83. Mrs. Hannah Murch died July 9, 1848, 
aged 63. 

(2) George Murch, son of John, married Hannah, daughter of 

Joseph and Hannah Roberts. In 1797 he sold one-half of the old 

place to his brother Samuel. Children : 

Betsey, b. Nov. 29, 1791, m. Hosea White, p. Sept. 2;^, 1809. (?) 

Sally, b. June 23, 1793. 

Josiah, b. Jan. 23, 1796. 

Eunice, b, May 15, 1797. 

Dean, b. Dec. 21, 1800. 

Reuben, b. Apr. 8, 1802, I'd in Portland. 

Nancy, b. Feb. 20, 1803, m. Jacob Frost of Westbrook, p. Mar. 2^, 1822. 

Mary, b. Oct. 8, 1805. 

Martha, b. July 15, 1807. 

Melinda, b. Aug. 10, 1809, m. Nathaniel Babb of Westbrook, Nov. 5, 1827. 

William, b. Nov. 11, 181 1, I'd in Hampden. 

Mrs. Hannah Murch died Nov. 18, 1831. 

(2) Samuel Murch, son of John, purchased of his brother George, 

Nov. 10, 1797, a half of the seventy acre lot, 48, at White Rock. He 

married his cousin Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Murch. Children 

all born in Gorham : 

Eliza, b. Aug. 11, 1799, d. unm. in Bridgton. 

Thomas, b. Nov. 27, 1801, m. Mary Norton of Baldwin ; I'd in Baldwin. 

Pamelia, b. , d. when a young lady. 

Sewall L., b. July 10, 1807, m. Martha Tyler, 1846; one dau. Mary E., b. in 

Sebago, Sept. 24, 1847, m. Orin Leavitt of Gorham. 
Haskett D., b. , m. Ann Cook; I'd in Bridgton. 

Samuel Murch about 18 15 moved to Sebago, where he died in 
1849 or 1850. Mrs. Betsey Murch died June 9, 1825. 

(2) Ebenezer Murch, son of Samuel, lived on the homestead of his 

father. He married Hannah, daughter of Solomon, Jr. and Lydia 

Lombard, Children : 

Lydia, b. July 9, 1787, m. James Grant, Jr., of Falmouth, p. Apr. 4, 1807; I'd in 

Westbrook. 
Richard, b. Jan. 16, 1789, d. young. 



694 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Lucy, b. Jan. i6, 1791, m. David Silla, p. Feb. 18, 181 5. 

Hannah, b. Feb. 28, 1793, m. Daniel Lombard of Portland, p. Dec. 24, 18 14. 

Susanna, b. Feb. 6, 1795, d. Sept. 29, 1836. 

Deborah, b. Jan. 20, 1797, d. unm. July 4, 1846. 

Solomon L., b. Nov. 30, 1798, m. Mary Lowell of New Portland; d. Dec, 1869. 

Rachel G., b. June 27, 1801, d. July, 1815. 

Samuel, b. July 9, 1805, m. Jane Blake, Nov. 2, 1836. 

Ebenezer Murch died Dec. 29, 1837, aged 77. Mrs. Murch died 

in November, 1831. 

(2) John Murch, Jr., son of Lieut. Ebenezer, lived on the old Bux- 
ton road, on his father's homestead, nearly opposite the house of 
Dea. Samuel Paine. He married Polly Boynton of Buxton. Children : 

Isaac, m. Achsah Elwell, p. Dec. 14, 1834. 

Almira, m. William Veazie, Apiil 30, 1834. 

Margery, m. Samuel S. Witherell, p. Nov. 8, 1834; d. about 1892 or '93. 

Ansel, d. young. 

Rachel, m. Royal B. Elwell of Buxton, p. Apr. i, 1838. 

Grata R., d. unm. Feb. 26, 1857, aged 38. 

John Murch, Jr., died Oct. 21, 185 i, and his wife Polly, Aug. 6, 
1843. 

(3) Matthias Murch, Jr., son of Matthias, was a mason. He mar- 
ried Lydia, daughter of Paul Shackford, Jr. of Kennebunk. Children : 

William, d. Apr. 8, 1S24, ag. 3 y'rs, 7 mos. 

Abial W., m. Frances Rand; d. Nov. 10, 1872. 

Lucy, d. Sept. 13, 1825, ag. i y'r, 9 mos. 

Lucy S., m. Daniel Peasley ; 2d, Oliver A. Goold of Wmdham. 

Margaret A., m. William Smith. 

William Henry, m. Esther Plummer Libby, June 17, 1853. 

Mr. Murch was a deacon of the church at White P>.ock. He died 
Dec. 23, 1865, aged 76. Mrs. Murch died May 4, 1874, aged 79. 

(3) Daniel Murch, son of Matthias, lived first on the place where 
his o-randfather John Murch had resided, but afterwards moved to 
the spot where his son and daughter, Caleb and Elizabeth, have 
lately lived. He married Harriet, daughter of Edmund and Hannah 
Wescott. Children : 

Harvey W., b. Oct. 26, 1830, m. Adehne Bragdon ; 2d, Mar. 31, 1863, Lucinda 
P. Files. 

r^leb H ) . T o n'd at White Rock; d. Sept. 20. 1900. 

Joshua G., } ^- ^'"'*' '^' ^^'' \ m. Lydia Cloudman; 2d, Sarah Lambert. 

Harriet E.', b. Nov. 14, 1836, m. Geo. D. Beck ; d. Dec. 17, 1864. 

Frank A., b. 1846, is a physician. 

Elizabeth C, b. 1849. 

Fred C., b. 1852, d. 1S75. 

Daniel Murch died July, 1892. Mrs. Murch died April, 1889. 

(3) Samuel Murch, son of Ebenezer, lived on the farm occupied 
by his father and grandfather before him, and now owned by his son 
Wesley. He married Jane Blake of Buxton. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 695 

Lewis, b. Sept. 21, 1837, d. Dec. 6, 1S67. 
Wesley, b. June 3, 1839, m. Laura Whitney. 
Ellen, b. June 14, 1842, m. John Simmons. 
Charles H., b. July 15, 1858, m. Abbie H. Baker. 

Samuel Murch died March 3, 1876. Mrs. Jane Murch died Nov. 
28, 1884, aged 66. 

(3) Isaac Murch, son of John, Jr., was born Oct. 7, 1802. He 
lived on the old Buxton road, on the old Lieut. Ebenezer Murch 
place. This house was destroyed b}' fire in 1886. Mr. Murch mar- 
ried Achsah Elwell of Buxton. Children : 

Ansel, b. July 4, 1835. 

Charles, b. Feb. 17, 1838, d. in the Army, Aug. 6, 1862. 

Albert, b. March 25, 1840. 

William P., b. Apr. 15, 1842, d. in the Army, Aug. 4, 1864. 

Mary E., b Mar. 12, 1844, 

Ebenezer, b. Oct. 25, 1846, I'd in Buxton. 

Isaac Murch moved to Buxton, on to the Daniel Blake place. He 
died Jan. 2, 1S90, and his wife Achsah in August, 1880. 

John Murch, Jr., who was probably the son of John Murch of Bid- 
deford, married Martha Frost, or Foot, Oct. 8, 1772, and lived for a 
time in Gorham. Children: Samuel, born April 24, 1773; Thomas, 
born Sept. 9, 1775 ; Matthias, b. Aug. 23, 1779. 

Stephen Murch, son of Daniel of Buxton, was born in that town, 
April 12, 1770. Sept. 19, 1793, he married Miriam, daughter of 
John Watson of Gorham. Their daughter Betsey, born in 1794, mar- 
ried Samuel Woodward in 18 15. Mr. Murch lived for some time at 
Gorham village. He died Aug. 25, 1867. Mrs. Miriam Murch died 
in 1795, aged 19. 

NASON. 

Uriah Nason was one of the first settlers in the northeast part of 
the town, near Great Falls. He came from Kittery to Gorham. He 
was the son of John and Margaret Nason, and was born in Berwick, 
in which town he was baptized June 28, 1744. His father, John 
Nason, was the great-grandson of Richard Nason, who emigrated 
from England about 1648, and was an early proprietor of Kittery. 
It is said that Uriah Nason settled in Gorham before the lines of the 
seventy acre lots were surveyed. This was done in 1765, so that he 
was here as early as 1764; perhaps earlier. He married, April 20, 
1765, Abigail Knight of Windham, the daughter of William Knight. 
The record of their children is imperfect. They were : 



696 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Abraham, b. Nov. 22, 1765, ni. Lydia Lombard, Feb. 14, 1793 ; I'd on Standish 

Neck. 
William, b. Feb. i, 1770, m. Betsey Burnell, Sept. 8, 1791. 

Samuel, b. , 1771, m. Patty Mains, p. May 19, 1793. 

Lot, b. about 1775, m. Betsey Lord, July 3, 1797. 

Margaret, b. , m. Thomas Cannell of Standish, p. June 30, 1797. 

Abigail, b. , m. Benjamin Mains of Windham, May 30, 1799. 

Joseph, b. Jan. 30, 1783, m. Betsey Waterhouse of .Standish, June ro, 1804. 
Uriah, Jr., b. about 17S5, m. Jemima Snow, June 5, 1807. 

Uriah Nason died May 13, 1833, aged 91, and Mrs. Abigail Nason, 
March 5, 1837, aged 98. 

(2) William Nason, son of Uriah, lived for a time at Dundy Falls, 

where he built a saw mill. The tradition is that " Dundy " was a 

nickname given to him, hence the name of the falls, he being then 

their owner. He moved to Baldwin (now Sebago), where he was 

drowned. He married Betsey, daughter of John and Elizabeth 

Burnell. Children : 

John, b. Mar. 29, 1792. 

Samuel, b. Sept. 15, 1793. 

Lot, b. June 4, 1795, "^^ ^ept- 30, 1798. 

Betsey, b. Apr. 4, 1797. 

Daniel, b. May 7, 1799, m. probably, Jane Cannell, Sept. 21, 1828. 

Thomas, b. Feb. 16, 1801. 

Margery, b. . 

Ann, b. . 



Lydia, b. . 

(2) Samuel Nason, son of Uriah, lived and died at Great Falls. 
He married Patty Mains. Children : 

James, b. Oct. 8, 1793, ^- Susanna Proctor of Windham, p. Mar. 18, 181 5 ; I'd 
at Great Falls. Ch: William P., b. June 21, 1815, d. unm. May 23, 
1871 ; Sally, b. Apr.. 7, 1818, m. Jeremiah Parker, p. Apr. 10, 1836; 
James, b. Oct. 29, 1824, m. Frances Oilman, d. Oct. 22, 1862. Capt. 
James Nason d. May 23, 1847 ' his wife d. Nov. 15, 1861, ag. 68. 

Samuel, Jr., b. Dec. 13, 1798, m. Paulina Whitmore, Oct 30, 1824. Ch : 
Samuel, b. Jan. 22, 1825, m. Harriet E., dau. of .Samuel and Lorana 
Freeman of Windham, p. July 31, 1847; Joseph, b. Apr. 4, 1829, m. 
Eliza F., dau. of Merrill Thomas, d. Nov. 19, 1875. Mrs. Paulina Nason 
d. Oct. 4, 1854. 

(2) Lot Nason, son of Uriah, lived in what is called the Nason 
District, as did also his brothers, Joseph and Uriah, Jr. They were 
farmers and good citizens. Lot married Betsey Lord of No. Yar- 
mouth. Children : 

Olive, b. Nov. 30, 1797, m. Henry Hooper, p. Mar. 16, 1822. 

Abigail, b. July 6, 1799, m. William Hall of Standish, Jan. 10, 1822. 

Noah, b. Mar. 2, 180 1, m. Susan Smith ; d. in Westbrook. 

Lewis, b. .Sept. 9, 1803, m. Lucy Anderson of Windham, Apr. 19, 1829; d. 

Oct. 14, 1831. 
Mary, b. Mar. 7, 1805, m. Benjamin Manchester of Windham, p. Jan. 27, 1828. 
Charles E., b. , d. Sept. 6, 1S07. 



GENEALOGY, 697 

Ebenezer L., b. Feb. 23, 1810, m. Comfort Manchester of Windham, p. Aug. 24, 

1833; 2d, Mary A. Libby; d. m 1894. 
Ruth Ann, b. Mar. 2, 1815, d. May 2, 1840. 

Lot Nason died Aug. 7, 1840; his wife died Sept. 9, 1859 aged 84. 

(2) Joseph Nason, son of Uriah, married Elizabeth Waterhouse of 
Standish. Children : 

Almira, b. Feb. 19, 1805, d. unm. Jan. i, 1S91. 

Mthitable, b. Nov. 18, 1806, m. Jo.seph Ward. 

Abigail, b. Nov. 2, 1809, m. Thomas Bodge, Jr., of Windham, p. Nov. 3, 1832. 

Dorcas, b. Nov. 12, 1813, m. John H. Files, Dec. 21, 1834 ; d. in Stoneham. 

Joseph Nason died April 8, i860 ; his wife died Aug. 6, 1863, aged 



(2) Uriah Nason, Jr., son of Uriah, married Jemina, daughter of 
Thomas and Jane Snow. Children : 

Earl, b. Nov. 21, 1S07, m. Elmira Morton of Standish, Feb. 27, 1831 ; I'd in the 
Nason District. Ch : Polly, b. Aug. 3, 1831, m. Preble Hall, son of 
Wm., in 1850 ; Elbridge G., b. Aug. 26, 1833 ; Ellen M., b. Jan. 26, 1836, 

m. Freeman McKenney ; Olive S., b. June 30, 1S41, m. Hurd. Earl 

Nason d. Apr. 9, 1875, and his wife Elmira d. Feb. 22, 1S49, ag. 38. 

Asa, b. Apr. 25, 1810, went West. 

Simeon, b. Mar. 20, 1813, m. Louise McKenney; d. in Westbrook. 

Isaiah, b. Jan. 10, 1817, m. Harriet Manchester in 1840. Ch : Emeline, b. Jan. 
24, 1842, m. Chas. Abbott, 2d, Geo. Sawyer, I's on the old Uriah Nason 
place; Uriah, b. Aug. 20, 1847, m- Wilma Merrill; Charles A., b. Mar. 
14, 1849, m. Georgiana Mabry, 2d, Marcia Wilson, 3d, Mrs. Emily Z. 
Bodge, d. Mar. 17, i888. Isaiah Nason d. Dec. 13, 1S81 ; Mrs. Harriet 
Nason d. Jan. 20, 1895, ag. 76. 

Thomas, b. Sept. 30, 1820, m. Frances McKenney; d. in Westbrook. 

Rebecca, b. , I's on her father's homestead. 

Uriah Nason, Jr. died Feb. 6, 1863 ; Mrs. Jemima Nason died Feb. 
6, 1868, aged 82. 

Ephraim Nason's name appears on the Gorham tax list for 1787. 
He lived in what was then called the " Gag Corner District." He 
married, Oct. 6, 1783, Eleanor, daughter of John and Abigail (Libby) 
Dam. Children, all born in Gorham, but Eunice, who was born in 
Cape Elizabeth : 

Eunice, b. June 4, 1785, m. William Bolton, Oct. 15, 1803. 

Richard, b. , m. Polly Paine, Dec. 31, 1809. 

Abigail, b. , m. Solomon Newcomb, Dec. 11, 181 1 ; 2d, John Crockett, 

June 22, 1815. 

Ephraim, b. , moved to Eaton, N. H. 

Fanny, b. , m. Major Wescott, Apr. 8, 1821. 

Eleanor, b. , m. Benjamin Haskell; I'd on Standish Neck ; d. in 1892. 

Ephraim Nason was killed by an accident about 1795, and his 
widow Eleanor married, April 10, 1796, Nehemiah Wescott. 



698 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Rev. Reuben Nason, the first Principal of Gorham Academy, was 
the son of John and Rebecca (Perkins) Nason, and was born in 
Dover, N. H., April 7, 1779. He was descended from Richard 
Nason, the emigrant who came to Maine about 1648, and whose 
name appears in 1652 in the list of inhabitants of Kittery acknowledg- 
ing themselves subject to the government of the Massachusetts Bay 
Colony in New England. Reuben Nason's line of descent from 
Richard was: Richard', Jonathan-, Jonathan3, Azariah^, Johns, 
Reuben^. 

When but a boy of thirteen Reuben began his special preparation 
for college, and from the time he was fifteen devoted a part of each 
year to teaching, in order to provide means to carry him through his 
course of study. He was graduated from Harvard in the class of 1802, 
and received the degree of A. M. in 1805. He studied for the ministry 
under Rev. Jesse Appleton, then of Hampton, N, H., afterwards 
President of Bowdoin College. In 1803 he was " approbated " by 
the Piscataqua Association, and " recommended to the use of the 
churches." After teaching in Gorham from 1806 to 1810, he resigned 
his office of preceptor, and in February, 181 o, was ordained pastor of 
the church in Freeport. In 18 15 he returned to Gorham and took 
charge of the Academy till 1834. In October of that year he removed 
to Clarkson, N. Y., to take charge of a similar institution. After 
only a brief service there he died suddenly Sunday morning, Jan. 25, 
1835, having been in his usual health the day before. 

Mr. Nason married, Oct. 14, 1807, Apphia, daughter of Hon. 
Josiah and Apphia (Mayo) Thacher, by whom he had one child: 

Apphia T., b. July 30, i8o8, d. May 20, 1839. 

Mrs. Apphia Nason died Aug. 2, 1808, aged 23, and Mr. Nason 

married, Nov. 17, 1813, Martha, daughter of James and Martha 

(McLellan) Cotfin of Saco. Children, all born in Gorham excepting 

Martha, born in Freeport : 

Martha C, b. Sept. 12, 1S14, d. hi Clarkson, N. Y., Feb. 23, 1S35. 

Reuben, b. Oct. 10, 1816, m. IJec. 27, 1842. at Aberdeen, Miss., Gabriella B. 

Hansel! of S. C. ; d. in Mobile, Ala., Aug. 31, 1886. 
John, b. Aug. 22, 1818, d. in Gorham, Aug. 27, 1818. 
Jesse A., b. Oct. 2, 1819, m. in Pekin, 111., Aug. 10, 1854. Mrs. Anna M. 

(Coldren) Doolittle; d. in vSctibner, Neb., Sept. 21, US97. 
Elizabeth T., b. Nov. 22, 1821, ni. in Pekin, 111., Dec. 14, 1845, Wm. W'ilkey of 

N. Y. ; d. in Lincoln, Neb., July 27, 1894. 
George, b. June 23, 1824, drowned at sea, June 21, 1S44. 
Nathaniel C, b. Apr. 4, 1827, m. in Peoria, III., June 19, 1856, Anna D. Hedel, 

who d. Jan. 4, 1882; m. 2d, in Chicago, 111., Mar. 29, 1885, Mrs. Kate S. 

(Emery) Parish, b. in N. J.; I's on a farm near Shelbyville, 111. 
Mary Shuah, b. Dec. 8, 1829, m. in Pekin, 111., Oct. 3, 1854, Wm. C. Hawley ; 

I's in Lincoln, Neb. 



GENEALOGY. 699 

Rev. Reuben Nason was a member of the Board of Overseers of 
Bowdoin College ; a member also of the New York Hist. Soc. ; the Am. 
Antiquarian Soc. ; the Maine Hist. Soc. ; the Maine Miss'y Soc, and the 
Soc. for Theol. Education. He was made a Mason in the Saco Lodge as 
early as 1803, perhaps in 1802 ; was more than any other instrumental 
in the formation of Harmony Lodge in Gorham, of which he was the 
first Master; was District Deputy Grand Master of the first District 
of Maine, 1827 to 1831, and Grand Chaplain of the Grand Royal 
Arch Chapter of Maine, 1825 to 1830. As has been said, Mr. Nason 
died in 1835. His wife Martha died at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Dec. i, 
187 1, aged 85. 

NEWCOMB. 

Samuel Newcomb came here from Cape Cod somewhere about the 
year 1778 or 1779. He had but one child, Enos, born Feb. 9, 1759, 
who came here with his father, and together they cleared the land 
where John Nelson Newcomb now lives in the north part of the 
town, on Mighty street. Enos Newcomb married, Jan. 23, 1 783, Thank- 
ful, daughter of Thomas Morton, and granddaughter of Capt. Bryant 
Morton. Children : 

Deborah, b. Feb. 26, 1785, m. Millions of Westbrook. 

Rachel, b. May 21, 1786, m. Moses Lowell of Hiram. 

David, b. Apr. 30, 17S8, m. Rebecca McKenney of Scarboro, p. Mar. 12, 1814; 

removed to Hiram. 
Hannah, b. May 15, 1790, d. nnm. in Windham. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 16, 1792, I'd and d. in Gardiner. 
Thankful, b. June 23, 1794, m. Jonathan Stevens, p. Oct. 21, 1824; I'd in 

Windham. 

Mrs. Thankful Newcomb died April 29, 1796, and Mr. Newcomb 

married, Jan. 16, 1797, Mrs. Abigail (Myrick)Libby, widow of Hanson 

Libby, by whom he had : 

Gardner, b. Feb. 15, 179S, m. Elizabeth Parker, Dec. 26, 1821. 
Eunice, b. Nov. 19, 1799, m. Charles Berry of Gray, June 26, 1823. 
Hanson, b. July 8, 1802, m. Delilah Libby, Nov. 27, 1827. 
Sarah, b. Sept. 17, 1804, d. Aug. 27, 1827. 
William, b. Aug. 15, 1806, d. May 23, 1878. 

Enos Newcomb died April 10, 1843, and his wife Abigail, Oct. 27, 

1834, aged 70. 

(2) Gardner Newcomb, son of Enos, lived in Gorham on the 
" plains," near Mr. Dingley's. He married Betsey Parker of Stan- 
dish. Children : 

Eunice, b. Sept. 22, 1824, m. William Quinn of Gorham. 

Isaac, b. Nov. 23, 1828, m. ; I'd in Virginia. 

Ehza J., b. Dec. 21, 1830, m. Geo. W. Crockett, 1851. 



700 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mark F., b. Dec. 23, 1832, m. Sarah Kennard. 

Leonard, b. Mar. 24, 1835, m. Julia A. Hanson, Jan. 5, 1859; <i' Dec. 6, 1875. 

Gardner Newbomb died Dec. 3, 1871. 

(2) Hanson Newcomb, son of Enos, lived on the old place. He 

married Delilah, daughter of Reuben, Jr., and Abigail Libby. 

Children : 

Sally, b. Oct. 9, 1828, m. William Wescott, 3d, Apr. 2, 1851. 

John Nelson, b. June 19, 1832, m. Mary Ellen Wescott, Mar. 23, 1857. Ch : 

Alvin W., m. Hattie S. Stone; Helen M.. m. James Hamilton. 
Mary Ann, b. Oct. 11, 1835, d. young. 
Emulis, b. June 15, 1838, d. Nov. 20, 1839. 
Caroline M., b. Apr. 10, 184 1, m. Albion K. P. Libby, Aug. 31, 1864. 

Hanson Newcomb died Aug. i, 1872, and his wife, March 4, 

1892, aged 85. 

Solomon Newcomb had a carding mill in the north part of the 
town, on what is known as the " West Branch," on land lately owned 
by Benjamin Irish. He married, Feb. 26, 1798, Sarah, daughter of 
Isaac and Mary Whitney. We have record of but one child, Isaac, 
born about 1810, married Martha Paine, Dec. 14, 1834; died Feb. 5, 
1858 ; she, Nov. 22, 1857. Mrs. Sarah Newcomb died soon after the 
birth of her son Isaac, and Mr. Newcomb married, Dec. 11, 181 1, 
Abigail, daughter of Ephraim and Eleanor Nason. He lived but a 
short time after his marriage, and his widow married, June 22, 18 15, 
John Crockett. 

PAINE. 

The Paine family of America is descended from several emigrants 
of the name, which is spelled also Payne or Payn. From Thomas 
Paine, one of these emigrants, comes the Eastham branch of the 
family, several of whom were early settlers in Gorham. 

John Paine, son of Jonathan and Hannah (Lombard) Paine, was 

born in Truro, Mass., Aug. 20, 1749- He was a descendant of the 

Thomas above and his wife Mary (Snow) of Eastham. He married 

Anna Pike of Truro, where he lived for a time after his marriage ; but 

finally settled in Gorham, in the upper part of this town. Three of 

the children of John and Anna were baptized in Truro. Children : 

Mary, bapt. , d. young. 

John, bapt. , m. Hannah McDonald, p. June 20, 1798. 

Solomon, bapt. June 18, 1777, said to have died in the W. Indies. 
Elisha, b. July 18, 1777, d. young. 

Thomas, b. July 2, 1784, m. Lydia Blake, Dec. i, 1808. 
Leonard, b. Apr. 2, 17S6, ni. and settled in Plymouth, Me. 
Richard, b. May 18, 1788, m. Eunice Blake, Dec. 19, 1813. 
Mary, b. 1792, m. Richard Nason of Portland, Dec. 31, 1809. 
Elisha, b. 1798, d. in the W. Indies. 



GENEALOGY. 701 

John Paine died in Gorham about 1798. His wife Anna died at 
the house of her son, Nov. 13, 1831, aged 77. 

(2) John Paine, son of John, settled in Unity, where he was a man 
of standing. He married Hannah McDonald of Buxton. They had 
several children, one of whom only is recorded in (jorham. Abner, 
born June 4, 1799, married Comfort Winslow, May, 182 1 ; lived in 
Charlestown, Me. John of Belfast, and William E. of Bath were 
also sons of John, Jr. They were both well-known physicians. 

(2) Richard Paine, son of John and Anna, lived with his father on 
the place where Mr. Haynes now (1898) lives, in the north part of 
the town. He married Eunice, daughter of Joseph and Hannah 
Blake. Children : 

Martha, b. Sept. 3, 1S14, m. Isaac Newcomb, Dec. 14, 1834. 

Solomon, b. , I'd in Westbrook. 

Freeman, b. May 21, 1S17, m. Sarah Brackett ; 2d, Mary J. Varney. 

Almira, b. , d. in Portland. 

Charles B., b. Apr. 15, 1820, m. Jane Mabry ; I'd in Westbrook. 

William H., b. Apr. 2, 1822, m. Mary E. P. Moulton, Nov. 17, 1845. 

John, b. Aug., 1824, d. young. 

John, b. Dec. 24, 1826, m., and is d. 

Abner, b. Feb. 10, 1829. 

Richard Paine died May 29, 1859, aged 71. Mrs. Eunice Paine 
died in N. Yarmouth, Jan. 27, 187 1, aged 83. 

Richard Paine of Harwich, Mass., married Phebe Myrick of East- 
ham, Mass. Their fifth child, Richard, born Aug. 14, 1736, and 
William, their eighth child, born Sept. 30, 1743. came to Gorham 
about 1770, and purchased a part of the hundred acre lot, 63, on 
which they settled. This spot was long known as the Paine, and 
now as the Osborne neighborhood. Richard Paine was a blacksmith 
and farmer. He married, Nov. 16, 1762, Thankful Harding, who 
was a sister of Capt. Samuel Harding. Children : 

Josiah, b. , m. Elizabeth Ayer of Buxton, Nov. 24, 1791 ; I'd in Buxton. 

Phebe, b. Jan. 7, 1771, m. Daniel Hill of Buxton (2d wife), p. Feb. 6, 1801. 
Richard, b. June 17, 1773. 

Mr. Paine married, March 17, 1774, EUzabeth, daughter of 

William and Mary (Hawkes) Patrick of Stroudwater, and sister of 

Charles Patrick of Gorham. By her he had : 

Thomas, b. Nov. 23, 1774, m. Sarah Hill of Buxton, Oct. 26, 1802. 

Joseph, b. Feb. 21, 1777. 

James, b. Apr. 21, 1779. 

Thankful, b. [an. 27, 1782, m. James Patrick. 

David, b. May 30, 1784, m. Betsey Lamb of Buxton, Mar. 17, 1S08. (?) 

Richard Paine died June 14, 18 10, and Mrs. Elizabeth Paine, 

March 13, 1829, aged 79. 



702 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

William Paine, the brother of Richard, was a shoemaker by trade. 
He was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting in 1776 under Capt. Paul 
Ellis of Falmouth. Dec. 5, 1766, he married Sarah Mayo. Their 
children were all born in Gorham, except the eldest, Mary, who was 
born in Eastham. They were : 

Mary, b. Oct. 23, 1767, m. Ebenezer Davis, Feb. iS. 1790. 

William, b. Dec. 29, 1770, m. Hannah Cressey of Buxton, Jan. 29, 1798. 

Thankful, b. Nov. 26, 1773, m. James Davis of Standish, Mar. 21, 1793. 

Samuel, b. Nov. 10, 1775, m. Lucy Junkins, Apr. 24, 1804. 

Sarah, b. Oct. 22, 1779, m. Stephen Jones of Buxton, Sept. 12, 1S02 ; d. in 

Thnrndike. 
Hannah, b. Apr. 2T. 1781, 111. Luther Crocker; went to Lockport, N. Y. 
John, b. Sept. i, 17S3, d. unm. a young man. 
Betsey, b. Nov. 5, 1785, m. David Sturgi.s, Feb. i, 1S06. 

William Paine died Jan. 20, 1827, aged 83. Mrs. Sarah Paine 
died Nov. 2, 18 17, aged 72. 

(2) Thomas Paine, son of Richard, lived for a time in the Paine 
neighborhood, where Mr. Osborne now lives. He then moved to 
Cornville, Me., and to Skowhegan. He married Sarah, daughter of 
Daniel and Sarah Hill of Buxton. Children : 

Thankful, b. Apr. 10, 1804, I'd and d. in Skowhegan. 

Daniel H., b. Aug. 19, 1806, I'd and d. in Skowhegan. 

Robert, b. Oct. 16, 1808, d. young. 

Rebecca, b. Nov. 5, 1810, m. Mr. Robinson; I'd in Cal. ; d. in Buxton. 

Robert S., b. Mar. 22, 1813. 

John, b. Oct. 21, 1815, went to California. 

Harriet, b. , m. Col. Kilboin of Bridgton ; d. June. 1896. 

Thomas, b. 1820, d. Nov. 30, 1824. 

Samuel, b. about 1824, moved to Cornville, with the family. 

Joseph, b. 1826, d. Nov. 3, 1827. 

(2) William Paine, son of William, lived on the farm afterwards 
owned by his son Charles ; now owned by Charles Osborne. The 
old cider mill, still standing on the premises, was formerly the house 
in which he at first lived. He afterwards built the two-story house 
which was destroyed by fire in 187 1. Mr. Paine married Hannah 
Cressey of Buxton. Children : 

Eliza, b. Oct. 19, iSoo, m. Simon Harding of Buxton; 2d, Stephen A. Patrick. 

James, b. 1803, m. Mary, dau. of Jeremiah and Hannah Frost, May 4, 1831 ; 
one son, William H., b. Dec. 8, 1S40, d. Feb. 27, 1856. Mrs. Paine d. 
Apr. 12, 1853, ag. 48, and'Mr. Paine m., Oct. 7, 1856, Belinda, dau. of 
Alexander McLellan ; no ch. Mr. Paine d. Apr. 15, 1S68. 

Charles, b. Apr. 10, 1806, m. Hannah Lowell of Standish, p. May 6, 1838. Ch: 
Abbie L., b. July 29, 1840, d. Sept. 20, 1864; Charles Henry, b. Aug. 31, 
1842, was town clerk from 1864 to the time of his death, served in the 
Army, d. May 25, 1866; Maria, b. June 9, 1S44, m. Stephen Hinkley, 
Jr.; Hannah, b. June 5, 1846, m. Rev. Leonard Z. Ferris, Nov. 5, 1895; 
Fred L., b. Jan. 4, 1848, d. Apr. 28, 1880; Ella S., b. Aug. 30, 1850, d. 
Oct. 8, 1853 ; William, b. May 3, 1852, m. Alice Holden, d. Jan. 20, 
1899. Charles Paine was for four years one of the town's board of 
selectmen, and represented the town in the Legislature in 1853 and 
1854; he d. Apr. 8, 1874; his wife d. July 8, 1891, ag. 80. 



GENEALOGY. 703 

William Paine died Jan. 31, 1852, aged 82 ; Mrs. Paine died Nov. 
22, 1846, aged 70. 

(2) Samuel Paine, son of William, married Lucy Junkins of Buxton. 
They had no children. Mr. Paine was for many years a deacon of 
the First Congregational church in (iorham ; he was a man respected 
and beloved, a man who adorned his Christian profession. He 
lived on the south side of Flagg}' Meadow road on his farm which is 
now owned and occupied by David Patrick. He had two adopted 
daughters, Sally and Lucy Googins ; Sally married Maj. William 
Warren ; Lucy married Charles Patrick. Dea. Paine died June 8, 
1856, aged 81 ; Mrs. Paine died Jan. 18, 1861, aged 76. 

Thomas Paine was probably a son of Jonathan Paine, who was 
drowned at Casco in 1762, and was a descendant of Thomas -and 
Mary (Snow) Paine, of Eastham. He married in Portland, Dec. 6, 
1 78 1, Anna Haskell of Gorham. Their children on the Gorham 
records are Joseph, Nancy, Peggy, and William ; no dates. There 
were other children besides these, probably born after the family left 
town. Thomas Paine was a soldier in the Revolution. He was 
living in Pownal in 1840, at the age of 84. 

PARKER. 

Nathaniel Parker of Cape Elizabeth purchased in 177 1 of Joseph 

Parker, housewright, of Cape Elizabeth, the hundred acre lot, 30, in 

Gorham. On this lot he made his home. His house stood on the 

rising ground in the field, west .and back of the house now occupied 

by his great-grandson Albert Riggs. Some of the stones of the old 

cellar are still to be seen on the spot. Nathaniel Parker was a 

farmer. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary army, enlisting from 

the militia for three years. He married (pub. Jan. 7, 1758) Hannah 

Roberts of Falmouth. Their children, most of whom were probably 

born before the family came to Gorham : 

John, b. ab )ut 1758, m. Elizabeth Warren, p. Jan. 9, 1779. 

Ebenezer, b. , m. Mary ; was deputy sheriff, and was killed by 

Joseph Drew in Westbrook, May, 1808. 

Rebecca, b. , m. Nathaniel Kimball of Buxton, Nov. 23, 1788. 

Hannah, b. , m. iWm. Hardy of Falmouth, Nov. 16, 1791. 

Lydia, b. , m Abner Wescott, Sept. 12, 1793 ; 2d, Jos. Waterhouse. 

Sally, b. , m. Samuel Fickett, July 6, 1794. 

I William Hardy is said to have served in the Revolutiouary army. Helivedfor a time 
in Gorham after his marriage. His children were Lucy A., b. Sept. 27, 1792, m. Henry 

Fickett of Cape Elizabeth; Isaac, b. Oct. 29, 179G, m. Polly of Wilton; Parker, b. 

Nov. 25, 1798, d. young; Susannah, b. May 2, 1801, m. Holden, and Nancy, b. Oct. 23, 

1806. 



704 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Polly, b. Oct. i8, 1772, m. William Riggs of Portland, Dec. 9, 1792. 

Anna, b. — , m. Thomas Larrabee of Durham, Mar. i, 1798. 

Deborah, b. Jan. 13, 1782, m. Isaac Junkins of York, Jan. 6. 1S05. 

Nathaniel Parker died about 1789, and his widow Hannah married, 
June 3, 1804, Benjamin I'ickett. She died June 23, 1833. 

(2) John Parker, son of Nathaniel, lived, probably, with his father 
on the homestead. He enlisted in Hart Williams' company in 1775, 
and served till discharged Aug. 8, 1776. He was also under Capt. 
McLellan in the Bagaduce expedition in 1779. He married Eliza- 
beth Warren. Children : 

Nathaniel, m. Ruth Stetson; 2d, Abigail Stetson; 3d, Mrs. Abigail Wright; 

I'd in Durham; d. in 1875, aged 95. 
Joseph, m. Sarah Newcomb of Bu.xton, June 22, 1800; I'd and d. in Cumberland. 
Amos m. Charlotte Wormell of Durham ; I'd in Guilford. 
Pllizabeth, m. Wm. Larrabee of Durham, Nov. 8, 1S07. 
William, m. Priscilla Wormell, p. Nov. 8, 1S16; I'd in Guilford. 

John Parker was lost at sea about 1787. His widow and family 
moved about 1802 to Durham, where she died in 1858, aged 112 
years and 9 months. 

Eleazer H. Parker, of Standish, and Betsey Rand, of Gorham, 
were married Nov. 20, 1794. Mrs. Parker was the daughter of 
Jeremiah and Lydia (Blake) Rand. Mr. Parker and his daughter 
Esther died in Standish about 18 13-14, from the effects of the bite 
of a wild cat, which broke into the house during the night and made 
a savage attack upon the family. Mrs. Parker died in Gorham, April 
4, 1858, aged 83. 

Lydia Parker, daughter of Eleazer, born in 1797, married Josiah 
Moses of Standish (pub. June 6, 1822). After the death of her 
husband she came to Gorham to live with her son Marshall H. 
Moses, and died at his house at Great Falls, June 30, 1879. 

Emily Parker, daughter of Eleazer, born about 18 10, married (pub. 
Nov. 4, 1838) Silas Flood, son of Morris Flood, and lived for thirty- 
six years at White Rock. After the death of her husband she moved 
to Great Falls, where she made her home with her brother Joseph 
where she died June 23, 1S82. 

Susan Parker, daughter of Eleazer, married, Dec. 11, 1825, Eben- 
ezer Hicks of Gorham, and her sister Esther married, Nov. 27, 1800, 
Isaac Higgins, son of Capt. Joseph Pliggins of Gorham. 

Isaac Parker, son of Eleazer, born in 1800, came to Gorham 
about 1830, accompanied by his brother Joseph W. He lived at 
White Rock, where Daniel Plummer now lives. From this place he 
moved to West Gorham, on to the Capt. John Stephenson place, then 



GENEALOGY. 705 

returned to White Rock, and lived near the church. He married, in 

1823, Ann, daughter of Morris and Lydia Flood. Children: 

Jane, b. Nov. 26, 1824, m. Wm. H. Johnson, 1S44. 

Higgins, b. Jan. 3, 1826, m. Mary Proctor of Westbrook. 

Sarah A., b. Mar. 16, 1S28, m. Henry Gallison of Windham, 1S45. 

Morris, b. July 15, 1830, m. Caroline Allen of P\ilmouth. 

Emily, b. Jan. 9, 1833, m. Grenville McDonald. 

Eliza C, b. Feb. 8, 1835, m. Wm. H. Johnson (2d wife) ; 2d, Rev. Jotham 

Johnson. 
Harriet, b. Aug. 8, 1838, m. Rodman Allen. 
Ardella, b. Feb. 8, 1842, m. George C. Davis of Windham Hill. 

Isaac Parker died Sept. 24, 1879, aged 79. His wife Ann died 
April 29, 1893, aged 89. 

Jeremiah Parker, son of Eleazer, born in 1807, came from Standish 
to Gorham in 182 1. He lived for a time at White Rock, ^yith 
Robert M. Files, but finally made his home at Great Falls, where he 
was in trade for some years. He was one of the board of selectmen 
in 1876, '77 and '78, and representative to the Legislature for two 
years. He married, in 1836, Sally, daughter of James and Susanna 
Nasoii. Children : 

Irving, b. Apr. 20, 1S37, m. Hannah Nutting of Otisfield. 

Mary A., b. Oct. 30, 1839, m. Elias Howard of Harrison. 

Winfield S., b. Nov. 25, 1841, d. young. 

Susan A., b. Apr. 5, 1843. 

Jane, b. May 31, 1846, m. Chas. A. Whipple. 

Albion, b. Sept. 19, 1848, d. young. 

Mrs. Sally Parker died March 19, 1850, aged 32, and Mr. Parker 
married, in 185 1, Ellen A. Plummer of Raymond. Children : 

Emma A., b. Dec. 22, 1851, m. Wm. Merrill; I'd and died at Great Falls. 
Neal Dow, b. Dec. 29, 1852, d. May 11, 1S61. 
Daniel P., b. Oct. i, 1854, m. Sarah Foster of Casco. 
Jeremiah, b. Jan. 5, 1857, m. Lizzie Towle of vSaccarappa. 

Nellie M., b. , 1861, d. June 4, 1879. 

Almon, b. , m. Martha Jordan ; 2d, in Raymond ; d. Mar., 1898. 

Lydia, b. , m. Leslie Higgins. 

Elizabeth, b. , m. Warren Churchill of Raymond. 

Nina, b. • , m. Chas. Swett of Standish. 

Pitt F., b. . 

Jeremiah Parker died Nov. 14, 1890. 

Joseph W. Parker, son of Eleazer, born in 18 13, came to Gorham 
with his brother Isaac. He was one of the prominent and influential 
men of the town. He was selectman in 1842 and 1843 ; also in 1864 
and 1865. He represented the town in the Legislature in 1863 and 
1864. He lived at Great Falls, where he was in trade for several 
years. In 1846 Mr. Parker married Mary P. Lombard of Standish. 
Children : 



706 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

W. Scott, b. Jan. 19, 1847,01. Maria Cook of Windham, who died Dec. 16, 1882. 

Clara, b. Oct. 11. 184S, m. Carlyle W. Shaw. 

Adeline H., b. May 28, 1850, m. Horace M. Crocivett; d. in 1889. 

Kate, b. June 10, 1852. 

Emily, b. Jan. 5, 1854, d. young. 

Emily I.., b. June 26, 1855. 

Lizzie, b. Jan. 27, 1859, d. young. 

Horace G., b. Sept. i, i860, m. Mary Elwell of Wesibrook. 

Wendall P., b. Feb. 7, 1863, m. Frances Swazey of Bucksport, Dec. 25, 1897. 

Albert J., b. Apr. 29, 1864. d. young. 

Mary Perkins, b. Aug. 2, 1S70, m. Daniel Fogg of Gorham. 

Mrs. Mary Parker died June 23, 189 1, aged 65. Mr. Parker died 

Sept. 18, 1901. 

John M. Parker, son of Moses and Mary Parker of Standish, lived 

in that part of Scarboro which is now Gorham, and is still known 

as Parker's Corner, where he kept a store. He married, June 3, 1825, 

Louisa, daughter of Thomas Worcester of Gorham. Children : 

George W., b. Mar. 22, 1826, m. Sarah C. Harmon, Nov. 29, 1849; has been 

High Sheriff, City Marshall and Supt. of the Reform School. 
Mary A., b. Oct. 28, 1827, m. Benjamin Eibby ; d. in Portland. 
Harriet S., b. Oct. 25, 1829, m. Robert McLaughlin. 

Elizabeth B., b. Aug. 26, 1831, m. Granville McKenney; d. in Scarboro. 
Gardner M., b. Sept. 26, 1833, m. Sarah Meserve, Jan. i, i860. 
Charles L., b. Aug. 12, 1836, d. Mar. 14, 1851. 
Martha L., b. July 21, 1838, m. Robert Harmon. 

Mahlon H., b. Feb. 12, 1841, killed at Port Hudson, La., May 31, 1863. 
John M., b. Mar. 4, 1843, ^- Susan Stiles. 
Almira E. W., b. June 24, 1845, m. Merrill Higgins of White Rock. 

John M. Parker died in Gorham, July 31, 1873, aged 74, and his 

wife Louisa, April 17, 1885, aged 80. 

PATCH. 

Nehemiah Patch was born in Plymouth, Mass., Aug. 22, 1767. 
Dec. 19, 1797, he bought of Daniel Mann forty acres of land in 
Gorham above Fort Hill, being the thirty acre lot, 59, and ten acres 
of lot, 34, which adjoins 59 on the west. This land Mann bought of 
Josiah Morse of Gorham, Dec. 30, 1794. Mr. Patch moved to Fort 
Hill soon after his purchase, and lived in the house since known as 
the Motley house. He was a meat packer, and also engaged in the 
coopering business. He also opened a store on the corner on 
the south side of the road leading from Fort Hill to West Gorham. 
Here he carried on a brisk and thriving trade for some years. No 
trace of the store building now remains. He married Peggy Wyman, 
a native of Small Point, Me. Both he and his wife were prominent 
members of the Free Baptist church on Fort Hill. Their children 
were : 



GENEALOGY. 707 

David, b. in Brunswick, July 19, 1796, m. Sally Harding of Portland; d. in 

Minot, Nov. 12, 1869. 
Sally, b. in Gorham, Sept. 2, 1799, m. Ira Tibbetts ; d. in Portland, Oct. 4, 1885. 
John, b. in Gorham, Aug. 14, 1805, d. Sept. 4, 1825. 
Tracy, b. in Gorham, Dec. 22, 1809, d. Sept. 4, 1813. 
Eliza Ann, b, in Portland, June 8, 1814, d. unm. in Portland, June 30, 1880. 

Mr. and Mrs. Patch moved to Portland about 18 12, where they 
died, he, May 30, 1846, and she, Aug. 19, 1852. Mr. John Patch, 
who moved to Gorliam about 1894, and Hves on the old Reuben 
Bangs place, is the son of David and grandson of Nehemiah and 
Margaret Patch. 

PATRICK. 

Charles Patrick was born at Stroudwater of English descent ; and 
when a young man lived at what is now called Stroudwater vilfage. 
He was the son of William and Mary ( Hawkes) Patrick. His father 
removed from Boston to Stroudwater (Falmouth), bringing his family 
and goods in an open sail boat. It is said that the passage was made 
in one day. Charles Patrick came to Gorham in 1776. He was a 
mason by trade, and was for many years the principal one in town. 
He built, about 1782, the chimney in the house lately owned by Col. 
Hugh D. McLellan ; and plastered the first room that was plastered in 
Gorham: this was in the house built by Dea. James McLellan, which 
stood on South St., about one-half mile from the Corner. Mr. Patrick 
lived on the Charles Robie farm, where Marshall Sturgis now lives. 
He dressed at that time in the prevailing fashion, and at this day 
would appear unique. He wore a three-cornered cocked hat with a 
button, a light blue, single-breasted, broadcloth coat having a stand- 
ing collar, large brass buttons about two inches in diameter, broad 
skirts, and muslin ruffles around the wrists, a red vest, a ruffled shirt, 
buff breeches or small clothes, white stockings, shoes, and silver shoe 
and knee buckles. His wife was Mehitable Fickett. Children, the 
four oldest born in Stroudwater : 

Benjamin, b. , m. Polly Mcintosh, Mar. 27, 1796, d. Apr. 28, 1822. 

Peggy, b. , m. James Mcintosh, Mar. 13, 1798. 

Polly, b. ■ -, m. Moses Dyer, p. Nov. 20, 1797. 

Catherine, b. 1773, m. Dyer of Stroudwater; d. in that town. 

David, b. Sept. i, 1776, m. Betsey Jordan, Nov. 20, 1803. 

Charles, b. Jan. 8, 1779. m. Susan Grant. 

James, b. Aug. 19, 1780, m. Patty Tibbetts of Buxton, p. Apr. 7, 1810. 

Thomas, b. Nov. 15, 1782, m. Mary Fickett of Cape Elizabeth, p. Aug. 15, 1818. 

Eleanor, b. Dec. 31, 1784, m. Samuel Libby of Scarboro, Apr. 14, 1810. 

Stephen, b. Feb. 15, 1787, m. Esther Harmon of Buxton, Jan. 2, 1S14; was a 

soldier in the War of 181 2 ; d. in Portland. 
Nancy, b. Dec. 29, 1789, d. July 4, 1801. 
Christiana, b. , m. James Bragdon of Scarboro, Jan. 23, 1813. 



708 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mrs. Mehitable Patrick died March 26, 1809 or 1810, aged 62, and 
Mr. Patrick married, Jan. 19, 181 1, Mrs. Betsey Adams, daughter of 
Nathaniel and Elizabeth Frost, and widow of Benjamin Adams. 
Charles Patrick died March 15, 1830, aged 85. His wife Betsey died 
March 2, 1841, aged 90. 

(2) David Patrick, son of Charles, lived on Flaggy Meadow road, 
in a house, since burned, which stood opposite to that of the late 
Samuel Cressey. He married Betsey, daughter of Clement and 
Sarah Jordan. Children : 

Stephen A., b. Keb. 7, 1S04, m. Mrs. Eliza Harding, Mar. 28, 1827; 2d, Martha 
Watts ; I'd in Buxton. 

Clement, b. July 5, 1808, m. Eliza A. Harding of Baldwin, in 1S34 ; went to N. Y. 

Charles, b. Feb. 28, 181 i,m. Lucy Paine, the adopted dau. of Uea. and Mrs. 
Paine, and niece of Mrs. Paine. Ch : Lucy P., b. Sept. 8, 1839, m. Geo. 
Way, d. Jan. 16, 1891 ; Samuel P., b. Apr. 23, 1841; m. Ellen Delno of 
Biddeford; David, b. May 18, 1843, m. Abbie Skiilings, dau. of Thos. of 
Stroudwater ; Chas. H., b. Oct. 10, 1845, d. young; Henry C, b. Sept. 
29, 1846; Edward, b. Feb. 23, 1849, m. Kate Miller of Worcester; Sarah 
F., b. Apr. 19, 1851 ; Franklin, b. Oct. i, 1853, d. young; Ellen C, b. 
Sept. 20, 1854, m. Peter Fogg; Frank, b. Sept. 19, 1857, m. Efifie French. 
Charles Patrick d. Aug. 27, 1887 ; his wife d. Jan. 22, 1891, aged 75. 

David, b. May 26, 1818, m. ; 2d, Olive Patrick. 

Elizabeth, b. July 3, 1827, m. Albert Cressey, June 4, 1S54. 

David Patrick died Sept. 4, 1838, and his wife, Jan. 15, 1850, 
aged 67. 

(2) Charles Patrick, son of Charles, married Susan Grant. Chil- 
dren : 

Mary A. H., b. May 22, 1816, m. Capt. Drinkwater. 

Olive H., b. June 26, 1818, m. David Patrick ; d. in Gorham. 

Sarah A., b. Feb. 25, 1820, d. Oct. 26, 1838. 

John, b. Mar. ^, 1822, moved to Jackson. 

Ehzabeth R., b. Dec. 9, 1823. 

James G., b. May 5, 1825. 

Maria A., b. Feb. 25, 1827. 

William P., b. . 

Emma M., b. Feb. 23, 183 1, m. Parker; I's in Reed's Ferry, N. H. 

Hannah P., b. Mar. 26, 1833. 
Charles H. H., b Nov. 5, 1836. 
Laura Ann, b. Nov. 18, 1838. 
Webster, b. . 



Flenry Clay, b. 
Nancie F., b. 



Charles Patrick lived on the farm once owned by his father. He 
sold this place in 1839 to Toppan Robie, and moved to Jackson. 
He was burned to death by a tire which consumed his dwelling house. 

(2) Thomas Patrick, son of Charles, married Mary Fickett of Cape 

Elizabeth. Their children were : 

Lucy Ann, b. July 31, 181 9, m. John Smith of Hollis; d. Mar., 1896. 
Hannah W., b. Jan. 24, 1821, m. Joseph G. Tarbox, Feb. 2, 1846. 



GENEALOGY. 709 

George, b. Dec. 5, 1S22, m. Deborah Quinby ; she d. Feb. 16, 1S63 ; he m. 2d, 

Mary E. Purinton. 
Harriet, b. Feb. 25, 1S29, m. Smith of Boston ; d. in Boston. 

Mr. Patrick died at his home, which is now owned and occupied by 
his son George, Dec. 9, 1857, aged 75. His wife Mary died March 
22, 1864, aged 76. 

PEABODY. 

Samuel Peabody, born in 1722, was a great-grandson of Lieut. 
Francis Peabody who came from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, 
in 1635 in the ship "Planter." Samuel lived in Gorham as early as 
1773. In 1792 he sold his estate in Gorham to Hon. Stephen Long- 
fellow and moved with his family to Union in Lincoln Co. We have 
no record of the births of his children who were : Josiah, paid a poll 
tax in 1773, d. in Newbury, Mass. ; Ruth ; Mehitable ; Sarah ; Betsey ; 
Anna, b. in 1767 ; Lucy, m. in Gorham, Varnum Beverly, Jan. 28, 
1791 ; Samuel, lived in Dixmont, Me.; William, paid a poll tax in 
1790, and 1792; Stephen, and Affia. 

Lieut. Ebenezer Peabody of Boxford, was also a descendant of 
Lieut. Francis Peabody. He was a brave officer in the Revolution, 
and fought at Bunker Hill, and was also at the taking of Burgoyne, 
and in many engagements. His son Ebenezer Peabody, Jr., born 
Feb. 13, 1767, came in early life to Gorham, where he married, 
March 9, 1792, Sally, daughter of Maj. George Lewis. About the 
year 1802, he removed with his family to Peterborough, N. H., where 
he engaged in farming. Children : 

Kendall O., b. Dec. 20, 1792, I'd in Franklin, N. H. ; was a prominent business 
man; m. Alice Blanchard; 2d, Betsey Austin; d. Jan. 23, 1855. 

Ebenezer, b. Sept. 3, 1794, m. Rebecca Robertson; d. in 1847. 

Louisa, b. Aug. 10, 1796, m. Capt. Charles M. Davis, Sept. 4, 1822 ; I'd in Port- 
land; d. Apr. 5, 1858. 

Caroline, b. July 9, 1798, m. Dexter Baldwin, May 27, 1824; d. in Mt. Vernon, 
Me., July 6, 1827. 

William H., b. Jan. 20, iSoi, m. Hannah March, Sept. 9, 1828. 

James Lewis, b. July 2^, 1803, m. Sarah J. Blake, Dec. 22, 1831 ; I'd in Franklin, 
N. H.; d. Aug.'y, 1S66. 

Betsey K., b. May 5, 1805, m. Ebenezer Robinson of Portland, Dec. 25, 1827 ; 
d. Apr. 8, 1832. 

Sarah Lewis, b. Mar. 29, 1807, m. Ira Greeley, Aug. 30, 1832; I'd in Franklin, 
N. H. 

Ebenezer I^eabody died in Peterborough, N. H., July 26, 1816. 

Mrs. Sarah Peabody removed to Franklin, N. H., about 18 17, where 

she died Sept. 12, 1849, aged 87,. 

(2) William H. Peabody, son of Ebenezer, studied at Hanover, 
and took the degree of medicine at Dartmouth in 1826. He estab- 
lished himself in his native town, and had an extensive practice here 



710 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

for sixteen years, until his death. He was devoted to his calling, 

with whose progress he kept pace by careful and assiduous culture. 

He was a Christian gentleman and physician. He married Hannah, 

daughter of Col. James March. Children : 

Caroline B., b. July 7, 1829, m. Orlando Smith, Nov. 20, 1850; d. in Baltimore 

in 1S95. 
William H., b. Dec. 30, 1830, d. July 7, 1832. 
Elizabeth R., b. Oct. 20, 1832, d. Mar. 10, 1834. 
Emily E., b. July 17, 1834, d. P'eb. 20, 1847. 
William Wirt, b. Mar. 20, 1836, d. young. 
William Wirt, b. Oct. 26, 1S38, I's in Ohio. 
George I., b. Apr. 22, 1840, d. Aug. 28, 1840. 
Sargeant P., b. Mar. 2, 1842, I'd in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Dr. Peabody died March 2, 1843. I lis widow died in Ohio in 1899, 

at the home of her son. 



PEN FIELD. 

The Penfield family came from Cape Cod, and settled in Gorham 
in the south part of the town, on the farm where William E. Strout 
now lives. This adjoins the farm where George Strout, grandfather 
of William, settled. The old Penfield house formerly stood where 
Wm. Strout's house now stands, but has been moved back, and now 
(1898) forms the ell of the house of Mr. Strout. 

Nathan Cook Penfield married, Dec. 11, 1800, Mary Green of 

Standish, and his sister Sally married, Dec. 15, 1796, Ezra Fickett of 

Gorham. The children of Nathan C. and Mary Penfield were : 

Benjamin, b. Sept. 10, iSoi, d. young. 

Sarah F., b. vSept. 29, 1803, m. Hugh Edwards of Boston, Oct. 11, 1827. 

Ann, b. Sept. 8, 1805, m. Plummer. 

Patience P., b. Nov. 20, 1807, m. Geo. Worcester, Nov. 15, 1826. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 14, 1810, d. young. 

Benjamin, b. Mar. 29, 1812, m. Susan Whitney of New Hampshire. 

Charles C, b. Jan. 20, 1814, m. Almira Strout, Aug. 26, 1835. 

Hannah P., b. Sept. 10, 1816, d. Oct. i, 1835. 

Elizabeth H., b. Aug. 5, 1818, d. in Boston, Aug. 30, 1840. 

Louisa M., b. Mar. i, 1821, m. Wm. V. Veazie of Boston, Apr. 14, 1842. 

Nathan C. Penfield died Oct. 14, 1850, aged 74. Mrs. Penfield 

died Aug. 29, 1853, aged 74. 

(2) Charles C. Penfield, son of Nathan C, was a sea captain. He 
married Almira, daughter of Geo., Jr. and Comfort Strout. Children : 

Charles R., b. 1837, d. Mar. 7, 1851. 

Harriet, b. , m. Isaac Brown. 

George F., b. , I's in Topeka, Kas. 

Capt. Penfield died April 18, 1868, and his wife Aug. 19, of the 

same year, aged 53. 



GENEALOGY. 711 



PERKINS. 



The names of John Perkins and John Perkins, Jr. appear on the 
tax list of Gorham for the year 1763. James Perkins appears with 
the other two for the first time in 1774. In 1768 John Perkins bought 
of David Gorham one-half of the hundred acre lot, 38, on which 
Perkins was then living, and a part of which lot he sold in 1772 to 
James Mosher. His wife's name was probably Charlotte Tuck, of 
Boston. We have no record of their family, but there were : 

John, m. Lois Hadaway, May 25, 1769. 

Susanna, m. Samuel Gammon, p. Oct. 5, 1776. 

Esther, m. James Gates, Sept. 20, 1768. 

James, was a sergeant in Gapt. Williams' company in both the 31st Mass. and 
the i8th Gontinental regiments, and was then promoted to. ensign in 
Capt. York's company. In 1777 he enlisted as second lieut. in the 15th 
Mass., and resigned Feb. 24, 1778. After his military service he ^does 
not appear to have resided in Gorham. He d. Mar. 4, 1S30. 

John Perkins was a sergeant in 1775 in Capt. Williams' company, 
and ensign under the same officer in the i8th Continental regiment, 
Jan. I, 1776. He died of the small pox in Erookline hospital, April 
18, 1776. 

(2) John Perkins, Jr., son of John, was a cabinet maker. His 
home until 1783 was on the south side of Main St., about one-half 
mile below the village. The lot is now included in the new cemetery. 
In February, 1783, he sold this place to Josiah Swett, and bought 
of Isaac D. Holbrook the west half of the hundred acre lot No. 9. 
Here he lived till March, 1795, when he sold this farm, with the 
buildings and cattle, to his son-in-law, Ephraim Lombard. He mar- 
ried Lois, daughter of James and Bethiah Hadaway of Barnstable. 
Children : 

Lucy, b. Sept. 16, 1770, m. Abiel Briggs, Aug. 26, 1786. 
Polly, b. Nov. 10, 1774, m. Ephraim Lombard, Nov. 20, 1794. 

Betty, b. , d. unm. 

Peggy, b. , d. unm. 

John Perkins, Jr., died Aug. 6, 1796. Mrs. Lois Perkins was liv- 
ing as late as March, 1795. 

PHINNEY. 

John Phinney was the first settler of Gorham. He was born in 
Barnstable, Mass., April 8, 1693, and was the son of Dea. John 
Phinney of that place. His grandfather, John Phinney, was one of 
the soldiers in the fight in the swamp in King Philip's war in 1675. 

Capt. Phinney married, Sept. 25, 17 18, Martha, daughter of James 
and Patience Colman of Barnstable, and about 1732 removed, with 



712 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

his family, from 15arnstable to Falmouth, Me. In May, 1736, he, 

with his sou Edmund, a boy of thirteen, came up the Presumpscot 

river to make a settlement in the wilderness of Narragansett, No. 7. 

(See Chapter V.) 

He was a brave, energetic, sagacious man, and looked after the 

interests of the little colony which soon grew up around him, with 

the affection and discretion of a father. Beloved and respected, he 

lived to see the forest give w-ay and a tiourishing little hamlet stand 

in its place, dying Dec. 29, si 780, at the age of 87. His wife died 

Dec. 16, 1784, aged 87. They are both buried in the old cemetery 

at Gorham village. The children of Capt. John and his wife Martha 

(Colman) Phinney were : 

Elizabeth, b. in Barnstable, July 15, 1721, m. Eliphalet Watson in 1740. 
Edmund, b. in Barnstable, July 27, 1723, m. Elizabeth Meserve in 1750. 
Stephen, b. in Barnstable, Dec. 16, 1725, m. Olive Early. 
Martha, b. in Barnstable, Oct. 18, 1727, m. Hart Williams of Falmouth, Feb. 

18, 1750. 
Patience, b. in Barnstable, June 27, 1730, m. Thomas Weston, Feb. 3, 1750. 
John, Jr., b. in Falmouth, Mar. 18, 1732, m. Rebecca Sawyer, Jan. 24, 1755. 
Sarah, b. in Falmouth, JMay 18, 1734, m. Samuel Leavitc of Buxton, Jan., 1756; 

d. in Apr., 1793. 
Mary G., b. in Gorham, Aug. 13, 1736, m. James Irish, Mar. 10, 1756. 
Colman, b. in Gorham, July 18, 1738, d. young; killed by a falling tree. 
James, b. Apr. 13, 1741, m. Martha Hamblen, Jan. 12, 1763; 2d, Lucy Cross. 

(2) Edmund Phinney, the eldest son of Capt. John and Martha C. 
Phinney, came with his father to Narragansett No. 7, and felled the 
first tree cut in town for the purpose of settlement. This was a large 
basswood tree, and stood a little north of where the house of the 
late Moses Fogg stands, on the thirty acre lot, No. i. Mr. Phinney 
was a man of great activity and energy, and all his life held a promi- 
nent place in the business affairs of the town, serving in many public 
capacities. He was selectman, one of the Conmiittee of Safety, mem- 
ber of the Provincial Congress, and Representative to the General 
Court of Massachusetts. He was a soldier in the French and Indian 
wars, serving as a sergeant in both Capt. Berry's and Capt. Hill's 
companies. He was a captain in Colonel Samuel Waldo, Jr.'s regi- 
ment about 1764, and later, in 1772, held a captain's commission in 
the militia. His love for his country and his devotion to the cause 
of Liberty was intense. In 1775 he received a colonel's commission, 
and was placed in command of the 31st Mass. regiment, which was 
composed entirely of the citizens of Gorham, and adjoining towns. 
This regiment he, in July, 1775, marched to Cambridge, and when 
the British evacuated Boston in March, 1776, it entered that city and 
was stationed near Fort Hill. Tradition says it was the first regi- 



GENEALOGY. 713 

ment to enter the city after the departure of the enemy. One company 
of Col. Phinney's regiment which was noted for its fine appearance 
was selected to march at the head of the procession which on April 
8, followed Gen. Warren's body to its resting place in the old Granary 
burying-ground. Jan. i, 1776, Col. Phinney was commissioned 
colonel of the i8th Continental regiment, in which his former com- 
mand was merged. In the autumn of 1776, he had a long and 
tedious march with his regiment to Ticonderoga, and during that 
and the following year, he took an active part in the movements 
of the northern army until the surrender of Burgoyne, when being 
out of health he returned to his home, to 'live again in retirement 
with his family. He was a good officer, and performed his duty hon- 
orably ; no greater proof of this is needed than to know the high 
esteem in which he was held by his old soldiers after their return 
home. Notwithstanding the Scarborough people did not like him 
overmuch on account of the course he took in marching a company 
of about fifty men from Gorham and Buxton, armed and equipped, 
under Capt. Samuel Whitmore, to Saco and Scarborough for the 
purpose of regulating the political morals of certain persons, among 
whom were Mr. King and Dr. Alden, they being strongly suspected 
of toryism. Dr. Alden w^as compelled to make his recantation 
kneeling on the top of a hogshead ; this he would not do till he 
heard the cocking of several muskets around him. Mr. King was 
permitted to read his, standing on a table in front of his house at 
Dunstan Landing, in Scarborough. But after a more cool considera- 
tion of the thing than was allowed at the time, it is believed by many 
that Mr. King was not at heart a tory, but was fully of the opinion that 
the Colonies were not strong enough to cope with the Mother Coun- 
try, that the Revolution would be a failure and bring ruin and disaster 
to all engaged in it ; therefore he hung fire and did not come up to 
the point desired by the more ardent spirits of the day. But of the 
patriotism of Col. Phinney there is no doubt; though he may have 
erred in judgment in this affair. In 1781 he was colonel of the 3d 
regiment of militia of Cumberland County. 

Col. Phinney's farm was composed of the two thirty acre lots, 106 
and 108, which are located on the northerly side of the old road to 
Saccarappa, about one mile from Gorham village. His house, which 
he built before the war, about 1765, stood where the Woodbury house, 
so called, lately stood. .He joined the church in Windham, Feb. 14, 
1748, but was dismissed to unite with the Gorham church, Dec. 
23, 1750. He was one of the three first ruling elders of the Gorham 



714 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

church, the others being Hugh McLellan and Joseph Gates. He 

married Betty, daughter of Clement and Sarah (Decker) Meserve 

of the fort. Children : 

Patience, b. , m. Ebenezer Carsley, Nov. 25, 1766. 

Decker, b. Nov. 17, 1752, m. Hannah Hamblen, Dec. 30, 1773. 
Sarah, b. Jan. 3, 1754, m. Benjamin Brown. 
Joseph, b. Mar. 14, 1757, m. Susan Crockett, June 18, 17S0. 
Betty, b. Apr. i, 1759, m. Joseph Whitney, p. Sept. 22, 1781. 
Edmund, b. Nov. 26, 1760, m. Sarah Hamblen, Mar. 26, 1780. 
Stephen, b. Mai. 10, 1763, m. Anna Huston, Sept. 22, 1788. 
James, b. Sept. 2, 1768, m. Abigail Mosher, July 17, 1791. 

Nathaniel, b. Aug. 19, 1771, m. Mary Bangs, Apr. 30, 1792 ; 2d, Mrs. Elizabeth 
Hatch. 

Mrs. Elizabeth M. Phinney died Aug. 6, 1795, aged 65 ; she was a 

smart, energetic, Christian woman, a good wife, a kind mother, much 

respected and beloved by all who knew her. Col. Phinney married, 

Nov. 21, 1796, Mrs. Sarah Stevens, widow of Benjamin Stevens. Col. 

Edmund Phinney died Dec. 15, 1808, aged 85. 

(2) Stephen Phinney, son of Capt. John, in 1757 owned and lived 
on the hundred acre lot, 42. This lot is located on the westerly side 
of the present Gray road, and there his old cellar is still to be seen. 
He afterwards lived on the thirty acre lot, 102, which he purchased 
in 1766, and some seventeen years later sold to Lieut. Silas Chad- 
bourn together with his house and barn, and moved to the hundred 
acre lot, 72. Later, he and his wife moved to Standish. He married 
Olive Early, who was probably the daughter of Anthony and Mehitable 
Early of Berwick, where she was baptized Jan. 23, 1734/5. Stephen 
Phinney and his wife Olive had but one child : 

Mercy, b. , m. Ephraim Jones, Mar. 21, 1779. 

Mr. Phinney was a deacon in the Congregational church in Gorham 
as early as 1768. He died in Gorham, June 19, 1796, aged 71. 

(2) John Phinney, Jr., son of Capt. John, was but four years old 
when his father's family came to Gorham. Under his father's direc- 
tion he planted the first hill of corn which was planted by white 
hands in the town. In 1775 he enlisted as a sergeant in Capt. Hart 
Williams' company. Col. Phinney's regiment, and served out his 
enlistment. He was afterwards drafted, but, as he was a well-to-do 
man, it was thought best to send his two sons Ebenezer and John, in 
his stead, and for him to remain and assist in the support of the 
families of some of the poorer Gorham soldiers. His home was on 
the thirty acre lot, 106, which his father in 1763 gave him, together 
with a house and barn then standing on the place. This homestead 
lot, together with the thirty acre lot, 107, on the opposite side of the 



GENEALOGY. 715 

road, he sold in 1766 to his brother Edmund. John Phinney married 

Rebecca, daughter of John, and sister of Capt. Jonathan Sawyer. 

Children : 

Sarah, b. Nov. 21, 1755, m. John Emery, p. Dec. 21, 1776. 

Rebecca, b. Aug. 18, 1757, m. Joshua Moody of Standish, p. Nov. 8, 1788. 

Ebenezer, b. Dec. 14, 1759, m. Sarah P., dau. of Wentworth and Susanna 

Stuart, p. May 20, 1781. He I'd and d. in Standish, but most of his ch. 

I'd in Gorham. They were: Statira, m. Thomas Files, June 11, 1807; 

Wentworth S., m. Moore of N. Y. ; Jolm, I'd in Stockton; 

Patience, m. Robert Files, Apr. 2, 1818; Isaac, m. Edie Merrill; and 

Rebecca, who m. Charles Jordan of Raymond, and I'd and d. in Gorham. 
John, b. Apr. 11, 1762, m. Susanna Stone, Feb. 16, 1786. 
Martha, b. Apr. 29, 1764, m. Jonathan Haskell of Standish, Sept. 19, 1793. 
Abigail, b. May 16, 1766, d. unm. 
Colman, b. Dec. 13, 1770, ni. Peggy Moore, Sept. 18, 1793; ^- i" Portland, Aug. 

25, 1856. 

John Phinney, Jr., died May 3, 1815, aged S3. His wife Rebecca 
died not far from the same time, aged about 80. 

(2) James Phinney, the youngest son of Capt. John, lived on the 
westerly side of School St., on the northwest corner of Queen street, 
on the lot lately occupied by Samuel Roberts. Here he built a fine 
two-story house, where he resided many years. Having sold this 
place to Rev. Samuel Clark, he moved to the village, and lived in the 
house which stood where Mrs. Cram's house now stands, and has 
since been moved back on to Lincoln St. Mr. Phinney married 
Martha, daughter of Gershom and Hannah (Almery) Hamblen. She 
died Sept. 3, 18 16, aged 76, leaving no children. He married second 
June 30, 18 17, Lucy Cross, daughter of Dea. Thomas Cross. Their 
only child, Martha C, b. Aug. 30, 182 i, m. Thomas E. Wentworth 
in 1840. 

Mr. Phinney was long one of the officers of the town, and a trustee 
of Gorham Academy; a man respected and trusted by all. He lived 
to the age of 93 years, retaining his faculties in a wonderful manner* 
and died Oct. 18, 1834. Mrs. Lucy Phinney died Dec. 29, 1863, 
aged 82. 

(3) Decker Phinney, son of Col. Edmund, married Hannah, daugh- 
ter of Gershom and Hannah (Almery) Hamblen. Children : 

Hannah, b. Jan. 28, 1774, d. July 28, 1774. 

Hannah, b. , m. Daniel Mann, Aug. 23, 1792. 

Eli, b. Apr. 9, 1777, m. Mercy Mann, Jan. 27, 1799. 

Martha, b. June 30, 1779, d. young. 

Patience, b. May 2, 17S2, m. Stuart Green, Apr. 14, 1806. 

James, b. Apr. 12, 1785, d. Aug. 23, 1806. 

Stephen, b. May 4, 1788, d. Nov. 17, 1800. 

Betty, b. Apr. 9, 1793. 

Martha, b. , m. Isaac Hamblen, Oct. 27, 1825. 



716 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mr. and Mrs. Phinney were among those who became disaffected 
during the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Thacher, and becoming 
impressed with religious views differing from the old standard of the 
Congregationalists, finally joined the Friends, of which society they 
were exemplary members till death. The house in which they lived, 
with the addition of a second story, is still standing on the old spot, 
on the top of Fort Hill, and has since been owned by Mr. Asa Palmer, 
who came to Gorham from Bath, and bought the place in 1841. 
Decker Phinney died in January, 1806, aged 53. Mrs. Phinney died 
Oct. 8, 1820, aged 63, at her old homestead, then owned by her 
grandson, Hon. Edmund Mann. 

(3) Joseph Phinney, son of Col. Edmund, lived on the farm in the 

Blake neighborhood, afterwards owned by Gen. James Irish. He 

afterwards lived about a mile northwest of the North meeting-house, 

where William Whitney recently lived. He was a plow maker by 

trade. He married Susan Crockett, daughter of Peletiah and Mary, 

Children : 

Mary, b. Mar. 17, 1781, m. Samuel Shaw of Standish, p. Mar. 3, 1798. 
Eunice, b. Oct. 29, 1783, m. Ithiel Blake, Sept. 9, 1S02. 
Hannah, b. July 25, 1787, d. in Thorndike, unm. 

Stephen, b. , m. Nancy Dorsett, p. Nov. 8, 1S23. 

Nathaniel, b. July 25, 1790, m. Lucy Blake, p. Aug. 26, 181 5. 

Rebecca, b. Apr. 14, 1794, d. in Thorndike, unm. 

Phebe, b. Apr. 20, 1797, d. young. 

Patience, b. Oct. 26, 1799, m. Ebenezer Scott Files, May 14, 1S18. 

Joseph Phinney died Sept. 10, 1825, aged 68, and his wife Susanna, 
Jan. 15, 1838, aged 77. 

(3) Edmund Phinney, Jr., son of Col. Edmund, married Sarah, 
daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Whitney) Hamblen. He served 
as a private under Capt. Alexander McLellan in the Penobscot expe- 
dition in 1779. Children: 

Clement, b. Aug. 16, 1780, m. Joanna Wallace, Mar. 24, 1803. 
John,b. Nov. 26, 1783, m. Nancy Gammon, May 4, i8og. 

James, b. , 1785, d. Sept. 18, 1806. 

Betsey, b. May i, 1787, m. David McLellan, p. Nov. 5, 180S. 

Joseph H., b. Oct. 18, 1789, m. Sally Whitney, Sept. 26, 1812; was a minister; 

d. in Harrison, Dec. 3, 1869. 

Hannah, b. , m. Samuel Gilkey, May 5, 1816. 

Thomas, b. May 5, 1798, m. Sally Woodward, Dec. 4, 1822. 

Edmund, b. Sept. 12, 1799, m. Eliza Woodward; d. in Saccarappa. 

Jane, b. June, 1803, m. Alvah Scribner of Otisfield, June 10, 1827; d. Oct. 13, 

1844. 

Mr. and Mrs. Phinney died at Harrison, he, June 18, 1828, and she, 
Feb. 15, 1833. 



GENEALOGY. 717 

(3) Stephen Phinney, son of Col. Edmund, married Anna, daugh- 
ter of Simon and Elizabeth Huston. Children: 

Betsey, b. June 5, 1789, m. Joseph C. Libby, Feb. 15, 1809. 

David, b. Dec. 13, 1792, d. Oct. 22, 1801. 

Love, b. Nov. 12, 1796, m. Joseph C. Libby, Oct., 1826. 

Stephen Phinney died Nov. 27, 1800, aged 37. His widow mar- 
ried, June 24, 1807, Simeon Libby. 

(3) James Phinney, Jr., son of Col. Edmund, lived on the old road 

to Portland, about a mile below the village, and just below his father, 

on the farm now owned by George Alden. His house, in which he 

lived for seventy-six years, was built on the hundred acre lot, 42, which 

had belonged to his uncle Stephen on the westerly side of the Gray 

road, and was hauled across to its present location where the two 

story part was afterwards added. The old house is said to have 

been built by a Mr. Whitney, and at one time occupied by a Gammon 

family. Here for many years Mr. Phinney kept a tavern which was 

noted for its good cheer and was a favorite resort for fashionable 

parties from the village. He married Abigail, daughter of James and 

Abigail Mosher. Children : 

Eliza, b. Sept. 24, 1795, d. Oct. 19, 1800. 

Eliza, b. Aug. 26, 1801, m. Dr. Greenleaf P. Thompson of Pownal, Apr. 17, 

1820. 
James, b. Aug. 31, 1S03, m. Cynthia Mosher, Feb. 11, 1830. 
Abigail, b 1806, d. Mar. 19, 1822. 
Asa Rand, b. Jan. 18, 1809, m. Eliza A. Decker of Bowdoinham, p. Jan. 1, 

1837 ; 2d, Louisa Noyes ; d. Nov. 5, 1897. 
Child, b. 1813, d. Apr. 14, 1814. 
Sarah E., bapt. July 14, i8i4,m. Hiram K. Alexander of Brunswick, p. Feb. 

9, 1836. 

James Phinney, Jr., died Jan. 13, 1S60, aged 93, and his wife 
Abigail, Oct. 26, 1840, aged 69. 

(3) Nathaniel Phinney, son of Col. Edmund, lived on the farm 
and in the house of his father. The farm was afterwards sold to 
William W. Woodbuiy of Portland, who took down all the buildings 
upon the place, and erected a fine and costly mansion in their stead. 
This house was taken down and carried to Deering by F. O. J. 
Smith, when the place fell into his hands. Mr. Phinney taught 
school in the schoolhouse which stood on the parish lot, south of the 
church, and had been the old meeting-house. Mr. Phinney, who 
was known as " Master Nat," was a teacher of great dignity. He 
was a rigid disciplinarian, and allowed no laughing or smiling in 
school. He made free use of the switch and ferule ; indeed, his 
methods of discipline would hardly be tolerated in these days. For 



718 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

a long time the schoolhouse was heated by open fireplaces, but iron 
stoves coming into vogue, one was placed in the room. It struck 
Master Nat that good use might be made of the stovepipe as an 
assistant in discipline. A small boy of seven, having committed 
some misdemeanor, Mr. P. proceeded to hoist him up by a rope 
thrown over the funnel, the other end being tied around the boy's 
waist. The strain proved too great for the pipe, which came down, 
striking the master's head, and scattering ashes liberally over him. 
The smoke filled the room, and of course discipline was at an end 
for that time, and the school had a recess. Not to be balked, how- 
ever, the master afterwards drove a large spike in the wall, by means 
of which he could " hoist " any offenders. Mr. Phinney was a 
thorough teacher, and a man who filled many town offices. He 
married Mary, daughter of Heman Bangs. Children : 

Heman, b. Nov. 1792, d. Oct. 5, 1793. 

Sally, b. , m. Stephen D. Harding, Dec. 26, 1816. 

Benjamin, b. about 1797, m. Elizabeth Sloper, p. Oct. 20, 1821 ; 2d. Mrs. Ange- 
lina Phinney. 
Eli, b. about 1801, m. Angelina Crockett, Feb. 23, 1828. 

Mrs. Mary Phinney died Aug. 17, 182 1, aged 50, and Mr. Phinney 

married, in 1822, Mrs. Betsey (McLellan) Hatch, daughter of 

Thomas McLellan, and widow of Ebenezer Hatch. Children : 

Eunice, b. about 1824, d. Nov. 8, 1839, ag. 15. 
Mary A. J., b. May 6, 1825, d. unm. in 1888. 
Thomas McL., b. Feb. 11, 1827, I's in Gorham, unm. 

Nathaniel Phinney died Nov. 14, 1850, aged 79, and his wife 

Betsey, Oct. i, 1864, aged 84. 

(3) John Phinney, son of John, Jr., was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tion, enlisting when but sixteen years of age. He took part in the 
unfortunate Bagaduce expedition in 1779, under Capt. McLellan. 
He enlisted again March 5, 1781, under Capt. Whitmore for three 
years, and marched to White Plains, N. Y., and there joined Col. 
Sprout's Mass. regiment. He was soon after transferred to Capt. 
Learned's company, Col. Shepherd's regiment. He was again trans- 
ferred to Capt. Pope's company, and was discharged Dec. 27, 1783, at 
Deansborough, on the Hudson river. Mr. Phinney lived on the 
" plains," where his grandson Levi afterwards lived. The buildings 
have been burned. He married Susanna Stone, sister of Jonathan 
Stone. Children : 

Alexander, m. Tahpenes Files, Jan. 21, 1819. 

Samuel, m. Mary Kimball of Bii.xton. 

Miriam, m. Uea. Samuel Mitchell of Standish, Oct. 13, 1844. 

Sarah, m. Lemuel Rich, Feb. 25, 1821. 



GENEALOGY. 719 

Ebenezer, m. Mary Sanborn of Harrison, p. Sept. 8, 1835; d. Dec. 14, 1876, 

ag- 79- 
Susan, m. John Rich of Standish, Dec. 26, 1829. 
John, m. Polly Plaisted, p. Jan. 17, 1824. 
Abigail, m. Benjamin Sanborn of Harrison, Dec. 21, 1841. 

Martha H., m. Freeman Carsley, p. Aug. 31, 1834; settled in Gray, and d. there. 
James, m. Miriam Sanborn, p. Oct. 12, 1834. 

John Phinney died Oct. 10, 1844, aged 82, and his wife Sukey, 
Dec. 20, 1840, aged 74. 

(4) EH Phinney, son of Decker, married Mercy Mann, probably a 
sister of Daniel Mann. Their only child was Patty, born Sept. 17, 
1799. Eli Phinney died Aug. 31, 1800. 

(4) Nathaniel Phinney, son of Joseph, was born in the Blake 

neighborhood, on the Gen. James Irish farm. He married Lucy, 

daughter of Joseph Blake. Children : 

Major, b. Dec. i, 1816, m. Roberts, at Cape Elizabeth. 

Maria, b. Mar. 23, 1S18, m. Simon H. Lombard, Sept. 22, 1839. 
Eliza A., b. May 6, 1821, d. unm. Sept., 1839. 

Sargent, b. Sept. 30, 1823, m. ; d. in Portland, Dec. 23, 1867. 

Eunice, b. Dec. 22, 1825, d. Nov. 8, 1839. 

Stephen, b. July 4, 182S, m. Almira ; d. in Portland, May 16, 1886. 

Isaac, b. Mar. 23, 1832. 

Nathaniel Phinney lived above West Gorham in the Hamblen 
house. He died at Cape Elizabeth, December, 1876, his wife dying 
September 24th of the same year, aged 83. 

(4) Clement Phinney, son of Edmund, Jr., was a Free Will Baptist 

preacher, noted for much power and earnestness. He married 

Joanna Wallace, who was a niece of Mrs. John B. Ryan, and was 

born July 19, 1785. Children: 

Stephen, b. July 18, 1804, m. Ann Somerby; d. in Raymond. 

Decker, b. Sept. 27, 1806, went to Cal. ; d. unm. 

Mary A., b. Nov. g, 1808, m. Thomas Foster of Harrison. 

Eliza W., b. Jan. 7, 181 1, m. Rice Rowell of Harrison; 2d, Daniel Holden 

of Casco. 
Sarah W.. b. Dec. 9, 1812, m. James M., Leach. 
Hannah, b. Sept. 20, 1814, m. George McAllister. 
Almira W., b. Oct. 27, 181 6, m. Hugh W. Simmes. 
Martha B., b. May i, 1819, m. Hugh M. Plummer. 
Clarissa C, b. Aug. 26, 182 1, m. Hugh M. Plummer. 
Abigail F., b. Oct. 10, 1825, d. unm; I'd in Raymond. 

Rev. Clement Phinney, died in Portland, March 2, 1855, aged 74. 

(4) James Phinney, Jr., son of James, lived for some years on the 
farm once owned by his father. He afterwards bought the house 
next to the Academy on the north, and moved into it. Here he died, 
Sept. 27, 1876, aged 73 years. He married Cynthia, daughter of 
Benjamin Mosher. Children : 



720 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Martha C, b. Apr. 30, 1S31, d. May 13, 1837. 

Oliver P., b. Aug., 1833, d. Sept. 20, 1833. 

Harriet, b. Oct. 3, 1834, d. unm. in Portland, Sept. 21, 1885. 

Arthur, b. Mar. 28, 1837, m. Sarah Bell of Sandusky, Ohio; I'd in Sandusky. 

Frank, b. May 12, 1839, m. Mary J. Rand; d. May 25, 1893; Mrs. P. d. May 29, 

1872. 
Helen, b. July 20, 1844. d. in Portland, unm. Jan. 10, 1899. 
Lucien, b. Nov. 24, 1848, m. Georgie Slemons of Westbrook ; has one son, 

Harry. 

James Phinney died Sept. 27, 1876. Mrs. Cynthia Phinney died 
March 20, 1869, aged 63. 

(4) Benjamin Phinney, son of Nathaniel, married Elizabeth Sloper 

of Portland. Their children were : 

Lothrop L., b. Sept. 5, 1822. 

Maria W., b. July 26, 1824, m. John W. Marr: d. Sept. 6, 1894. 

Simon E., b. Apr. 8, 1826. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Phinney died March iS, 1833, aged 32, and Mr. 
Phinney married his brother Eli's widow, Mrs. Angelina (Crock- 
ett) Phinney. Benjamin Phinney died July 19, 1841, and his widow 
married Mr. Magrath of Hiram. After his death she married fourth, 
Rev. G. W. Whitney. 

(4) Eli Phinney, son of Nathaniel, married Angelina, daughter of 
John and Betsey (Hunt) Crockett. Child: Edmund, b. May 10, 
1829. 

Eli Phinney died Nov. 30, 1833, and his widow married his brother 
Benjamin. 

(4) Alexander Phinney, son of John, was born in August, 1791. 
He married Tahpenes, daughter of George Files. Children : 

Abigail K., b. Apr. 21, 1819, m. Thomas Skillings, Feb. 22, 1844. 

Uavid, b. Dec. 12, 182 1, m. Persis Burbank of Windham. Ch: Frank, b. May 
2, 1853, d. Apr. 25, 1854; Charles Burbank, b. in Windham, Aug. 4, 1855, 

m. , Aug. 29, 1885; Georgie Manning, b. Dec. 21, 1861, m. George 

Sawyer, Aug. i, i88s; Marshall Mosher, b. Nov. 21, 1869, m. Petronila 
O. Clarke, Oct. 3, 1899, is in the electrical business. After Mrs. Persis 
Phinney's death Mr. Phinney m. Mrs. Nellie (Nichols) Sawyer, widow of 
Ellery F. Sawyer. Mr. Phinney I'd at Little Falls. He d. in 1891 ; his 
widow, Sept. 11, 1894, in Windham. 

Alexander, b. Oct. 12, 1824, m. Ann Maria Rounds, Apr. 17, 1851 ; d. Mar. 1, 

1854. 
Temperance F., b. May 17, 1826, d. unm. Oct. 25, 1846. 
George F., b. Mar. 19, 1828, m. Delvnia Young of Westbrook. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 19, 1830. killed at the Powder Mills. Oct. 12, 1855. 
Fred C, b. June 21, 1832, m. Ellen Johnson, Nov. 25, 1866. Ch : Jennie; 

Samuel. 
Louisa, b. Mar. 16, 1836, d. aged 2. 
Gorham S., b. Oct. 23, 1838, m. Annie Wiggins. 

Alexander Phinney died Feb. 8, 1866, aged 74, and his wife 

Tahpenes, June 21, 1864, aged 67. 




MARSHALL M. PHINNEY, 



GENEALOGY. 721 

(4) John Phinney, son of John, married Polly, daughter of Andrew 
Plaisted. Child: John, b. 1825, m. Matilda Corliss, 1850; d. May 
8, 1862. 

John Phinney died April 22, 1826, aged 26, and his widow mar- 
ried, July 4, 1847, Oliver Arthurton of Waterford. 

(4) James Phinney, 4th, son of John, was born March i, 18 10, and 
lived in the north part of the town, al)Out two miles above the North 
church. He married Miriam B. Sanborn. Children : 

Levi, b. Sept. 23, 1S36, m. Mary, dau. of Jacob Dingley of Gorham ; had son 

Edwin; d. about 1890. 
Almira, b. Aug. 30, 1838, d. Mar., 1854. 
John, b. Mar. i, 1846, d. young. 



Martha, I , . o 

Mary, ( "• ^"S" 4' '^47, -j „, Salter Tolman. 

Abba S., b. Aug. 24, 1S4S, m. Elbridge Webster. 

Jaines Phinney died Dec. 24, 1867, aged 57, and Mrs. Phinney, 
June 27, 1874, aged 68. 



PIERCE. 

Hon. Josiah Pierce was a native of Baldwin, — the son of Josiah 
Pierce of that town. He was a graduate of Bowdoin College, of the 
class of 18 18. He came to Gorham in 182 1, and had an extensive 
law practice here for many years. From 1846 to 1856 he was Judge 
of Probate for Cumberland County. He was one of the board of 
trustees for the Academy and Seminary ; and held many town offices. 
In 1862, he wrote, by request of the citizens, a History of the Town 
of Gorham. He married, in September, 1825, Evelina, daughter of 
Maj. Archelaus and Elizabeth (Browne) Lewis of Westbrook. 
Children : 

Josiah, b. June 14, 1827, m. Martha Landers, of Salem, Mass.; 2d, Isabella 

Millett, of Portland; Sec'y of the American Legation in Russia in 1S55 ; 

in 1S65 received an order of knighthood from the Emperor of Russia; 

lives in London, Eng; a lawyer. 
Archelaus, b. Aug. 23, 1828, d. Dec. 11, 1S29. 

Evelina L., b. June 3, 1830, m. Hon. John A. Waterman, June 23, 1853. 
Lewis, b. April 15, 1832, m. Emily Willis; 2d, Mary B. Llill ; a lawyer in 

Portland. 
Nancy, b. April 7, 1834, m. Edward N. Whittier, M. D. ; d. in Boston, Feb. 19, 

1893- 
George W., b. July i, 1836, I's in Baldwin, unm. 
Eliza L., b. Aug. 4, 1838, d. unm. Apr. 13, 1879. 

Judge Pierce died June 26, 1866, aged 73, and his wife Evelina, 
Oct. 5, 1870, aged 75. 



722 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

PINKERTON. 

The old cellar on the southwest corner of the old Nathaniel Gould 
lot, No. 14, on South St., was where the Pinkertons, or Pilkertons, 
lived in old times. Joseph Pinkerton was a blacksmith, and is 
believed to have been the first of that trade to settle in town. He 
served in the Northern Army, in Capt. Joseph Woodman's company, 
from May 2, to Nov. 14, 1757. 

PLAISTED. 

Samuel and Andrew Plaisted were brothers, sons of Samuel and 
Elizabeth (Libby) Plaisted of Scarborough. Samuel Plaisted's father 
was Elisha Plaisted, Esq., of Berwick, one of the original proprietors 
of Scarborough. This Elisha Plaisted married Hannah, daughter of 
John Wheelwright of Wells. On the morning following his wedding 
young Plaisted was surprised and captured by the Indians, but after 
being kept a prisoner by them for a few days was ransomed by his 
friends and restored in safety to his young bride. 

Samuel Plaisted, Jr., married Hannah Cilley of Saco, and settled 
in Gorham, on the place where Reuben Wescott afterwards lived. 
Mr. Plaisted died Dec. 16, 1839, and his wife Hannah, Dec. 29, 

1847. 

Andrew Plaisted was born June i, 1763, and lived in Scarborough 
previous to his coming to Gorham. He lived in the north part of the 
town, above the North Branch, on the seventy acre lot, No. 8 ; clear- 
ing the land and building the house where his son Major lately lived. 
He married, Sept. 13, 1786, Molly, daughter of Nathaniel Libby of 
Scarborough. Children, the three oldest born in Scarborough : 

Betsey, b. Dec. 20, 17S7, m. Stephen Cram of Standish, Mar. 20, 1S22. 

Sarah L., b. July i, 1788, m. William Thomes in 181 7. 

Joseph, b. May 9, 1790, m. Eunice Thomes, Dec. 5, 1820; I'd and d. in 

Harrison. 
Andrew, b. Sept. 18, 1792, m. Abigail True. 

Polly, b. Oct. 30, 1795, ™- Joh" Phinney, 1824; 2d, Oliver Arthurton. 
Major, b. Mar. 17, 1799, m. Mary G. Libby, June 10, 1849. 
Hannah, b. Apr. 10, 1803, m. w'illiam Thomes (2d wife), Mar. 17, 1854. 
Harriet, b. , d. when about four years old. 

Andrew Plaisted died Nov. 27, 1855, and his wife, Nov. 6, 1839, 

aged 80. 

(2) Andrew Plaisted, .son of Andrew, lived on a part of his father's 
farm, in the house just east of the old one, in the corner of the main 
road. He married Abigail True, and had one child : 



GENEALOGY. 723 

William T., b. in 1821, m. Elizabeth Griffin of Lisbon ; was a conductor on the 
B. and M. R. R. for nearly thirty-five years. He was an earnest Chris- 
tian, and a member of the Cong. Church ; he d. at his home in E. 
Somerville, Mass., Sept. 30, 1893. 

Andrew Plaisted died Aug. 27, 1873, and hi.s wife Abigail, July 13, 
1883, aged 85. 

(2) Major Plaisted, .son of Andrew, lived on his father's place. 
He married Mary Gage, daughter of Allison Libby. Children : 

John M., b. July 14, 1850, m. Kate Allen of Ohio, 1S89. 

Helen A., b. Sept. 11, 1S52, m. Herman S. Whitney, June 16, 1875. 

Louisa M., b. Aug. 27, 1854, m. J. Granville Clement, Jan. i, 1878. 

George H. P., b. Apr. 25, 1857, m. Elma Robinson of Windham, Sept. i, 1887. 

Edward W., b. May 27, i860, m. Maria Young of Columbus, Ohio, June, 1887. 

Alice, b. May 30, 1870. 

Major Plaisted died March 27, 1887. His wife died Nov. 14, 
1901. 

PLUMMER. 

This name is variously spelled by the different branches of the 
family Plummer or Plumer. 

Aaron, Isaac and Christopher Plumer were the sons of Moses and 
Mary Plumer of Scarborough. Aaron Plumer was born in Scar- 
borough, March 10, 1750. He purchased, April S, 1783, twenty-five 
acres in the southern part of Gorham. This land, which he bought 
of Nathaniel Parker, adjoined Parker's homestead, and is the place 
where Daniel Baker now lives. He was a shoemaker and farmer. 
Oct. 15, 1770, he married Lydia Libby. Children ; the first six born 
in Scarborough : 

Sarah, b. Mar. 9, 1771, m. Joshua Adams, June 17, 1792. 

Mary, b. Sept. 12, 1772, m. Luther Lombard, Jan. 10, 1793. 

Dorcas, b. Apr. 18, 1774, m. Matthew Hagens of Scarborough, June 11, 1797; 

2d, Frank Libby, of Gorham. 
David, b. Oct. 4, 1776, m. Abigail Haskell, July 2, 1799; d. Oct. 18, 1S47; she, 

July 31, 1846. 
Lydia, b. Oct. 23, 1778, m. Samuel Haskell, Mar. 17, 1799. 
Betsey, b. Nov. 6, 17S0, d. Jan. 6, 1799. 

Aaron, b. June 9, 1784, m. Anne Andrews; d. in Richmond. 
Martha, b. July 9, 1786, d. Oct. 12, 1804. 

Abigail, b. Sept. 14, 1788, m. Samuel Merrill, p. May 23, 1807. 
Isaac, b. Feb. 3, 1790, m. Betsey Andrews. 
Daniel, b. June 27, 1792, d. April 7, 1814. 
Rhoda, b. Sept. i, 1795. 

Aaron Plumer went to Richmond, Me., where he lived with his son 
Aaron. He died Sept. 3, 1839. 

Isaac Plumer was born in Scarborough, Feb. 6, 1758, and married, 
March 9, 1784, Esther, daughter of Andrew Libby of Scarborough. 
He came to Gorham about the time of his marriage, and settled near 



724 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

White Rock. Mr. Plumer and his wife had no children. He died 
July 12, 182 I, and his wife, March 12, 1846, aged 86. 

Christopher Plumer was born in Scarborough, Aug. 25, 1762. and 
came to Gorham at the same time as his brother Isaac. He lived 
near White Rock on the seventy acre lot, 31, where he cleared the 
farm on which Gustavus Plummer now lives. He married, Oct. 11, 
1785, Rebecca Libby of Scarborough, a sister to his brother Isaac's 
wife. Children : 

Esther, b. Jan. 15, 1787, m. Reuben Morton, Mar. 23, 1S09; 2d, Joseph Mussey, 
Mar. 31, 1819. Mr. Mussey d. Aug. 15, 1842, ag. 76; she, May 20, 1855. 

Mary, b. Aug. 12, 1788, m. Solomon Crockett, Sept. 14, 1809. 

Rebecca, b. Jan. 26, 1790, m. Daniel Davis of Standish, July 3, 1824 ; I'd and d. 
at White Rock. 

Christopher, b. Aug. 27, I79[, m. Mary Rounds, Mar. 12, 1821. 

Isaac, b. Dec. 31, 1793, ^- ^'^arah Harmon; 2d, Margaret Smith. 

Ann, b. Oct. 21, 1795. '^- unm. Jan. 12, 1879. 

Elizabeth, b. June 2, 1802, m. Russell II. Cole, May 8, 1S36; d. May 18, 1875. 

Christopher Plumer died Dec. 17, 1846, and Mrs. Rebecca Plumer, 
Feb. 15, 1847, aged 80. 

(2) Chri-stopher Plummer, Jr., son of Christopher, lived at one time 

where William Purmton now lives at White Rock. He married 

Mary, daughter of Abial and Mary Rounds. Children : 

Lucinda, b. Dec. 7, 1821, m. Noyes of Portland. 

John G., b. Nov. 4, 1825, was a physician; d. unm. May 12, 1869. 

Christopher Plummer, Jr., died Oct. 22, 1825, aged 34, and his wife, 
Oct. 22, 1846, aged 49. 

(2) Isaac Plummer, son of Christopher, lived on the old place, which 
is now occupied by his son Gustavus. Both Isaac and Christopher 
were members of Capt. Bettis's company, and marched to Portland, 
in the fall of 1814. I.saac Plummer married Sarah Harmon of Ray- 
mond. Children : 

Joseph M., b. Aug. 8, 1820, m. Mary H. Harmon, Sept. 22, 1S43; 2d, Mrs. 

Rand. 
Albion K. P., b. Feb. 20, 1823, m. Mary A. Nason, Oct. 31, 1847 ; d. May 7, 1894- 
Mary A., b. Feb. 27, 1827, m. Robert Barbour, p. Jan. 7, 1849 ; d. July 19, 1852. 
Elizabeth J., Dec. 16, 1829, m. B. Frank Harmon of Thorndike, 1851. 

Mrs. Sarah Plummer died Nov. 14, 1832, and Mr. Plummer married, 

Margaret Smith of Raymond. Children : 

Nehemiah, d. in Otisfield. 

Christopher. 

Sarah H., m. Joseph T. Wentworth, Oct. 11, 1S68 ; d. in Saco. 

Daniel D., m. Albina Plummer of Fo.xcroft. 

Esther, m. Charles Crockett. 

Russell C. 

Elias, m. Nellie Storer. 

Gustavus, m. Lizzie A. Carll, Oct. 25, 1870. 

Ellen, m. Henry Carll. 



GENEALOGY. 725 

Isaac Plummer died May 27, 1883, and his wife Margaret, Aug. 26, 
1884, aged 75, 

(3) Joseph M. Plummer, son of Isaac, Hved in the north part of the 
town, where he kept a store for some years. He was one of the 
selectmen in 1848, '49 and '50. He married Mary H., daughter of 
Israel Harmon. Their children were Clara M., Henry A., Mary E., 
Clara E., all of whom are dead, and Isabelle M. Mrs. Mary Plummer 
died Sept. 19, 1S71, aged 50, and Mr. Plummer married Mrs. Chris- 
tiana (Stone) Rand. By her he had one child, Joseph Wilson, who 
married Lottie C. Williams, May 12, 1897. 

Ai Plummer of Scarborough, who was born Aug. 22, 1764, was the 

son of Moses and Mary Plummer, and a brother to Aaron, Isaac and 

Christopher who came to Gorham. He married, March 15, 1787, 

Elizabeth Plummer of Scarborough, and their son Alvin, born March 

16, 1807, married, Nov. 21, 1833, Sally, daughter of Robert Weeks 

of Gorham, and moved to Gorham, where he lived on South St. 

Children of Alvin and Sally Plummer : 

Sampson, m. Frances Moody ; 2d, Emma Dudley. 

Susan, m. George Rust ; d. Dec. 5, 1874. 

Robert, m. Georgiana Boody. 

Ellen, m. Edwin R. Smith; 2d, Alvin Libby. 

Dana, m. Carrie Belle .Sargent. 

William, m. Etta Clay of Bu.xton. 

Marietta, m. Edward Weeks, Dec. 19, 1874. 

Alvina, m. George Libby of Scarboro. 

Alvin B. 

John D., d. Nov. 16, 1864, ag. 13. 

Alvin Plummer died Nov. 26, 1886, aged 79. His wife Sally died 
June 27, 1879, aged 62. 

POLAND. 

John Poland lived on a part of what is now the farm of Frank 

Hopkinson. He married Fear Brown, daughter of Sylvanus and 

Fear Brown who lived near what is now called West Gorham. Their 

children were : 

Moses, b. June 11, 1791. 

Sylvanus, b. Jan. 2, 1793. 

Arvada, b. May 9, 1795, i'^ Hartford. 

Dorcas, b. June 19, 1798. 

Zoe, b. July 19, 1800, in the woods. 

John, b. May 5, 1803. 

Moses Poland of Gorham, who served in the Revolution as a 
private in Capt. Jenkins' company, 12th Mass. regiment, in 1777, was 
probably the father of John Poland above. 



726 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Francis Poland was born in Portland April 19, 1788. He was the 

son of Benjamin and Sarah (Magory) Poland. He married, April 2, 

18 10, Nancy, daughter of Capt. Josiah and Mary (Chipman) Jenkins. 

Children : 

Aurelia, b. Aug. i6, iSii, m. Jonathan Buck, Jr. of Buckfield, Mar. 20, 1837 ; d. 

Oct., 1902. 
John Calvin, b. July 5, 1814, m. Celia Stearns of Lovell ; d. in Boston. 

Mr. Poland was in the War of 18 12-14. He was on board a 

privateer, and it is supposed was lost. He was traced as far as the 

coast of Spain, but nothing further was ever heard from him. Mrs. 

Poland died in Gorham, June 6, 1861. 

POMEROY. 

Rev. Thaddeus Pomeroy was minister of the First Congregational 

church in this town from 1822 to 1839. ^^ '^^^ ^he son of Ebenezer 

and Experience Pomeroy, and was born at Southampton, Mass., Feb. 

28, 1782. He married at Newburyport, April 23, 1816, Catherine, 

the daughter of John and Hannah Pearson of that place. She was 

born Sept. 26, 1794. Children: 

Hannah P., b. Apr. 3, 1821, m. Rev. Elijah Kellogg of Harpswell ; d. at 

Harpswell. 
Thaddeus, b. 1S22, d. Jan. 14, 1831. 

Edward, b. , d. young. 

Mary H., b. Apr., 1824, d. Feb. 7, 1825. 

John P., b. 1825, d. Sept. 26, 1826. 

Edward P., b. Nov. 13, 1827, d. June 4, 1888 at Harpswell. 

Catherine M., b. July 17, 1830, d. May 16, 1831. 

Mrs. Catherine Pomeroy died Sept. 11, 183 1, and Mr. Pomeroy 
married Harriet Ruberry of Charleston, S. C, by whom he had one 
child : 
Thaddeus R., b. May 16, 1833, d. Oct. 27, 1833. 

Mrs. Harriet R. Pomeroy died Dec. 27, 1833, aged 26. Mr. 

Pomeroy then married Mrs. Emily Sweetsir of Gorham, (pub. Oct. 9, 

1836). Children: 

Allen Ruberry, b. 1837, d. Jan. 29, 1838. 

Charles, j . ^„^ _ ...^ \ d. Apr. 15, 1839. 

Thomas R., j ^- ^^'- "5' '^39. \ d. Sept. 5. 1839. 

Rev. Mr. Pomeroy died at De Witt, N. Y., April 14, 1858, aged 
76. 



POTE. 

William Pote, Jr., came from Marblehead, Mass., to Falmouth 
(Portland) about 1728, and was the ancestor of all of the name in 



GENEALOGY. 727 

this region. He was the son of WilUam and Ann (Hooper) Pote, 

and was born in 1689. Mr. Pote appears to have been a citizen of 

Gorham as early as 174 1. He was Hving in Gorham in 1743, for in 

that year we find the Proprietors notified to hold meetings at his 

dwelling house in this town. He owned the right No. 73, on the 

thirty acre lot belonging to which it seems probable that he made 

his home. At the time of the French and Indian war, Mr. Pote with 

his family returned to Falmouth, where he died. His wife was 

Dorothy Gatchell, whom he married June 2, 17 15. Children : 

Ann, b. Oct. 12, 17 16, m. William Bucknian, p. fan. 15, 1736. 

William, b. Dec. 15, 17 18, d. unm. 

Gamaliel, b. Oct. 1 1, 1721, m. Mary Irish of Gorham, Aug. 7, 1743; d. in New 

Casco. 
Jeremiah, b. Jan. 18, 1724, m. Elizabeth Berry of Falmouth; d. in St. Andrew, 

N. B., Nov. 23, 1796. 
Elisha, b. June 14, 1726, d. unm. 
Increase, b. .Sept. 15, 1728, d. young. 
Samuel, b. Oct. 5, 1731, d. in Marblehead, Sept. 12, 1789. 
Thomas, b. Feb. 25, 1734, m. Sarah Merrill, 1757. 
Greenfield, b. May, 1736, m. Jane Grant, 1758, I'd in New Casco; d. Sept. 29, 

1797. 

Of these children of William Pote, Jr., three, Gamaliel, Jeremiah 
and Elisha took part in the successful expedition against Louisburg 
in 1745. The eldest son, William, while in command of the schooner 
Montague, engaged in carrying supplies and workmen for the repair 
and defence of the fortifications at Annapolis Royal, was captured in 
Annapolis Basin on May 17, 1745, by the French and Indians and 
carried to Quebec. He was confined there for a little over two years, 
during which time he kept a journal of the daily happenings. In 
this he makes mention of the Gorham captives, Cloutman, Read and 
Mrs. Bryant. This journal, which is still in existence, has lately 
been published. 

(2) Thomas Pote, son of William, Jr., was living in Gorham as 

early as 1762, probably on a part of the hundred acre lot, No. 9, 

which had belonged to his father's right, the title to which he had 

acquired partly as one of his heirs and partly by purchase from the 

other heirs'. In 1769 Thomas sold twenty-five acres of this lot to 

Joseph Roberts, and in 177 1 he sold a like amount to Benjamin 

Roberts, brother of Joseph. In 1782 he disposed of the west half of 

the lot to Isaac U. Holbrook. Mr. Pote married Sarah Merrill. 

Children, the two oldest baptized in Falmouth : 

Samuel, bapt. 175S, m. Priscilla Douty, Oct., 1779. 
Hannah, bapt. June 3, 1759, m. Wm. Proctor, Jan. 11, 1778. 

I Cumberland County Registry of Deeds, Vol. 14, p. 8C. 



728 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Judith, b. May i6, 1762. 

Elisha, b. July 25, 1764, d. with the Shakers, July 14, 1845. 

Dorothy, b. Oct. 29, 1766, d. with the Shakers. Jan. 10, 1843. 

James, b. Aug. 7, 1768. 

Deborah, b. Nov. 2r, 1774. 

Betty, b. July 31, 1780. 

About the year 1782, Elisha, .son of Thomas, who had been a sailor, 
became converted to the doctrines of Shakerism. His father and 
mother soon afterwards embraced the same faith, and with their 
family joined the Shakers at New Gloucester. Thomas Pote died 
there in 18 16, aged 83. 

PREBLE. 

Eben Preble came to Gorham from Portland, where he was born 
Oct. 10, 1802. He was the son of Capt. Enoch and Sally (Cross) 
Preble, and grandson of Gen. Jedediah Preble. He was a merchant, 
and traded in a store which stood on the spot where F. H. Emery's 
store now stands. At the time of his death he was town clerk of 
Gorham. He married, June 20, 1829, Agnes D. T. Archer of Salem, 
Mass., daughter of Samuel and Deborah (McNutt) Archer, and 
adopted daughter of Gen. Amos Hovey of Salem. Children : 

Sarah Ellen, b. June 18, 1830, d. July 30, 1832. 
Mary Elizabeth, b. June 24, 1S33. 

Mr. Preble died Jan. 17, 1845, and in 1849 Mrs. Preble married 

Joseph Barbour. She died Feb. 25, 1889, aged 80. 

PRENTISS. 

Samuel Prentiss was born in Cambridge, Mass. The name was at 
that time spelled Prentice. He was a grandson of Dea. Henry 
Prentice who came from England and who owned the Fresh Pond 
property in Cambridge, near Mt. Auburn, and afterwards built a 
mansion in Cambridge, near Brattle Square, long known as the 
Prentice house. The father of Samuel was Caleb Prentice whose 
first wife was Lydia Whitmore of Cambridge. His second wife' was 
Rebecca Rockwell of Charlestown, Mass. Children of Caleb and 
Lydia Prentice : 

Caleb, b. Apr. 17, 1745, d. young. 

Caleb, b. Nov. 14, 1746, m. Judy Mellen (sister of Hon. Judge Mellen) of 

Portland, and was for thirty-one years minister in Reading, Mass. 
Betsey, b. Sept. 24, 1748, m. Mr. Hill. 
Samuel, b. Feb. 10, 1750, d. young. 

Samuel, b. May 26, 1753, m. Dolly Day; 2d, Rebecca Cook. 
William, b. Dec. i, 1754, m. Mary Gorham of Barnstable, Mass., sister of Hon. 

Wm. Gorham and of the first wife of Dr. Jeremiah Barker of Gorham ; 



GENEALOGY. 729 

was a physician of good standing in Piiiladelphia and in practice at tlie 

time of tlie plague there. He died in London. 
Henry, b. Felj. 4, 1757. 
Lydia, b. Jan. 27, 1759, m. S. S. Smith, a merchant of Cape Ann, Mass. 

Samuel Prentiss was a graduate of Harvard, of the class of 1771. 
His tirst business after leaving college was teaching. He taught for 
a time in Kennebunk, and was the first commissioned Justice of the 
Peace in that town. He married, Oct. 24, 1776, Dolly, daughter of 
Benjamin Day of Kennebunk. Children : 

Mary, ), ,, ^ _ o fm. Ebenezer Freeman, Feb. 3, 1799. 

Lydia, \ ' •-'//' ^^ jQg] Watson of Providence, Jan., 1798; 2d, 

Jotham Partridge of Westbrook, about 1809; 3d, 
Thomas Shaw of Standish, Mar. 9, 1826; d. Apr. 
.3,1858. 

Sargent S., b. , d. at sea, on his passage liome from Surinam, ag. about 20. 

William, b. Oct. 11, 1782, m. Abigail Lewis, Dec. 11, 1804. 

Elizabeth S., b. — . 

Dolly, b. Feb. 29, 1785, d. young. 

John, b. about 1787, d. young. 

Mrs. Dolly Prentiss died May 23, 17S7, and Mr. Prentiss married, 
Nov. 29, 1787, Rebecca Cook of Gorham. Children: 

Hannah, b. July 2, 17SS, d. in Gorham, June, 1816. 

Rebecca, b. Aug. 20, 1790, m. Geo. Rounds, Mar. 17, 1818; I'd and d. in 

Bridgton. 
Phebe, b. Dec. 14, 1791, d. in Gorham, Jan. 29, 1810. 

Joanna, b. Nov. 5, 1793, m. Thomas Burnham, Feb. 10, 1828; I'd in Bridgton. 
Betsey, b. Sept. 3, 1795, '"■ Jan^es Deering of Denmark, Me., Mar. 27, 1822. 
Frances, b. Nov. 13, 1798, d. in Bridgton. 

Samuel Prentiss came to Gorham about the year 1776, in which 
year we find him licensed here as an inn-holder. He soon went into 
mercantile pursuits. He bought of Isaac D. Holbrook the seven 
acres of land on the north side of Main St., still known as the Pren- 
tiss lot, together with the house and barn standing on the lot, and 
the right and privilege in the well on the opposite side of the road. 
On this lot, on the northeast corner of the Portland and the then 
Standish road, he built a store, known for many years afterwards as 
" the Old Yellow Shop." This building becoming dilapidated was 
probably set on fire, and was burned in 1859. His house was a one- 
story building on the Portland road, directly east of the store, and 
near thereto. It stood high up from the street on a bank made with 
logs, and was always called the old Prentiss house. This house 
stood where the store occupied by J. C. Summersides now stands, 
and was taken down and disappeared many years before the old store 
was burned. Mr. Prentiss traded in his store quite a number of 
years. His property finally came into the hands of Hon. Lothrop 
Lewis, and a part of it is still owned by the Lewis heirs. This 



730 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Prentiss, or corner lot, was sold by liryant Morton to Caleb Chase, 
Oct. 13, 1769. He only says a "barn on it." Caleb Chase sold the 
lot to Isaac Doane Holbrook, Oct. 21, 1778. He says "house, barn 
and shed.'' Holbrook sold it to Samuel Prentiss with "house and 
barn," Aug. 2, 1784. 

In September, 1797, Mr. Prentiss was appointed the first post- 
master at Gorham. This office he held for ten years. 

Samuel Prentiss died at West Gorham, at the house of his son 
Capt. \Vm. Prentiss, Jan. 10, 1815, aged 63. Mrs. Rebecca Prentiss 
died in Bridgton, at the house of her daughter Mrs. Burnham, in 
1844, at the age of 88. 

(2) William Prentiss, son of Samuel, was a successful sea captain 
for many years. He resided in Portland till about 18 12, when he 
returned to Gorham and purchased a farm at West Gorham near that 
of his father-in-law, Maj. George Lewis. Upon this lot he built a 
large two-story house which is still standing. The place was after- 
wards owned by Zebediah Jackson and Joseph Gilkey, and later by 
Mrs. Cyrus Rounds. Capt. Prentiss married Abigail, daughter of 
Maj. George Lewis. Children, the first four born in Portland : 

Caroline, b. .Dec. 29, 1805, d. in 1810. 

William , b. Aug. 5, 1807, m. Angelina Hunt of Gorham, Sept. 12, 1S34; was 

a merchant in New York ; d. Dec. 7, 1867; Mrs. P , Aug. 23, 1S85. 
Seargent S., b. Sept. 30, 1808, m. Mary J. Williams of Natchez, Miss., Mar. 3, 

1842. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 29, iSii, resided in Missouri. 
Mary C, b. Mar. 16, 181 3, d. Mar. 18, 1815. 
Abigail L., b. Nov. 3, 1814, d. unm. Jan. 30, 1847. 
George Lewis, b. May 12, 1816, m. Elizabeth, dau. of Rev. Edward Payson, 

D. D., of Portland, Apr. 16, 1845. 
Hannah S., b. Feb. 21, (818, m. Rev. Jonathan F. Stearns, D. D., 1843 ; d. in 

Newark, N. J., Jan. 2, 1869. 
Mary S., b. Jan. 10, 1821, d. unm. May 10, 1881. 

Capt. Prentiss died at his home, Feb. 23, 1826. After his death 

his widow sold the farm to Thomas S. Bowles, and moved to the 

village, and after some years to Portland. She died in Newark, N. 

J., Aug. 9, 1865. 

(3) The history of Gorham would not be complete without a notice 
of him who was perhaps the most widely known of all her citizens — 
Seargent Smith Prentiss, son of William and Abigail (Lewis) Prentiss. 
He was a student of Gorham Academy, and received the thorough 
training of Rev. Reuben Nason who gave so many boys of this town 
their mental outfit for Bowdoin. At fifteen years of age Seargent 
entered the Junior class at that college, and graduated in 1826. 
He at once entered the law office of the late Judge Pierce of Gorham, 




WILLIAM PRENTISS. 



1807 — 1867. 

SON OF CAPT. WILLIAM AND ABIGAIL I'KENTIS 




REV. CKORdi: T,. PRENTISS, D. D. 



GENEALOGY. 731 

and there began his legal training. At the completion of his law 
studies he went to Mississippi, and in a very few years he had not 
only risen to the leadership of the bar in that State, but he had made 
himself one of the most famous and forcible orators in the whole 
country. Of course he entered political life, and there he became 
one of the leaders of the leaders of his party. Men like Webster and 
Clay often sought his counsel though he was far younger than they. 
As a platform speaker with power to sway an audience he has perhaps 
had no superior in the whole nation. The young and the illiterate 
were fascinated by his eloquence, and grave judges and senators 
were glad to be swept along on the rich tide of his reasoning. In 
the too few years of his life the whole South came to know him well 
and to be very proud of him. While born in the North, the warm 
and impulsive South was his true home. There his heart went out to 
the people, and theirs to him. In nearly every cabin of the Gulf 
States his name was familiar, and his influence as wide as the United 
States. The Whig party of this countiy lost a great man and a 
brilliant champion when S. S. Prentiss died, July i, 1850. 

(3) George L. Prentiss, son of W'illiam and Abigail, has been for 
many years a resident of New York Citv. He fitted for college at 
the Academy in Gorham, and graduated from Bowdoin in the class 
of 1835. After teaching for awhile in the Academy of his native 
town, he studied for a considerable period in the city of New York, 
and then continued his theological studies in the universities of Halle 
and Berlin. He became a scholar of very rare and high attainments, 
the associate, friend, and peer of many in Germany and in England 
whose reputation is world-wide. In 1845 he assumed the pastoral 
charge of a church in New Bedford, Mass., from which he was soon 
called to the Mercer St. Presbyterian church in New York City, and 
from that to the Church of the Covenant on Murray Hill. In 1873 
he was invited to the Professorship of Pastoral Theology in Union 
Seminary, which chair he filled with great honor until his voluntary 
retirement in 1897. Many of his addresses have been printed and 
widely read, and the memorial volumes he has published of his wife, 
Elizabeth (Payson) Prentiss, and of his brother Seargent, are models 
in that class of literature. 

PURINTON. 

The Purinton family is said to be of Welch origin. The Purintons 
of Gorham are descended from David Purinton who came from 



732 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Salisbury in 1763, and after remaining for a time in Falmouth, settled 

in Windham, of which town he became a prominent citizen. 

Meshach Purinton, the sixth son of David and his wife, Sarah 

(Davis), married Sarah Gerrish of Durham. Their oldest son, 

Lorenzo D., born in Durham, Oct. 31, 1801, came to Gorham where 

he owned and occupied the old Harris place near Pleasant Ridge, 

now in the possession of Frank Mayberry. He married Sally Downes 

of Portland. Children : 

Charles A., m. Elmira Graffam of Moderation ; d. at Ciimb. Mills. 

Abba, d. unni. on the Harris place. 

Sidney, d. unm. in Windham, aged about 22. 

Mary Ellen, m. George Patrick of Gorham. 

Moses D., m. Ellen Yale. 

Lorenzo D. Purinton died March 8, 1881, and his wife, Jan. 10, 
1 88 1, aged 79. 

Frederick Purinton, son of Meshach, born in Windham, May 20, 

18 1 5, married Margaret C. Loveitt. They lived at White Rock, 

near the church. Children : 

Sarah E., b. Oct. 25, 1844, m. Ed. H. Sampson of Westbrook ; d. in 1896. 

Georgiana J., b. Mar. 12, 1846. 

Arabella J., b. June 10, 1848, m. Daniel Wescott. 

Frederick Purinton died April 11, 1897. 

Otis Purington, youngest son of Meshach, born in Windham, Feb. 

15, 1819, married, July 9, 1843, Lydia Small. Mr. Purington, after 

living for a time in Farmington and Windham, removed to Gorham, 

where he spent the remainder of his life, with the exception of two 

years spent in Portland. He purchased the farm formerly owned by 

his brother-in-law, Capt. John Sturgis, at White Rock, and died 

there, Feb. 2, 1899 ; his wife died Dec. 18, 1894. Children: 

William G., b. Mar. 13, 1844, m. Mary Chute of Westbrook, June 29, 1873. 
Ellen M., b. Oct. 11, 1846, m. Emery O. Walker of Portland, May 2, 1869. 
Albert N., b. May 11, 1851, m. Abbie J. Grant of Saco, Sept. 25, 1S79. 
Charles S., b. June 14, 1859, m. Carrie Kimball of Saco, Dec. 28, 1882 ; select- 
man in 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901. 

RAND. 

The name of Rand appears quite early in the history of the town. 
Lazarus Rand enlisted in the Revolutionary army in Capt. Abraham 
Tyler's Scarborough company, Col. Phinney's regiment, in 1776. 
The tax lists show that he was of Gorham as early as 1780. From 
this town he probably removed to Windham. Christopher Rand 
was in town before June, 1789, for at that time he bought land in 



GENEALOGY. 733 

Gorham of Joseph Fogg, and gave his residence as Gorham. His 

wife was Hannah . Previous to coming to Gorham he Hved in 

Scarborough, where his daughter PoHne was baptized in 1773. 

Jeremiah Rand was in town as early as 1777, for we find his name 
on a tax list for that year. He married Lydia Blake, probably the 
daughter of Ithiel and Susannah (Martin) Blake. The record of 
their children is imperfect, but there were : 

Lydia, b. , m. Jedediah Lombard, Jr., July 12, 1785. 

Jeremiah, b. about 1769, m. Apr. 14, 1791, Lydia, dau. of Henry and Lydia 
Jones. Cli: Mary, b. Nov. 17, 1791, m. Jonathan Sparrow of Standish, 
Feb. 23, 1813, (?) ; Henry, b. June 30, 1794 ; George, b. Dec. 11, 1796; 
Sally, b. Apr. 15, 1799; Ephraim Jones, bapt. by Rev. Asa Rand, May, 
181 1 ; Lucinda, bapt. by Mr. Rand, Oct. 7, 181 2; Stillman. This family 
moved to Thorndike. 

Betsey, b. Nov., 1774, m. Eleazer Parker of Standish, Nov. 20, 1794. 

Mary J., b. — , m. Noles Higgins of Standish, Mar. 26, 1795. 

John B., b. Oct. 10, 1781, m. Ruth Blake, July 15, 1799. 

Jeremiah Rand died Oct. 17, 18 18, aged 76. 

(2) John B. Rand, son of Jeremiah, lived about two miles above 
West Gorham village, on the main road to Standish. He married 
Ruth, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Blake. Children : 

Hannah W., b. Dec. 10, 1799, m. Seth Blake, Jr., of Limington, Nov. 29, 1821. 

Ithiel, b. -, I'd in Saccarappa. 

Jeremiah, b. , d. young. 

Diadema, b. , m. Levi Elwell. 

Leah B., b. about 1806, d. unm. Mar. 11, 1845. 

Ephraim, b. , I'd and d. in Phillips. 

Noles H., b. about rSio, m. Ann Ridlon, 1838. Ch : Abigail, b. Oct. 5, 1S38, 
m. Chas. H.Blake, Jan. i, 1859; Freedom D., b. Jan. 15, 1840, k'd at 
the Battle of the Wilderness, May 7, 1864; Ephraim, b. May 21, 1844, 
d. Dec. 18, 1848; Emily R., b. July 25, 1847, "i- Charles J. Clement; 
Ephraim. b. Nov. 14, 1851, m. Sarah Ray of N. H. Noles H. Rand I'd 
on his father's place. He d. Jan. 3, 1872 ; Mrs. Rand d. Sept. 7, 1881. 

Mary, b. , m. Nicholas Ridlon of Buxton, 1S36. 

Esther, b. about 1817, m. (Charles Lewis of Harrison, 1847. 

Abigail L., b. about 1S21, d. Nov. 15, 1832. 

John B. Rand died June 18, 1863 ; his wife survived him some 
years. 

Rev. Asa Rand was born in Rindge, N. H., Aug. 6, 1783. He 

was settled over the First Parish in Gorham, Jan. 18, 1809, where he 

remained till he resigned the pastoral office, June 12, 1822. He 

married, Nov. 6, 181 2, Grata, the daughter of Rev. Seth Payson, D. D., 

of Rindge. Children : 

Harriet N.. b. Dec. 8, 1814, m. Jan. 22, 1841, Rev. Russell S. Cook, Sec'y of 

Am. Tract Society; d. Feb. 15, 1843. 
William W., b. Dec. 8, 1816, m. 1841, Marcia S. Dunning of Brunswick, Me. 

Mrs. Grata Rand died April 29, 18 18, and Mr. Rand married, Feb. 
8, 1820, Clarissa, daughter of Capt. Nicholas Thorndike. Children : 



734 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Thorndike, b. Nov. 15, 1820, m. Hannah P. Nourse ; d. at Bahia, Brazil, in 

1854. 
Charles Asa, b. May 21, 1822, d. in Brownville, Texas, July 7, 1863. 
Annie T., b. Oct. 26, 1824, m. John F, Nourse. He d. Jan. 17, 1854; she m., 

2d. Wm. Endicott, Jr., of Boston. 

Mrs. Clarissa Rand died July 7, 1825, and Mr. Rand married, July 
6, 1826, Mrs. Mary (Gushing) Coolidge of Ashburnham, Mass. She 
died June 12, 187 i. Mr. Rand died in Ashburnham, Aug. 24, 187 i. 

RICE. 

The Rice family are descended from two emigrants, Edmund and 
Thomas, who came to this country from Wales. They were probably 
brothers, or uncle and nephew. One stayed in Massachusetts, and 
the other, Thomas, came to Kittery, Me. 

Lemuel Rice, the grandson of Thomas, was the son of Joseph and 

Ruth (Thompson) Rice, who were married Aug. 12, 1755. Lemuel, 

who was born May 2, 1756, enlisted from Scarborough in 1775 '" 

Capt. John Rice's company. Col. Phinney's regiment, and served five 

years in the army, being among other places at the siege of Boston, 

at Valley Forge, and at Saratoga. From Scarborough he came to 

Gorham, where he purchased a tannery. He lived nearly opposite 

what has since been known as the John Rice place. His wife, whom 

he married April 3, 1777, was Anna Stone of Scarborough. Children 

born in Scarborough : 

George, b. Sept. 21, 1780, m. Hannah Hanscom, 1807 ; 2d, Dorcas Larrabee. 
Ruth, b. Dec. 7, 1781, m. Thomas Fickett, July 23, 1807 ; I'd in Durham. 
John, b. Oct. 7, 1784, m. Mary Hanscom, Nov. 12, 1812; 2d, Salome Hanson; 

3d, Mary Kilbourn. 

Moses, b. , m. Mary, dau. of Matthias Libby of Scarboro, Aug. 7, 1815. 

Lemuel, b. about 1790, m. Catherine Noyes; 2d, Mary J. Cushman ; d. Mar. 18, 

1870. 

Daniel, b. , m. Sarah P. Larry of Westbrook, 1822 ; went to Derry. 

Simeon, b. , m. . 

James, b. , d. in Gorham, Feb. 6, 1880. 

Lemuel Rice died in Durham, Jan. 16, 1827, and his wife Anna, 

Aug, 8, 1836, aged 80. 

(2) George Rice was a soldier in the War of 18 12. He lived for 
a time on his father's place, but after some years, accompanied 
by his brother Lemuel, moved to Durham. He married Hannah, 
daughter of Moses Hanscom. She died Oct. 20, 1826, and he mar- 
ried, April 27, 1827, Dorcas, daughter of Thomas Larrabee. His 

children were Charles who married Ann , and died in Pownal, 

his wife dying in Gorham June 2, 1877, John who was a minister and 
died in Gray, Mary, Hanson who died young, Hannah, and Phebe. 



GENEALOGY. 735 

George Rice died Sept. 21, 1859, ^^^ his wife Dorcas, September, 
1859. 

(2) John Rice, son of Lemuel, lived in the eastern part of the 
town not far from the Westbrook line on the farm now occupied by 
his grandsons, John R.. and Louis H. Lowell. He married Mary 
Hanscom, sister to his brother George's wife. Children : 

Betsey, b. May 3, 1813, d. June 14, 1818. 
Betsey, b. Jan. 25, 1820, m. Henry Lowell, 1842. 
Anna, b. May 27, 1823, d. Jan. 24, 1827. 

Mrs. Mary Rice died April 26, 1827, aged 36, and Mr. Rice mar- 
ried (pub. Dec. 8, 1827) Salome, daughter of Ezra and Catherine 
(Hanscom) Hanson of Windham. She died Nov. 9, 1852, aged 63, 
and Mr. Rice married third, Mary Kilbourn of Scarboro. John Rice 
died May 24, 1863, aged 78, and his wife, Mary K., Oct. i, 1880, 
aged 95. 

William A. Rice came to Gorham from Portland, about 1832-33. 

He settled at Great Falls, where he opened and ran a public house 

which was the first in that place. It stood on the corner of the 

Whipple road facing the main street. He also kept a store here, 

where he sold salt, plaster, etc., which he used to bring from Portland 

and grind at the Falls. He also ran a pleasure boat on the Oxford 

and Cumberland canal, from Portland, on board of which he furnished 

refreshments, and music for dancing. He built the house at the 

Falls where H. G. Parker lives. His wife was Elizabeth S. Wilson. 

Children : 

William, b. Jan. 6, 1S26, m. Abbie . 

Lucy Ann, b. May, 1830, d. Feb. 22, 1S34. 

Sophia W., b. Dec. 31, 1833, m. James R. Hunnewell, Nov. 15, 1854; 2d, Mr. 

Jenkms. 
Mary C, b. May 6, 1S35, d. June 16, 1852. 
Jeannette L., b. Oct. 15, 1839, m. Edwin R. Varney of Windham, about 1857 ; 

2d, Wm. Joslin. 
Elizabeth, b. Nov. i, 1840, I's in Leominster, Mass. 
Harriet H., b. July 5, 1843, ^- Clark; I's in Leominster. 

Mr. Rice moved to Massachusetts about 1862, where he died Oct. 
25, 187 1, of injuries received from the cars. His wife died in 
Chelsea, March 7, 1880, aged 77. 

RICH. 

Lemuel Rich with his wife, who was Elizabeth Harding, came to 
Gorham from Truro, Mass., probably about the year 1762. He pur- 
chased of David Gorham, Feb. n, 1762, the two thirty acre lots, 63 
and 64, together with one-half of the mill and mill dam. This mill was 



736 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

situated above Fort Hill, on Little river, where the mill owned by John 

T. Parkhurst now stands. This half of the saw mill, and one-half of a 

grist mill, dam and the privilege of the stream, together with half of his 

half of the thirty acre lot, 64, Mr. Rich sold Feb. 12, 1765, to Enoch 

Freeman. Mr. and Mrs. Rich brought with them to Gorham a 

family of children. We have no perfect list of them, but they were : 

Ezekiel, b. Nov. 25, 173?^, m. Sarah Stevens, Nov. 21, 1765. 
Lemuel, b. 1740, m. Molly Colley. 

Samuel, b. , m. Sarah Fogg of Machias, p. Mar. 9, 1767. 

Martha, bapt. Dec. 2. 1744, m. Jonathan Sawyer, Oct. 17, 1763. 

Zephaniah, bapt. Feb. 8, 1747, m. Sarah Snow. 

James, bapt. Apr. 2, 1749, m. Abigail Stevens, p. May 3, 1775. 

Deliverance, b. , m. James McCoilister, Oct. 6, 1765. 

Mary, b. , m. Lemuel Hicks, p. Apr. 20, 1771. 

Sarah, b. Nov. 23, 1755, m. George Hamblen, Dec. 20, 1773. 

Joel, b. , m. Elizabeth Gates, May 16, 1779 ; moved to ^Yaldo Go. 

Barnabas, b. , m. Lydia Brown, June 28, 1779. 

Amos, b. May 17, 1759, m. Eunice Woodman of New Gloucester. June 4, 1781. 

Lemuel Rich and his wife both died in March, 1791, being between 
85 and 90 years of age. 

(2) Ezekiel Rich, son of Lemuel, was born in Truro. He married 
Sarah, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Stevens of Gorham. Chil- 
dren : 

Ezekiel, | , , . 

o 1 ( b. lune 2^, 1707. 

Samuel, j - J' ' ' 

Reuben, b. Jan. 7, 1769. 

Elizabeth, b. Jan. 12, 1771. 

Benjamin, b. Mar. 4, 1773, moved to Oxford Go. ; was the ancestor of all of the 

name in that region. 

Sarah, b. Apr. 4, 1775, m. Benjamin Stevens, Oct. 27, 1793. 

Jerusha, b. May 17, 1777, m. Burns, in Oxford Co. 

William, b. July 9, 1779. 

Mehitable, b. July 6, 1781. 

Peter, b. July 26, 1783. 

Eunice, b. June 16, 1786. 

Stephen, b. Nov. 27, 1789, at Phillips Gore. 

Ezekiel Rich and his family moved to Oxford County. 

(2) Lemuel Rich, Jr., son of Lemuel, lived in Gorham for many 

years on the Amos Rich place. About 1789 he moved to Standish 

and founded what is now known as •'Richville," building the first log 

house in that locality. He married, after coming to Gorham, Molly 

Colley of Gray. Children, all born in Gorham : 

Lemuel, b. Jan. 3, 1770, m. Elizabeth Smith, Jan. 23, 1794; d. in Standish. 
Boaz, b. Feb. 23, 1772, m. Molly Richardson, Aug. 7, 1796; moved to Exeter. 
Samuel, b. May 13, 1774, m. Esther Richardson of Standish, July 12, 1798; d. 

in Portland. 
Israel, b. July 25, 1776, m. Rhoda Smith of Buxton, Dec. 27, 179S ; I'd in 

Standish. 
Mary, b. Jan. 30, 1779, m. William Merrill of Buxton, Jan. 28, 1806. 
Zachariah, b. Apr. 15, 1781, m. Lydia Dearborn of Buxton, June 18, 1809. 



GENEALOGY. 737 

John, b. , m. Elizabeth Dearborn of Buxton, June 17, 1811; went to 

Kxeter. 
Deliverance, b. , m. Joseph Thompson of Standish, May 18, 1806. 

Lemuel Rich died July 8, 1804. Mrs. Rich died Nov. 24, 1805. 

(2) Zephaniah Rich, .son of Lemuel, lived in the north part of the 

town. He was a sea faring man. He moved to Portland. His wife 

was Sarah Snow. Children ; 

Jonathan, b. Mar. 23, 1771. 

Ebenezer, b. Sept. 12, 1774. 

Zephaniah, b. Jan. 30, 1777. 

Samuel Snow, b. Mar. 27, 1779. 

Ephraim, b. Aug. 19, 1781, lost his sight by a 4th of July explosion. 

Benjamin, b. Feb. 19, 1784. 

William, b. Apr. 13, 1786. 

(2) James Rich, son of Lemuel, married Abigail, daughter of ^Ben- 
jamin and Sarah Stevens. Children : 

Robert, b. Feb. 4, 1776. 

Mary, b. Feb. 15, 1778. 

Abigail, b. Apr. 23, 1780. 

Joseph, b. June 17, 1782 near the mouth of the Ossipee river. 

Moses, b. , near the mouth of the Ossipee river. 

This family moved to Thorndike, and Waldo County. 

(2) Barnabas Rich, son of Lemuel, was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary army; a private in Capt. Stuart's company, 31st Mass. He 
married Lydia Brown. Children : 

Martha, b. in Gorham, June 4, 1781. 
Samuel, b. in Sharon, June 26, 1783. 

(2) Amos Rich, son of Lemuel, lived for a time on the hundred 
acre lot, 92, which he purchased of Timothy Hamblen. This farm is 
now occupied by Mr. David F. Rolfe. He married Eunice Woodman. 
Children : 

Moses, b. June 22, 1783, m. Dorcas Higgins, p. Oct. 2[, 1806; their oldest 

child, Jos. H., was b. in Gorham, Feb. 2, 1808, after which they removed 

to Standish. 
John W., b. Dec. 25, 17S5, m. Polly Cushman, p. Dec. 8, 1810; 2d, Rosie 

Nevvcomb. 
Sally, b. Apr. 19, 1788, m. Jonathan Moore of Buxton, Dec. 12, 1809 ; d. Sept. 

16, 1858. 
Betsey, b. July 19, 1790, m. Samuel Cushman of New Gloucester; d. Nov. 26, 

1827. 
Lydia, b. May 2, 1792, m. John Owen, 183S ; I'd in China; d. in Portland, 1854. 
Eunice, b. June 20, 1794, m. Nathaniel Hobbs of Waterboro, Jan. 6, 1815; 

2d, Henry Baker of Albion. 
Isaac G., b. Oct. 3, 1796, lost at sea, 1826. 

Rufus, b. Feb. 6, 1799, m. Mary B. Harrington ; moved West. 
Ruth W., b. May 2, 1802, m. Oliver Hanscome, Mar. 20, 1823 ; I'd in China; d. 

Dec. 16, 1893. 
Louisa, b. Aug. 22, 1805, m. Jabez C. Woodman of Poland, Jan. 17, 1830; I'd 

in Portland; he d. Nov. 8, 1869; she May 26, 1856. 



738 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mr. Rich moved to China, Me., where he kept a pubHc house. He 
died March 12, 1847. Mrs. Rich, Dec. 10, 1854. 

(3) John Woodman Rich, son of Amos, lived in No. Yarmouth, 

Gray and Gorham. He sold his place in No. Yarmouth, and bought 

the place on Fort Hill on the east side of the road, nearly opposite 

the Motley place. He married Polly Cushman, of New Gloucester, 

by whom he had one child : 

Jabez C, b. in 1812, m. in Philadelphia; d. Mar. 25, 1S65 ; two sons, Thomas 
H., was in the Union army, d. when a young man ; John, served in 
U. S. Navy. 

Mrs. Polly Rich died June 13, 1862, aged 73, and Mr. Rich mar- 
ried second, Rosie Newcomb. He died July 27, 1866, and his widow 
married Zenas S. Chase, and third, Oliver Murch of Baldwin. 

RICHARDSON. 

Joseph Richardson, son of Joseph who came from Scotland, was 

born in Lyndesborough, N. H., Nov. i, 1761, and married Mehitable, 

daughter of Andrew and Rebecca (Hunt) Crockett of Gorham. They 

had six children, three of whom were born in Gorham : 

Benjamin, b. Nov. 10, 1801, m. Ella Weeks of Bartlett, N. H., 1828. 
Ebenezer C, b. July 23, 1803, d. July 4, 1834. 
Emeline, b. July 24, 1805. 

Their other children, Mark, Elliot and Eunice, were born after the 

family left Gorham. Mr. Richardson died in Standish, Nov. 12, 

1833- 

Isaac Richardson, son of David Richardson, came to Gorham 

from Limington about the year 1840. He lived on the Joseph M. 

Gerrish place, near the William Gorham place. He married Abigail 

Chick, and their children were : 

Louisa M.,b. Jan. 14, 1820, m. Isaac Cobb, Apr. 5, 1855. 

Dolly F., b. Nov. 19, 1821, m. Rufus Mosher, Dec. 25, 1S44. 

Lydia McD., b. Apr. 12, 1824, d. unm. July 19, 1893. 

Isaac, b. July 19, 1826, m. Caroline L., dau. of John and Mary Sanborn, 1852. 

Ch: Isaac, b. Feb. 6, 1853; George F., b. Sept. 22, 1855, d. Nov. 16, 

1856; George F., b. Aug. 23, 1857 ; Edward M., b. Aug. 21, 1859. Mr. 

Richardson served in the Civil War, and was wounded by a ball through 

the hand. He d. in 188S. 
Freeman L., b. Aug. 26, 1828, m. Abigail, dau. of Daniel Irish, Mar. 23, 1856. 

Ch : Arthur L., b. Nov. 24, 1858, d. y.; Arthur F., b. July 23, 1S63, m. 

Sadie Willis. Mr. Richardson I'd on the farm formerly owned by his 

father. He d. Apr., 1902 ; his wife d. Feb. 7, 1901. 
John M., b. Dec. 13, 1S30, m. Dorcas A. Freeman of Windham; was a soldier 

in the Civil War. 

Isaac Richardson died Oct. 4, 1872, aged 79. Mrs. Richardson 
died Jan. 18, 1875, aged 80. 




JOSEPH R1J)LUN. 



GENEALOGY. 739 



RIDLON. 



Joseph Ridlon, son of Joseph and Mary (Hopkinson) Ridlon, was 
born in Hollis, Sept. 8, 1815. September, 1840, he entered the 
employ of McArthur & Smith, successors to T. &: T. S. Robie of 
Gorham, traders. In the year 1844. Mr. Ridlon formed a copartner- 
ship with Dominicus Jordan, and they established themselves in what 
is known as the Alexander McLellan store. Some two years later he 
formed another partnership with George Robie, under the firm name 
of Robie and Ridlon, occupying the Robie store, so called. In the 
year 184S Mr. Robie sold his interest in the firm to John C. Card, and 
a partnership was formed under the name of Ridlon and Card, which 
firm continued until 1879. -^^ ^^^^ t^™^ ^ division took place, Mr. 
Ridlon remaining in the same place and Mr. Card occupying what is 
now known as the Card store. 

March 25, 1845, Mr. Ridlon married Sarah Ellen, daughter of 
Abijah, Jr., and Susan (Nason) Usher of Hollis. They have two 
children: Francis A., born Oct. 13, 1849, married Mary Evelyn 
Randall; and Mary S., born Aug. 2, 1851, married Nathan Clifford 
Cummings. Mrs. Sarah E. Ridlon died June 3, 1901, aged 83. 

RIGGS. 

William Riggs was born May 2, 1769. He was a ship carpenter 

of Portland, from which place he moved to Gorham where he built 

the house in the south part of the town where his grandson Albert 

Riggs now lives. He married, Dec. 9, 1792, Polly, daughter of 

Nathaniel and Hannah Parker. Children : 

Fanny, b. Sept. 10, 1793, m. John Hanscom, Oct., 1S13. 

Daniel, b. Aug. 11, 1796, d. young. 

Eliza, b. Aug. 22, 1797, d. Oct. 28, 1809. 

Mary, b. Aug. 13, 1799, d. Mar. 8, 1805. 

Hannah, b. Nov. 12, 1801, d. Feb., 1805. 

Joanna, b. Feb. 14, 1804, m. William Silla, Apr. 11, 1824; d July 15, 1826. 

Mary, b. Feb. 4, 1806, d. young. 

Hannah, b. Jan. 24, 1807, d. 1809. 

William, b. Jan. 22, 1810, m. Rebecca M. McQuillan, p. Dec, 1839; 2d, Lucinda 

Wescott. 
Jane, b. Mar. 5, 1813, m. Jerome Fickett of Portland. 
Eliza N., b. Mar. 11, 1815, m. John E. Wescott, Apr. 12, 1842. 
Mary, b. Aug 25, 1819, d. unm. in 1866. 

Mrs. Mary Riggs died March i, 1827, aged 55, and Mr. Riggs 
married, Aug. 16, 1827, Rebecca Silla. William Riggs died July 14, 
1840. 

(2) William Riggs, Jr., son of William, lived on the farm owned by 
his father. He married Rebecca M., daughter of John and Jael 
McQuillan. Child : 



740 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Charles F., b. Sept. 14, 1840. m. Lydia Bickford of Scarboio, Dec. 22, i860; 
killed in the army at Petersburg, Va., Dec. 5, 1S64. 

Mrs. Rebecca Riggs died June 20, 1842, aged 24, and Mr. Riggs 

married June 5, 1845, Lucinda Wescott, by whom he had: 

Eliza R., b. Mar. 11, 1846, d. Aug. 15, 1864. 

Albert S., b. Mar. 14, 1852, m. Clara Waterhouse, June 12, 1879. 

Jane W., b. Apr. 12, 1854, m. Chas. F. Libby, Oct. 15, 1879; d. July 15, 1885. 

William E., b. Sept. 27, 1856, d. Feb. 8, 1888. 

William Riggs died Nov. 13, 1861, and his wife Lucinda, Feb. 6, 

1878, aged 53. 

William Tyng Riggs lived at one time in Gorham, where his chil- 
dren were born. He married, April 13, 1794, Mary, daughter of John 
and Lydia Burnell. Children : 

William, 1 , , 

„ > b. Jan. Ti, I79S- 

Susanna, ( •^ ' ■'•' 

Hannah, b. Mar. 21, 1797, m. David Burnell, p. Aug. 15, iSr8; 2d, John Libby, 

Dec. 9, 1838. 

Jane, b. Jan. 27, 1799. 

Eunice, b. , m. Joseph M. Libby, Oct. 17, 1833. 

This family moved to Cridgton. 

ROBERTS. 

The family of Roberts is of E^nglish descent. They came to this 
part of the country from Cape Cod. Benjamin and Joseph Roberts 
were brothers. They lived in Cape Elizabeth before coming to Gor- 
ham and came here about 1769-74. Both were members of the 
Society of Friends, and Joseph wore for the most of his life the typ- 
ical Quaker garb, which consisted of a broad-brimmed hat, a coat 
with full skirts, and drab breeches. Benjamin Roberts was a ship 
carpenter. He married Mary Weeks. Children : 

Mary, b. in Falmouth, Apr. 30, 1767. m. James G. Sturgis, Dec. 14, 1792. 
Benjamin, b. in Falmouth, Aug. 29, 176S, m. Rebecca, dau. of Joshua Dyer, of 

C. Eliz'h; I'd in Wesibrook. 
John, b. in Falmouth, May 17, 1770, m. Lucy Libby, July 30, 1794. 
Jane, b. in Falmouth, Nov. 13, 1771, m. John Whitmore, Oct. 4, 1792. 
William, b. in C. Eliz'h, Oct. 23, 1774, m. Betsey, dau. of Rev. Nathaniel Hatch 

of Westbrook ; 2d, Dorcas, dau. of John Johnson of Falmouth; I'd and 

d. in Westbrook. 
Susanna, b. in Gorham, Oct. 5, 1776, m. Nathaniel Knight of Falmouth, Jan. 

ID, 1799. 
Stephen, b. in Gorham, Aug. 28, 1778, m. Abigail Tibbetts ; d. about 1830. 
Dorcas, b. in (Jorham, Aug. 27, 1781, m. John Libby of Scarboro, July '29, 1802. 

Benjamin Roberts after coming to Gorham lived in the south part 

of the town on the hundred acre lot, No. g, the same lot on which his 

brother Joseph lived, and which the brothers bought of Thomas 

Pote. 



GENEALOGY. 741 

Joseph Roberts lived on the hundred acre lot, No. 9, on the farm 

now owned and occupied by John Meserve. ' He married Hannah 

Freeman. Children, the first two born in Cape Elizabeth : 

William, b. May 26, 1766, d. young. 

Lucy, b. Dec. 10, 1767, m. Philip Seiver of Portland, July 26, 1789. 

Hannah, b. June 26, 1769, m. Geo. Murch, Mar. 24, 1791. 

Catherine, b. Mar. 9, 1771, m. John Flood of Eaton, Jan. 13, 1791. 

Lydia, b. .Sept. 14, 1772, m. Morris Flood, June 17, 1793. 

Jo.seph, b. July 10, 1773, "1- <J'ly Ford, Oct. 21, 1793; -d, Sally .Strout ; 3d, 

Priscilla Merrill; 4th, Mrs. Mary Mayberry. 
Elizabeth, b. Sept. 16, 1775, m. Solomon Morton of Falmouth, Sept. 30, 1798. 
William, b. Aug. 22, 1778, d. Oct. 5, 17S0. 
Eunice, b. Apr. 9, 17S0, d. young. 

Joshua, b. Mar. 8, 1783, m. Mary Thomes, Apr. 15, 1810. 
Anna, b. Apr. 11, 1785, m. Ebenezer Moore of Falmouth, July, 1S08. 
Miriam, b. June 26, 1787, m. Abraham Morton, Jan. 25, 1803. 

(2) Joseph Roberts, son of Joseph, lived in what is known a's the 
" Hurricane " district. His first wife was Oily Ford. There is no 
record of any children by her, or of her death. December 16, iSoi, 
he married Sally, daughter of George and Rebecca Strout. By her 
he had one child: Eliza, born Aug. i, 1803, married Col. Andorus 
Kilgore of Waterford, p. Oct. 21, 1826. 

June 3, 1804, Mr. Roberts married Priscilla, daughter of Daniel 

and Dorcas Merrill. His fourth wife was Mrs. Mary Mayberry. 

The remainder of his children were : 

Lydia, b. Oct. 21, 1S05, m. Daniel Crockett, p. July 27, 1S27. 

Mary, b. Dec. 20, 1807, m. Ira Legrow of Windham, May 23, 1829. 

Rebecca, b. Nov. 30, 1810, m. Peter Mayberry; went West. 

George W., b. Oct. 30, 1S13, m. Emeline Mayberry of Windham, Aug. 23, 1834 ; 

went to Minn. 
Almira, b. Oct. 24, 1816, m. Israel Parker of Solon ; went West. 
Gardner, b. Sept. i6, 1820, m. Adeline Mayberry; 2d, Mrs. Mayberry. 

(2) Joshua Roberts, son of Joseph, married Mary, daughter of 
Charles and Anna Thomes. Children : 

Ann T., b. Feb. 28, 18 11, m. Amos Libby, Dec. i, 1S30 ; d. June 30, 1S38. 

Hannah, b. May 24, 1812, m. Levi Dyer; d. in Gorham, Nov. 20, 1S88. 

William, b. Apr. 9, 1S14, m. Ann Libby, Sept. 18, 1834; 2d, Lucy Kidsmore ; d. 
in 1893 = liis *0'^' l^aniel T., enlisted from Gorham, in 1861, in the 12th 
Me. 

Charles T., b. Jan. 14, 1817, m. Harriet (Mulloy) Mcintosh, dau. of Thos. Mul- 
loy, and widow of George Mcintosh. Child: Jeff D., b. Nov. 17, 1862, 
m. Flora Dyer. Mr. Roberts I'd on the old Mcintosh place ; d. June 23, 
1900; his wife d. July 24, 1891, ag. 68. 

Daniel C., b. Feb. 24, 1819, m. Sarah Jewell; d in Solon, Apr. 28, 1892. 

Leonard C, b. May 24, 1821, m. Mehitable, dau. of David and Sophia Water- 
house, 1845. Ch : Charles J., b. May 27, 1846, m. Julia Pierce of Hiram, 
2d, Abbie Banks, 3d, Maggie Henderson, who d. June, 1897, he d. Jan. 6, 
1898; George, b. 1853, d. y. Mrs. Hetty Roberts d. Sept. 4, 1854, ag.28, 
and Mr. R. m. Jan. i, 1S57, Maria L., dau. of Nathaniel and Sally 
Hamblen. Ch : Mary T., b. Nov. 17, 1S58, d. July 27, 1863; Edward, 
b. Apr. 14, 1861, m. Elizabeth Palmer, Dec. 24, 1890; George T. F., b. 
June 27, 1863; Nellie, b. June 26, 1866, m. Dr. E. I. Talbot, June 4, 



742 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

1890, d. Mar. 15, 1891 ; Hattie, b. Mar. 18, 1870; Wilbur, b. Nov. 4, 

1872, m. Hattie Hanscom, Mar. 23, 1895. ^r. Roberts was a farmer, 

and I'd at Fort Hill on the old Thom^s place ; he d. Dec. 19, 1892. 

Samuel A., I . o . o ( m. Hannah E. Jewell of Solon ; no ch. 

„ > b. Sept. 15, 1824, i , ■' 

George, ) ' -" ^ j d. young. 

John C, b. July, 1827, d. young. 

John R., b. Apr. 4, 1830, m. Lydia A. Woodsuni, Oct. 9, 1858. Ch : Addie ; 

Elmer; Lester. 

Eliza R., b. Apr. 19, 1834, m. Eli S. Ayer, May 23, 1858 ; d. Nov. 20, 1864. 

Joshua Roberts moved to Solon, then returned to Gorham ; he 

died Sept. 16, 1855 ; his wife, Aug. 25, 1869, aged 79. 

Joseph Roberts, who owned and lived on the farm in the south 
part of the town afterwards owned by his son Samuel and recently 
by Frank Deering, came to Gorham from Cape Elizabeth about 1783. 
He was the son of George and Catherine (Skillings) Roberts, and 
was born June i, 1738. He married, Feb. 8, 1776, Anna, daughter 
of Samuel and Rachel (Marriner) Fogg of Scarborough. Children 
of Joseph and Anna, of whom the two eldest were born in Cape 
Elizabeth : 

Joseph, b. Mar. 5, 1777, m., I'd and d. in Gardiner. 

Samuel, b. June 2, 1779. m. Elizabeth Staples, p. Sept. 30, 1809; 2d, Betsey 
Huston. 

Rhoda, b. Nov. 27, 17S2, m. Daniel Merrill, Jr., June 27, 1S02. 

Rachel, b. July 13, 1785, d. unm. 

Anna, b. Mar. 17, 17S9, m. Elkanah McLellan, Aug. 4, 1805. 

Joseph Roberts died Oct. 12, 1798. His wife Anna died in 
Gardiner. 

(2) Samuel Roberts, son of Joseph, lived on his father's homestead 
in the south part of the town. He married Elizabeth Staples of 
Scarborough. She died in July, 181 1, aged 29, her only child, a few 
days old, dying near the same time. Mr. Roberts married. May 3, 
1812, Betsey, daughter of Capt. William and Rebecca (Horton) 
Huston of Portland. Children : 

William Huston, b. Feb. 13, 1813, m. Martha J. Benson of Limington, Sept. 22, 

1839. 
Joseph, b. Sept. 7, 1814, d. Sept. 18, 1814. 
Samuel, b. Jan. 13, 1816, m. Olive Stetson of Cape Cod, Mass., Nov. 12, 1845 ; 

d. Dec. 31, 1887. 
John Horton, b. Jan. 21, 1818, m. Dec. 8, 1850, Martha A., dau. of Thomas 
Worcester. Ch: Sanniel ; Ella, m. John H. Harmon of Buxton; Mat- 
tie, m. J. H. Russell of Worcester, Mass. Mr. Roberts enli>ted in 1862, 
as a soldier in the 17th Me., Co. I, in the war of the Rebellion. He d. 
Sept. 15, 1864, in Washington, from the effects of wounds received at 
Spottsylvania, when Gen. Hancock made his charge on the enemy. 
Betsey, b. Apr. 30, 1819, m. James Johnson of Westbrook, Oct. 12, 1S59 ; d. 

Sept. 27, 1867. 
Joseph Fogg, b. Jan. 24, 1822, m. Eliza Ann Bond, Oct. 25, 1849. 
Charles E., b. Apr. 13, 1S25, m. Frances Ellen Dodge of Portland, Sept. 25, 

1850. 
Francis, b. Feb. 19, 1828, d. unm. June 22, 1850. 

Samuel Roberts died Aug. 5, 1849, ^S^^^ 7° ; his wife died Nov. 4, 
1873, aged 86. 




TOPPAN ROBIE. 



GENEALOGY. 743 

ROBIE. 

Toppan Robie, the first of this name in town, came to Gorham in 
March, 1799. He was the son of Edward and Sarah (Smith) Robie, 
and was born in Candia, N. H., Jan. 27, 1782. He was descended, 
sixth generation, from Henry Robie, who came from England, was 
living in Dorchester, Mass., in 1639, ^"d was one of the early settlers 
in Exeter, N. H. Toppan Robie was named for his great-uncle, on 
the maternal side, Col. Christopher Toppan of Hampton, N. H., 
who gave him a pistareen (a Spanish coin, worth twenty cents), for 
his name. When seventeen years of age he came here as clerk in 
the store of John Horton, and after a few months went into the 
employ of Daniel Cressey, then a leading trader in Gorham. Before 
he was twenty-one, in September, 1802, he formed a partnership 
with Sewall Lancaster, having by his prudence and economy laid by 
from his earnings quite a respectable sum with which to commence 
business for himself. In 18 15 he and his younger brother, Thomas, 
formed a partnership as retail merchants, which continued for more 
than twenty years. The firm of T. and T. S. Robie was widely 
known for its activity and square dealing. This was before the days 
of railroads, when long lines of loaded teams and sleighs came from 
Coos County, through the Notch, and from Vermont, on their way to 
Portland, and a good share of their trade fell to (lorham. The store 
of the Messrs. Robie was that now occupied by Jos. Ridlon and Son. 
State St. was not then opened, and the business centre of the 
village was on the hill. Mr. Robie continued in business till 1850, 
when he retired, having by his energy and strict attention to business, 
accumulated a large fortune. From this he made many liberal gifts 
to his adopted town, among which were two thousand dollars for the 
Soldiers' Monument, and five hundred dollars for the Town Clock. 

Mr. Robie was Representative to the General Court of Massachu- 
setts from 1813 to 1819, and to the Maine Legislature in 1820 and 
182 1, and was a member of Gov. Kent's Executive Council in 1837. 
He was for fifty years a trustee of Gorham Academy, and long its 
treasurer, contributing largely to the Institution. He was also for 
many years the treasurer of the Congregational Parish and of its 
Ministerial Fund, to which latter he contributed nine thousand dol- 
lars. In the War of 18 12 he was captain of a company of militia, 
and with his men marched to Portland in 18 14 for the defence of 
the city. He married, Oct. 8, 1804, Lydia Brown of Chester, N. H., 
daughter of Benjamin and Prudence, and sister to the late Francis 



744 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Brown, D. 1)., President of Dartmouth College from 1815 to 1820. 
Children : 

Harriet, b. Aug. 9, 1805, m. Oliver Lincoln of Boston, Aug. 29, 1829; d. in 

1832. 
Francis B., b. Aug. 19, 1S09, m. Martha L. Prince of No. Yarmouth, Mar. 27, 

,838. 
Mrs. Lydia Robie died Feb. 23, 181 1, aged 29, and Mr. Robie 
married, Sept. 17, 181 1, Sarah T., daughter of Capt. John and Bethia 
Lincoln. Children : 

Charles, b. July 30, 1812, m. Emily March, Sept. 2, 1835. 
George, b. Oct' i, 18 16, m. Frances M. Barrett, Apr. 27, 1841. 
Frederick, b. Aug. 12, 1822, m. Mary Olivia Priest, Nov. 27, 1847 ; 2d, Martha 
E. Cressey. 

Mrs. Sarah T. Robie died April 23, 1828, and Capt. Robie mar- 
ried, in November, 1828., Mrs. Eliza (Stevens) Cross, daughter of 
William Stevens of Portland, and widow of Capt. William Cross. 
Toppan Robie died in Gorham, Jan. 14, 187 1, aged 89, and his wife 
Eliza, Nov. 2, 1865, aged 83. 

Thomas S. Robie, son of Edward and Sarah (Smith) Robie, was 
born in Chester, N. H., Jan. 14, 1791. When a lad of thirteen he 
came to Gorham, and was employed in the store of his brother, Capt. 
Toppan Robie, till 18 15, when he entered into partnership with him. 
Mr. Robie was a man honored for his piety and benevolence, an 
earnest and consistent Christian. He was a deacon of the Congre- 
gational church, and was always much interested with, and active in, 
all affairs pertaining to the welfare of the Society. When the brick 
vestry was built in 1828, he subscribed five hundred dollars for it, 
and was largely instrumental in its erection. He married, in 1820, 
Clarissa Adams of Sudbury, Mass. Children : 

Edward, b. Apr. 8, 1821, m. Susan E. Jameson; pastor of Cong, church in 

Greenland, N. H., for more than fifty years. 
Lucinda A., b. Nov. i, 1822, d. Aug. 13, 1832. 
Thomas S., b. Dec. 22, 1826, d. July 31, 1832. 
Benjamin A., b. July i, 1828, d. Sept. 13, 1832. 
Joseph Adams, b. Jan. 9, 1830, d. July 31, 1832. 
Catherine P., b. Apr. 19, 1831, d. Dec. 11, 1834. 
Lucinda E., b. Feb. 8, 1833, I's with her brother Edward. 
Thoma-s S., b. Sept. 21, 1834, m. Virginia D. Pendleton, Sept. 21, 1S59; is a 

clergyman. 
Benjamin A., b. Sept. 9, 1836, m. Lucy Wiggin ; was a clergyman ; d. 1900. 

Dea. Thomas S. Robie died Oct. 22, 1838, aged 47, and his wife 
Clarissa, July 27, i860, aged 68. 

(2) Francis B. Robie, son of Toppan, fitted for college at Gorham 
Academy, and was graduated from Bowdoin in 1829. He studied 




FRKDKRICK ROBIE. 



GENEALOGY. 745 

medicine with Dr. Oilman of Portland, and received a diploma from 
Bowdoin Medical School. He lost his eyesight, Oct. ii, 1833, by 
the explosion of a bottle of fulminating powder which he was holding 
in his hand. He married Martha L. Prince. Children : 

Toppan, b. Mar. 17, 1839, m. Abbie Inez Gardiner of Hallowell, Nov. 12, 1863; 

d. in Woburn, Mass., Jan. 30, 1875. 
George F., b. Mar. 20, 1844, m. Susan E. Farwell of Hyde Park, Ma.ss., Feb. 

II, 1S72. 

Silvanus P., b. Aug. 25, 1S48, m. Lena M. Smith of Lewiston, Nov. 25, 1875. 

Francis B. Robie died Oct. 8, 1876, aged 67. His wife died Jan. 
12, 1886, aged 73. 

(2) Charles Robie, son of Toppan, married Emily, daughter of Col. 

James and Sally March. At the time of his marriage he was a trader 

in Harrison. He afterwards returned to his native town and lived in 

Gorham for some years on the farm now owned by Marshall Sturgis. 

He then removed to the brick house on State St., now owned by his 

niece Miss Sarah Robie, and kept store for a time in the building 

lately occupied by Roscoe G. Harding. Children : 

Charles T., b. 1836, d. Oct. 5. 1853. 

Eliza, b. June 28, 1841, d. Sept. 23, 1852. 

Lincoln, b. Oct. 3, 1842, was a soldier in the Civil War ; d. in 1867. 

Charles Robie died Dec. 21, 18S6, aged 74. His wife, Emily, died 
Oct. II, 1893, aged 79. 

(2) George Robie, son of Toppan, was for some years a teacher 
in the South. He afterwards returned to Gorham and engaged in 
trade with Joseph Ridlon. About 1852 he moved to Portland, and 
went into the dry goods business with Jose and Marrett, under the 
firm name of Jose, Marrett & Robie. He married in Madison, Flor- 
ida, Frances Barrett of Troy, N. Y. Children : 

Georgia A., b. in Troupville, Ga., d. in 1859; ag. 17. 

Sarah L., b. in Gorham. 

Prescott, b. in Gorham, d. in 1862; ag. 17. 

George T., b. in Gorham, d. Sept. 19, 1S50. 

Chester, b. in Gorham, m. Ella Randolph of Pittsburg, Pa.; d. July, 1S93. 

Mrs. Frances Robie died Jan. 25, 1854, and Mr. Robie married, 
Aug. 3, 1854, her cousin Maiy Palmer of Stillwater, N. Y. Mr. 
Robie died in Gorham, Dec, 2, 1856. 

( 2 ) Frederick, son of Toppan Robie, fitted for college at Gorham 
Academy, and was graduated at Bowdoin in the class of 1841. After 
teaching for a time in Georgia and Florida he decided to study medi- 
cine, and entered Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, from 
which institution he was graduated in 1844. In April, 1844, he 



746 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

opened an office in Riddeford, where he remained eleven years. He 
then removed to Waldoboro in which town he practiced successfully 
for three years at the end of which time he returned to his native town. 
At the beginning of the War of the Rebellion he was appointed addi- 
tional Paymaster by President Lincoln. He was stationed at Boston 
in 1863 as chief paymaster of the Department of New England. In 
1864 he was transferred to the Department of the Gulf at New 
Orleans. At the end of the war he returned to Maine where he had 
charge of the paying off of the Maine soldiers. His efficient services 
at that time earned for him the honor of being the first Maine pay- 
master to receive the brevet of Lieut. Col. He was honorably 
mustered out July 20, 1866. He was a member of the Maine Senate 
in 1866 and 1867. He was also appointed in 1866 by William Pitt 
Fessenden as special agent of the Treasury Department in which 
capacity he served two years. From 1868 to 1873 he was a member of 
the Republican State Committee. He was a member of the House 
of Representatives eight years, and Speaker of the House in 1872 
and 1876. He was a member of Gov. Washburn's Executive Coun- 
cil in 186 1, of that of Gov. Davis in 1880, and of that of Gov. Plaisted 
in 1881 and 1882. The establishment of the State Normal School at 
Gorham was largely due to his influence while in the Legislature. 
In 1878 he was one of the Committee to the Paris Exposition, and 
travelled extensively in Europe. In 1882 he was chosen Worthy 
Master of the State Grange, and w^as its chief officer for eight years. 
In the fall of 1882 he was elected Governor of the State by a large 
majority ; and was reelected in 1884 by a majority still larger. He 
was in office from January, 1883 to 1887, and was one of the most 
efficient and popular chief magistrates the State has ever had. He 
has been for many years a director of the Portland and Rochester 
R. R. Company; also a director of the First Nat. Bank of Portland, 
of which he is now* president. In 1885 he was president of the 
Eastern Telegraph Co. ; and a director of the Financial Committee 
of the Mutual Life Insurance Co., and at one time business manager of 
the Portland Press Publishing Co. He was State Commander of the 
G. A. R. for 1899. He married Mary Olivia Priest of Biddeford. 
Children : 

Harriet, b. Sept. 3, 1848, m. Clark Barker. 

Mary F., b. Mar. 3, 1852, m. George F. McQuillan. 

Eliza, b. Feb., 1S56, d. Sept. 3, 1863. 

William P. F., b. Nov. 5, 1863, m. Flora Barton of Cherryfield. 

Mrs. Robie died Nov. 5, 1898, aged 70 years, and Mr. Robie mar- 
ried, Jan. 10, 1900, Martha E. Cressey. 



GENEALOGY. 747 



ROLFE. 



We find the name of Rolfe quite early in the history of the town. 
Daniel Rolfe lived on Queen street, near the brook, easterly from the 
Moses Fogg farm. His house was on the thirty acre lot, 82, which, 
with 84, comprised his farm and homestead. This land he bought of 
Gov. Shirley, and on April 16, 1760, sold to Joseph Libby of Gorham. 
He also purchased, in 1750, of Bryant Morton, the hundred acre lot, 
No. 94, which lot he sold in 1764 to William Wood for ;{5"i3o-6s-8d. 
Of his family we can find no record, other than that he had a wife 
Elizabeth. 

Moses Rolfe lived in Gorham at one time. He married, Nov. 12, 
1759, Abigail Jones of Gorham. By Mr. Alden's diary we find that 
she died Jan. 24, 1763. 

The Rolfes now in town are descended from Capt. Benjamin Rolfe, 
whose father came over from France with Lafayette. After the Rev- 
olution he settled in Portland. Capt. Benjamin Rolfe was born in 
Portland, Jan. 18, 17S0. He was a sea captain, and had his home 
in Portland. He owned a farm in Gorham on Horse Meadow road 
above Fort Hill (where Vincent Hanson lately lived) where he was 
fond of spending some of his time when on shore. He married, 
June 7, 1804, Rebecca Williams of Portland, by whom he had seven 
children. In 1813 he moved to Gorham, where he lived until 18 18, 
when the family moved back to Portland. Children : 

Eliza Ann, b. Mar. 26, 1806. 

Rebecca, b. June 26, 1807. 

Joseph, b. Feb. 27, 1809. 

Benjamin, b. June 26, 181 1. 

Daniel, b. in Gorham, July 7, 181 3. 

William, b. in Gorham, Oct. 26, 1814. 

Dudley, b. in Gorham, Apr. 24, 1816, d. July 27, 1816. 

Mrs. Rebecca Rolfe died May 26, 18 16, aged 32, and Capt. Rolfe 
married, Oct. 20, 18 16, Nancy, daughter of Thomas Bangs of Gor- 
ham, by whom he had one child : 

David F., b. July 25, 1817, m. Elizabeth Buzzell ; 2d, Kate B. Eastman. 

Capt. Rolfe died Aug. 6, 18 18. Mrs. Nancy Rolfe died Nov. 6, 
1824. 

ROSS AND TYNG. 

After the conclusion of the Indian war of 1744, Capt. Alexander 
Ross came to Portland. He brought his family Nov. 23, 1753. He 
had but one child, Elizabeth, who was born in South Ronaldsha, one 
of the Orkney Islands, about 1751, and afterwards married Col. 
Tyng. They came from Stroma, in Scotland. Capt. Ross carried 



748 



HISTORY OF GORHAM. 



on a large business, and was thought to be one of the most wealthy 
men in Falmouth. He was a large proprietor in Gorhamtown. We 
find his name as early as 1756 in a call for a Proprietors' meeting. 
Capt. Ross was never a resident of Gorham. He died in Portland, 
Nov. 24, 1768, aged 59. After his death his widow, Madam Elizabeth 




ELIZABETH (rOSS) TYNG. 

AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN. 

— From Portland in i/ie Past. 

Ross lived some years in Portland. On the breaking out of the war 
of the Revolution she built a house — at that time thought to be one of 
the most elegant country mansions in the State — on a part of her 
late husband's Gorham property, into which she moved with her 
daughter Mrs. Tyng, soon after the commencement of the war. This 
house, which was on what is called the old Tyng place, on the road 



GENEALOGY. 



749 



from Gorham village to Saccarappa, near the eastern line of the 
town, was completed about 17S1, and was destroyed by fire in June, 
1808. Afterwards, Mrs. Tyng had the present house much in the 
style of the old one erected on the old foundations. We find many 
deeds on record from Madam Elizabeth Ross showing that the family 




COL. WILLLAM TYNG. 

— From Portland in the Past. 

had a large landed interest here in town. Madam Ross died at her 
house in Gorham, March i, 1798, aged 80. 

Col. Tyng who married the daughter Elizabeth, Nov. 3, 1769, was 
born in Boston in 1737, where he resided many years, doing business 
as a merchant. He was a descendant from George Cleves, the first 
settler in Portland. Maine being under the government of Massa- 



750 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

chusetts, he received the appointment of sheriff for the County of 
Cumberland in 1767, and soon after made Portland his home. Col. 
Tyng was a decided royalist, not because he did not love his native 
country, but from an honest conviction in his mind that the American 
people were wrong ; that they were rebels against one of the best of 
kings and against a nation that would ultimately crush them, and 
that their fate would be that of traitors and rebels. In 1774 he 
received a commission as colonel, from Gen. Gage, the royal Gover- 
nor of Massachusetts. Finding his situation unpleasant, and being 
denounced as a tory, he went to New York, then under the English, 
leaving his wife with her mother, Madam Ross. In May, 1775, while 
Col. Tyng was in New York, Capt. Mowatt went to Portland with his 
armed ship, and while walking on the hill with his surgeon and the 
Rev. Mr. Wiswall, all three were made prisoners. For fear that there 
might be a rescue all the fighting men from the neighboring towns 
came into town, and among them Col. Phinney and his Gorham men. 
The next morning they were much exasperated on finding that the 
prisoners had been liberated on their parole of honor. This, with 
the great quantity of spirits both good and bad going about, made the 
troops rather demoralized, and their conduct rather disorderly. 
Among other excesses several houses and places of business belong- 
ing to the disaffected, or tories as they were called, were broken into 
and rifled of valuable property. Amongst others, the houses of Capt. 
Coulson and Col. Tyng were rifled of their family plate. Coulson's 
loss was about ^141-1-1, that of Tyng ^50-0-0. These articles 
were carried to Gorham by Phinney's men, and secreted. There was 
at the time some trouble in finding the goods, which was finally 
accomplished, and they were delivered to the proper authorities. 
There was great excitement in town about this property. Several 
town meetings were held. Mrs. Ross claiming that taken from the 
house of Tyng as being her property, and she not being attainted as 
a rebel, the Tyng plate was returned to her, by order of Congress. 
Among her property was a silver cup, silver tankard and gold-laced 
hat. A silver tankard, supposed to be the same mentioned above, is 
now in the possession of the Burton family, having descended through 
the Ross family. This tankard was in the possession of Mr. Merrill 
Burton, late president of the Portland Savings Bank, at the time of his 
decease. 

Col. Tyng, as has been said, removed to New York during the war. 
Though a confirmed tory, he was nevertheless kind and benevolent 
toward the American prisoners confined in the prisons and prison- 



GENEALOGY. 751 

ships. He often visited them and administered to their wants by 
lending them money and giving them food and clothing. He looked 
more particularly after those from Portland, Gorham and the vicinity. 
Many a Gorham man received his bounty with grateful heart, and 
never forgot him ; and by them at least, he was kindly received and 
respected when he returned to Gorham. Col. Tyng did not return 
to Gorham immediately after the close of the war. He was appointed 
Judge of the Courts in Nova Scotia, where he went with his family ; 
Madam Ross remaining to take care of the property. By reference to 
an Act of the General Court of Massachusetts to prevent the return 
of certain persons to the State, who left to join the enemy (1785), the 
name of William Tyng is found, whereby he was thus prevented from 
returning and all his estate was confiscated. As to property this did 
not have much effect, as Madam Ross claimed and was allowed to 
hold about all that belonged to the family. 

A story was told of Col. Phinney and Col. Tyng — of their first 
meeting after Tyng's return, on Sunday in front of the old meeting- 
house. Tyng offered his hand to Phinney, who turning on his heel 
muttered (in the hearing of some twenty of the good citizens who 
had been watching to see the interview) that he would not take the 
hand of a tory. At this all within hearing rushed up to Tyng, 
extending their hands, and greeted him pleasantly. This seemed to 
please Tyng more than it did Phinney, for he immediately disap- 
peared into the meeting-house, and probably enjoyed the sermon. 
However they afterward became reconciled, and were passable friends 
during after life. 

Mrs. Ross and Col. Tyng owned several slaves, some of whom 
continued in the service of Mrs. Tyng several years after their liber- 
tion by the Act of Massachusetts. Col. Tyng was the first person 
who brought a four-wheeled pleasure carriage into Gorham. It was 
a lumbering old affair compared to the present but a big thing in its 
day, with two horses, and a colored man in livery for a driver ; the 
wonder of the young, and the envy of the old. 

Col. Tyng spent the remainder of his days, after his return, on his 
farm, in easy circumstances, neither seeking or having any offices ; a 
benevolent and kind-hearted gentleman, much beloved and respected 
by a large circle of friends and neighbors. He received a pension 
from the English government, which at his death was continued to 
his wife during her life. No mansion in town was more noted for its 
hospitality and politeness than that of Col. Tyng, none of which was 
lost while in the hands of his estimable lady, and her family. Having 



752 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

no children Madam Tyng brought from Scotland her niece, Eliza 
Heddle, whom she adopted. Miss Meddle was to her a daughter, to 
whom at her decease she gave her property. Miss Heddle married 
Rev. Timothy Milliard. Col. Tyng died in Gorham Dec. lo, 1807, 
aged 70, and was buried in the cemetery on Munjoy, Portland. 
Madam Tyng died in Gorham, Oct. 25, 183 1, aged 81, and was buried 
in the new yard, so called, at the village. 

James Ross was probably the brother of Capt. Alexander Ross of 
Portland. He was taxed in Gorham in 1772 for one poll. He was 
one of the first schoolmasters in the town of Gorham. Mr. Ross 
owned a farm of about fifty acres, situated opposite to that of Charles 
Horton, in the Quaker neighborhood, on the Gov. Shirley grant. 
His house stood opposite Mr, Horton's barn. His wife's name was 
Hannah Dyer. The record of their children is imperfect. 

Mary, b. about 1758, m. William Burton, Apr. 26, 1781. 

Rebecca, b. •, m. Jasper Johnson, Dec. 23, 1784; 2d, David Johnson. 

Elizabeth, b. , m. Jotham Whitney, Apr. i, 1792. 

Sarah, b. Dec. 13, 1766, m. Richard Libby, Nov. 16, 1788. 

Alexander, b. Aug. 7, 1769, m. Patience Howell, Mar. 8, 1789; d. in Gray, leav- 
ing a family. 

Walter, b. Apr. 20, 1771, m. Elinor Purington, Sept. 21, iSoo; d. in Chesterville ; 
had a family, 

Olley, b. Oct. i, 1773, m. John Marston of No. Yarmouth, Sept. 13, 1795. 

John Fleet, b. May, 177S, d. June, 1779. 

Anna, b. Sept. 15, 17S0, m. William Thomas, Nov. 29, 179S. 

James Ross died in 1780, aged 68. Hannah his wife died Oct. 19, 
1833, aged 98. 

ROUNDS. 

Abial Rounds was an Englishman. He came to Gorham early in 

life, and settled at White Rock, near where Merrill T. Files's store 

now stands. He was a farmer. He married Mary, daughter of 

Joseph and Mehitable Whitney, (pub. March 12, 1791). Children: 

Hezekiah, b. , m. in Troy, N. Y. ; d. there. 

James, b. , m. Betsey Porterfield ; I'd in Biddeford. 

John, b. , m. Catherine Badger of Boston ; I'd in Portland. 

Mary, b. 1797, m. Christopher Plummer, Jr., Mar. 12, 1S21. 
Robert, b. 1800, m. Harriet Sturgis, p. Dec. 28, 1828. 

Cyrus, b. , d. unm., in the West. 

Phebe, b. 1805, m. Sylvanus Files, Mar. i, 1827. 

Sarah, b. , m. Capt. Lunt of Portland. He was a sea captain. 

Eunice, b. , m. Erastus Emerson of Portland. 

Abial Rounds died Nov. 16, 1815, aged 45. Mrs. Rounds died at 

Mr. Harvey Murch's Nov. 10, 1854, aged 87. 

(2) Robert Rounds, son of Abial, lived at West Gorham, on the 
farm once owned by Dea. George Lewis. He married Harriet, 
daughter of David and Betsey Sturgis. Children : 




Wll.M AM APPLKTON KLST. 




NATHAN IKl. ). RLST. 



GENEALOGY. 753 

Emily, b. Dec. 21, 1829, m. Chas. Jones of Windham, Sept. 12, 1855. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 31, 1831, d. Dec. 16, 1846. 

Frances E., b. June 9, 1834, m. William Cressey, Jan. 26, 1854. 

Abial, b. Sept. 4, 1835. m. Carrie E. Cressey, Nov. 18, 1891 ; I's on his father's 

place ; has one son, Robert. 
Sarah L.. b. Jan. 26, 1838, I's with her brother. 
Harriet, b. June 13, 1S44, m. Geo. F. Ilawkes of Biddeford ; d. Nov. 13, 1886. 

Capt. Robert Rounds died March 6, i860, aged 60. Mrs. Rounds 
died Feb. 20, 1889, aged 82. 

RUST. 

Meshach Rust, who came to Gorham from Wolfboro, N. H., was 
the son of William Rust, and was one of triplets who were named 
respectively Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego. Shadrach died 
young. Abed-nego was long a citizen of Great Falls, N. , H. 
Meshach for many years worked here in Gorham at his trade, that 
of a tailor. His shop stood on the northerly side of Main St., where 
the store of the late John C. Card now stands. This shop was 
bought by Jos. Harmon and moved on to High St., above the town 
house, and made into the dwelling house now occupied by Chas. B. 
Harding. Mr. Rust married, Nov. 25, 182 1, Martha, daughter of 
Capt. Nathaniel P>ost. Children : 

W^illiam Appleton, b. June 22, 1823, m. Frances Goodnow ; 2d, Sarah Good- 
now; graduated at the Medical dept. of N. Y. University in 1846, and 
practiced at S. Paris, Me. for eighteen years ; moved to Boston in 1866. 

Martha A., b. Nov. 3, 1825, d. Aug. 5, 1832. 

Sarah Jane, h. Jan. 21, 1828, m. Horatio Russ of Paris, Nov. 19, i860. 

Susan Maria, b. Mar. 15, 1830, d. Sept. 10, 1832. 

Nathaniel Johnson, b. Nov. 28, 1833, m. Martha C. Carter, Apr. 27, 1S63. 

Mrs. Rust died March 25, 1S35, and Mr. Rust married, July 27, 

1836, Sally, daughter of Geo. and Dorcas Waterhouse. Children : 

Charles, b. Apr. 21, 1837, d. Jan. 19, 1843. 

George W., b. Feb. 17, 1S42, m. Susan Plummer; 2d, Mrs. Jane M. York. 

Meshach Rust died Aug. 5, 1874, aged 78, and his wife Sally, Feb. 
23, 1 88 1, aged 80. 

William Appleton Rust and his brother Nathaniel Johnson Rust 
were for many years in the wholesale drug business in Boston. They 
have been prominent men in the municipal affairs of that city, where 
they now reside. 

RYAN. 

John B. Ryan was the adopted son of Capt. Hart Williams and his 
wife Martha. He was a farmer, and lived on the old Portland road, 
on the farm owned and occupied, not many years since, by Mr. 
Joseph Barbour. This farm was left to Mr. Ryan by Capt. Williams. 



754 filSTORY OF GORHAM. 

In 1791 Mr. Ryan married Hannah Wallace of Portland, and their 
children were : 

Sarah, b. Feb. 27, 1792, m. Capt. Robert Harding, May i, 1S14; 2d, Nathan 

Harris. 
Mary, b. June S, 1794, ni. Capt. William Cammett of Portland, p. Jvme 15, 1S16. 
Martha W., b. Apr. i, iSoi, m. Chas. Harding, Oct. 11, 1827 ; 2d, Caleb Adams. 
Louisa, b. Mar. 18, 1803, m. Hervey Kimball, Jan. 29, 1829. 

Mr. Ryan died July 22, 1839, aged 68, and his wife Hannah, in 
Portland, Aug. 15, 1858, aged 87. 



SANBORN. 

John Sanborn, who died in England, had two .son.s John and 
William, born about 1620 and 1622, who came to America with Rev. 
Mr. Bachelder, and moved with him to Hampton, N. H., where they 
settled. They had large families, and are the ancestors of all the 
Sanborns in this country, so far as known. 

Joseph Sanborn's name appears on a Gorham tax bill for the year 

1779, which is probably about the time he came to town. He was a 

soldier in the Revolution. His wife was Esther Tuttle. Children : 

Betsey, b. , m. Abraham Hall, Apr. 18, 1790. . 

Miriam, b. . 

Josedeck, b. about 1775, m. Martha Murch, Sept. 22, 1796. 
Elisha, b. Nov. 28, 1777, m. Eunice Hanscom, Dec. 22, 1799. 

Sarah, b. , m. James Crockett, Dec. 25, 1796. 

Drusilla, b. Aug. 7, 1782, m. Enoch Crockett, Sept. 13, 1801. 
Samuel Bursley, b. Feb. 25, 1793, '^- when a young man. 

(2) Josedeck Sanborn, son of Joseph, was a farmer. He lived 
near White Rock, on the place where Isaiah Nason now lives. He 
married Martha, daughter of John and Anna Murch. There is no 
record of the births of their children. They were : 

Esther, b. 1798, d. unm. Aug. 29, 1S76. 

Achsah, b. , d. unm. 

Betsey, b. , m. George Murch of Portland, Apr. 7, 1823. 

Sally, b. J804. m. Rev. King Atkinson, Nov. 20, 1832 ; d. in Eaton, N. H., 

Aug., 1897. 

Anna, b. , d. unm., Feb. 2, 1824. 

John, b. June 30, 1806, m. Mary J. Beck, Mar. 2, TS31. 

Rebecca, b. , m. John A. Odell, Oct. 27, 1831. 

Samuel, b. , d. unm. in Mexico. 

Mary, b. , m. John Harvey. 

Joanna, b. , m. David Davison of California. 

Maltha, b. , d. young. 

Martha, b. , m. George Murch {2d wife). 

Caleb, b. Apr. 12, 1814, m. Catharine Fernald ; 2d, Mary Harvey ; d. in So. 

Berwick, Dec. 20, 1871 ; was a doctor. 

Josedeck Sanborn died May 31, 1820. Mrs. Martha, his wife, 
died Oct. 12, 1824, aged 47. 



GENEALOGY. 755 

(2) Elisha Sanborn, son of Joseph, married Eunice Hanscom, 

probably daughter of George and Eunice Hanscom. Children : 

Martha, b. Oct. 11, 1800. 

Mary, b. Apr. i, 1S03, m. Chesley. 

Eunice, b. , m. Anderson ; I'd in Windham. 

(3) John Sanborn, son of Josedeck, lived at Winship's corner in 
the house lately occupied by his widow, Mrs. Tyler. He married 
Mary Jane, daughter of Capt. Thomas and Jane Beck. Their chil- 
dren were : 

CaroUne L., b. Nov. 24, 183 1, ni. Isaac Richardson, 1852. 

John Jay, b. Nov. 30, 1S33, d. Jan. i, 1836. 

Jane L., b. Nov. i, 1S35, m. John Oilman of So. Berwick; 2d, J. D. Moore of 

Portland. 
Martha M., b. Sept. 9, 1S37. m. William Tomp.son of So. Berwick. 
Elizabeth F., b. Oct. 9, 1839, m. Seward Wescott, Dec. 12, 185S. 
Harriet B., b. Oct. 20, 1841, m. B. F. Tyler of Gorham ; d. in Hyde Park, 

Mass., Nov. 8, 1896. 
Frederic C, b. Oct. 10, 1843, d. Oct. 3, 1849. 
John, Jr., b. June 21, 1846, d. Apr. 24, 1848. 

Louisa C, b. Mar. 24, 1848, m. E. G. Goodwin of Boston; d. Oct., 1893. 
Leroy S., b. Apr. 5, 1S50, m. Julia Hall of Portland. 
John T. G., b. Mar. 25, 1853, m. Julia ; I's in Brainard, Minn. 

Dr. John Sanborn died in March, 1854. Mrs. Mary J. Sanborn 
married second, James E. Tyler. She died Dec. 3, 1891. 

SAWYER. 

John Sawyer, son of James and Sarah (Bray) Sawyer, came from 
Gloucester, Mass., to Falmouth, where in 17 19 he kept the Cape 
Elizabeth ferry, lie married, in Gloucester, Rebecca Stanford. His 
second child, John Sawyer, Jr., was born in Gloucester, Jan. 24, 1704, 
and married, July 4, 1726, Sarah, daughter of Abraham and Sarah 
(York) Robinson. John and Sarah Sawyer came from Cape Eliza- 
beth to Gorham to live about 1754. He owned, and in 1764 sold to 
Josiah Noyes of Falmouth, the thirty acre lot, iii. This is the lot 
on which the pumping station is now located. In September, 1777, 
he sold to his grandson, Nathaniel Hatch, one-half of the thirty acre 
lot, 113, on which he then lived, together with half the house, barn 
and fences thereon. This lot was near the mouth of the Black Brook 
road, and west of the house where Mrs, Rufus Mosher now lives. 
Children, all born in Falmouth : 

John, b. Dec. 22, 1726, d. young. 

Sarah, b. Nov. 19, 1728, m. Joseph Hatch. 

Mary, b. Sept. 8, 1731, m. Samuel Yeaton, Jr., Apr. 6, 1751. (.') 

Rebecca, b. June 13, 1735, m. John Phinney, Jr., Jan. 24, 1755. 

Jonathan, b. Oct. 22, 1736, m. Martha Rich, Oct. 17, 1763. 

David, b. , served in the Provincial Army in 1757. 



756 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

We find no record of the death of either Mr. or Mrs. Sawyer, but 
Mrs. Sawyer was living Sept. 17, 1777, and her husband, Jan. 31, 
1778. 

(2) Jonathan Sawyer, son of John and Sarah, was a member, 
together with his brother David, in 1757, of Capt. Joseph Woodman's 
company of Provincial troops. He was then of Gorham. Later he 
was a soldier in the Revolution, enlisting April 24, 1775, as first lieu- 
tenant in Capt. Stuart's company, Col. Phinney's 31st regiment; and 
Jan. I, 1776, joined the i8th Continental, under the same officers. 
On the death of Capt. Stuart, April 17, 1776, Lieut. Sawyer succeeded 
to the command of the company. He served through the siege of 
Boston, at Cambridge, and marched to Fort Ticonderoga. He was 
discharged at Fort George, Dec, 1776. In 1762, Nov. 15, he pur- 
chased of David Gorham of Barnstable the hundred acre lot, No. 25. 
The eastern half of this lot he sold to Peletiah Crockett. March 29, 
1773, he sold the western half of the lot to Charles Patrick. Mr. 
Sawyer married Martha, daughter of Lemuel and Elizabeth ( Harding) 
Rich. Children : 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 12, 1765, m. John Lombard, Jan. 13, 1785. 

Martha, b. June 5, 1767, m. J. Millett. 

John, b. May 8, 1769, m. Hannah Edwards, Oct. 4, 1792. 

David, b. Mar. 27, 177 1, m. Mary Greeley. 

Barnabas, b. Mar. 25, 1773, m. Sarah Rich, Oct. 27, 1793. 

Sarah, b. Feb. 25, 1775, m. Benjamin Stevens of Russfield, Oct. 27, 1793. 

Mary, b. Apr. 13, 1778, m. Jeremiah Styles. 

Deliverance, b. Apr. 15, 17S0, m. Levi Sargent of Otislield, Mar. 11, iSii. 

Jonathan, b. July 16, 1782, m. Lucretia Goss of Otisfield, Aug. 25, 1S08. 

Eunice, b. Apr. 20, 1785, m. Richard Lombard. 

Samuel, b. June 7, 1787, m. Relief Moore of Otisfield, Apr. 20, 1S08. 

Capt. Sawyer removed to Otisfield, which was then called Phillips 

Gore. Not long after, he returned to Gorham for a visit, and died 

here in November, 1789. Mrs. Sawyer died in Otisfield, Aug. 13, 

1813. 

In 1754 Stephen Sawyer and his wife Sarah were living in Scar- 
borough, in which town their children Rhoda, Mary, Sarah, Catherine, 
and Phebe were baptized. This is probably the Stephen Sawyer 
who, being then of Gorham, purchased in 1757 of Joseph Weston of 
Gorham fifty acres from the hundred acre lot, 20. This lot he and 
his wife Sarah sold, April 5, 1775, to George Waterhouse, with the 
buildings thereon. Stephen Sawyer was taxed for one poll in 1778, 
but his name does not appear after that time. Rhoda, who married 
Stephen Trip, April 12, 1765, Sarah, who married Abner Trip, May 
12, 1767, and Catherine, who married Joseph Weymouth, Nov. 3, 
1768, were probably daughters of Stephen and Sarah Sawyer. 



GENEALOGY. 757 

In 1777 there was in Gorham a Solomon Sawyer, and also a Sol- 
omon, Jr. Solomon does not appear on the tax lists after 1783. 
Solomon, Jr., married Phebe Strout of Cape Elizabeth, Oct. lo, 1779, 
and probably left town soon after as his name does not appear after 
1780. 

Joel Sawyer came to Gorham from Harrison or Bridgton. He 

lived on what is now called the John Irish farm, near Wm. E. Files's. 

He was a corporal in Capt. Stuart's company in the Revolutionary 

army. He married (pub. December, 1773) Elizabeth Stone, then of 

Cape Elizabeth, sister of Jonathan Stone of Gorham. Children : 

Eunice, b. Feb. 19, 1775, m. Rufus Harmon, Mar. 14, 179S. 

Polly, b. May 22, 1778, m. Daniel Moody, Dec. 3, 1795. 

Betsey, b. July 22, 1783, m. Wm. Moody of Standish, Sept. 10, 1803. 

Dorcas, b. Mar. 29, 1786, m. Enoch Moody of Standish, Feb. 16, 1809; d. 1S14. 

Wealthy, b. , 17S8, m. Stephen Lowell of Standish, Oct. ig, 1S09. 

Isaac, b. , m. Eleanor, dau. of Reuben and Abigail Wescott, Feb. 19, 

181 7. Ch., all born in Gorham, e.xcept Abigail : Marshall H. ; Reuben ; 

Albion, m. Jan. i, 1S54, Eliza C. Gilkey; Sarah; Harriet; Abigail. 

Isaac Sawyer d. in Gorham at the age of 90; Mrs. Sawyer d. May, 1868. 

Joel Sawyer died Feb. 11, 1825. Mrs. Sawyer died Oct. 31, 1823. 

SCAMMAN. 

Edward Scamman, son of Nathaniel and Rachel (Foss) Scamman, 
was born in Saco, April 30, 1790. He was a descendant of Humphrey 
Scamman, who came to Saco about 1680. Mr. Scamman was for 
some time a teacher. He married, Sept. 28, 1819, Polly, daughter of 
Allen and Martha Davis, and lived on the farm formerly owned by 
his father-in-law. Children : 

Mary E., b. June 20, 1822, m. Jos. W. Goodwin of Bu.xton, Mar. 20, 1851. 

Edward A., b. Aug. 28, 1S25, m. Sarah P., dau. of Capt. John Wingate. Ch : 
Elizabeth E., b. in Orono, Oct. 4, 1848; Anna M., b. in Gorham Sept. 
22, iS^i ; Edward A., d. ag. about 25. Mr. Scamman enlisted in 1861, 
in Co. H., 5th Me. Regt.,in the war of the Rebellion, and in November, 
1862 was promoted ,to the rank of colonel. He resigned in January, 
1863, ^^^ ^- "^ Beaufort, N. C, Oct. 26, 1864. Mrs. Sarah Scamman d. 
Nov. 26, 1867, ag. 42. 

Mrs. Polly Scamman died Oct. 3, 1825, aged ^t,, and Mr. Scamman 

married, Oct. 28, 1827, her sister Annah Davis. Children : 

Josiah D., b. May 3, 1831, m. Mary Swett, Jan. i, 1857. 

Charles D., b. Dec. 4, 1833, m. Frances Smith of Hollis. 

Frederick D., b. Sept. 10, 1838, m. Arzilla Whitney of Bu.xton, May 26, 1871 ; 
no ch. ; I's on the farm which was settled by his great-grandfather, 
Josiah Davis, and which has been owned and occupied by four successive 
generations of the family. Mr. Scamman has served several terms on the 
town's board of selectmen. 

Mr. Scamman died at his home on the old Buxton (Flaggy 

Meadow) road Dec. 29, 1869. Mrs. Annah Scamman died June 4, 

1875, aged 76. 



758 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

SHACKFORD. 

Theodore Shackford was the son of Paul Shackford, Jr., of Kenne- 
bunk, and the grandson of Paul Shackford who settled in York, or 
Wells, sometime before the war of the Revolution. In 1756 Paul 
Shackford, then of Wells, took part in an expedition against the 
French and Indians. 

Mr. Shackford was born Sept. 3, 1802, and came to Gorham in 
1830. He worked for a time at White Rock for Matthias Murch, Jr., 
w^ho had married his sister Lydia. Subsequently he was watchman 
in the cotton factory at Little Falls, from which place he removed to 
Saccarappa where he lived for twelve years after his marriage. He 
also worked between 1834 and 1839 for Hoyt and Hayes, tool makers, 
at Gorham village, grinding and polishing hoes. Mr. Shackford was 
a worthy citizen, and a member of the Gen. Baptist church at White 
Rock. He married Eliza, daughter of Joseph Shackford of Liming- 
ton, by whom he had six children, three of whom died young. The 
other three were : 

William H., b. Dec. 23, 1834, m. Elizabeth J. Haggett of Standish. 

Joseph F., b. Mar. 30, 1839, ni. Lizzie Wood ; has been a trader in Gorham 
village for many years. 

Theodore, b. Mar. 22, 1842, m. Sarah Bradbury; is a house carpenter and con- 
tractor. 

Mrs. Eliza Shackford died July 22, 1845, and Mr. Shackford mar- 
ried in 1846 Hannah Winship of Otisfield by whom he had one child : 

Robert F., b. July 23, 1849, ^n. Carrie Usher of Baldwin. 

In the spring of 1846 Mr. Shackford moved on to a farm in the 
White Rock neighborhood, where he died Aug. 24, 187 1. His wife 
died in 1886. 

SHAW. 

Josiah and Enoch Shaw were sons of Josiah Shaw of Falmouth 
(Portland). Their grandfather, Caleb Shaw, moved from Hampton, 
N. H., to Falmouth about 1760. Josiah was baptized July 31, 1774; 
Enoch, March 7, 1779. 

Josiah Shaw was a saddler by trade. He was also an inn keeper 

in the house now occupied by Mr. Lucian Hunt. In those times 

Shaw's tavern was famous for good living, and second to none on the 

road to Coos. He married, Tabitha, daughter of John Watson. 

Children : 

James, b. June 10, 1797. 
John, b. Nov. 29, 1798. 
Samuel, b. Aug. 29, 1800. 



GENEALOGY. 759 

Leonard, b. Jan. 14, 1804. 
Josiah, b. Dec. 13, 1807, d. Dec. 17, 1850. 
William, b. Sept. 10, 181 1, went to Illinois. 

Benjamin F., b. Oct. u, 1814, m. Mary Pratt of Yarmouth, 1842. 
Ann Maria, b. June ig, 1816, m. Dr. N. W. Oliver of Portsmouth, N. PL, Sept. 
2, 1841 ; d. in Portsmouth, N. H., in 1893 or 1894. 

Benjamin F., son of Josiah, was a Baptist minister, residing in 
Waterville. He was a graduate of Dartmouth in 1837 ; a trustee of 
Colby University, and secretary of the Board for some years, and 
received from them the degree of D. D. in 1872, as well as that of A. 
M. in 187 1. He died Feb. 23, 1897. All the other sons, excepting 
Josiah, died in the far West. 

Mr. Josiah Shaw died in Gorham, Nov. 7, 1852, aged 78. Mrs. 
Shaw died at the house of her son Benjamin F. in Waterville, March 
27, 1868, in her 92d year. 

Enoch Shaw, brother of Josiah, married Betsey King of Rainham, 

May 3, 1804. She died Oct. 15, 1806, at the age of 21, leaving one 

child, George K., born Jan. i, 1805, clergyman and editor (1876) of 

a paper in Biddeford. Mr. Shaw married April 26, 1812, Bethiah 

Freeman. There are seven children from this marriage on our 

records. 

Elbridge G., b. Mar. 20, 1813, d. May 26, 1814. 

Mary Elizabeth, b. Dec. 18, 1814. 

Harriet, b. May 15, 181 7. 

Rebecca, b. Sept. 26, 181 9. 

William, b. Jan. 24, 1822. 

Joseph F., b. Apr. 14, 1825. 

John F., b. May 5, 1827. 

Enoch Shaw moved to Moosehead Lake. He died in Readlield, 
May 16, 1868, aged 89. 

Josiah B. Shaw was born in Standish May 12, 1805, and was the 

son of Joseph and Eunice (Bean) Shaw. He moved to Gorham 

about 1848, and lived on the river road, between Great Falls and the 

Hurricane. He married in 1832 Polly, daughter of Benjamin Haskell. 

Children : 

Cyrus H., b. Nov. 15, 1833. 

Chauncey C, b. Mar. 4, 1835. 

Chester B., b. May 4, 1837, d. July 18, 1863. 

Clinton D. W., b. Aug. 6, 1839. 

Carlyle W., b. Feb. 24, 1842, m. Clara Parker. 

All of these sons served in the Union Army in the Civil War. 
Capt. Chester B. Shaw was killed in the night assault on Fort 
Wagner. 

Josiah B. Shaw died April 22, 1883, and his wife, in August, 1894. 



760 ' HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

SILL A. 

The first of this name in Gorham were William Silla and his wife 

Anna. There is no record showing from whence they came. Mr. 

Silla was taxed herein 1772 for one poll and one cow. His first 

child recorded as being born in Gorham, was born in 1765. He 

probably had others born before coming here. We find John, Sarah, 

and Elizabeth who are said to have been of this family ; if so, the 

children were : 

John, b. , m. Molly Murch, Dec. 15, 1786. 

Sarah, b. , m. Amos Brown, p. Jan. 25, 1777. 

Elizabeth, b. , m. Benjamin Skillings, Aug. 5, 1784. 

Mary, b. Sept. 22, 1765. 

Anna, I v, a ('S i "^' ^^chariah Weston, p. Dec. g, 1786. 

Fanny, ) ' P • 9' 7 ' ] ni. Joseph Lombard, May 12, 1 7S8. 
William, b. Mar. 27, 1770. 

Hannah. } b. Apr. 19, 177- 
Simon, b. June 13, i774- 

(2) John Silla, son of William, owned and lived on the farm at 

White Rock which is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Frederick 

Purinton. He married Molly, daughter of John and Anna Murch. 

Children : 

Rebecca, b. Feb. 23, 17S8, m. William Riggs, Aug. 16, 1827. 

David, b. July 15, 1790, m. Lucy Murch, p. Feb. 18, 1815; 2d, Hannah Keyes. 

William, b. , m. Joanna Riggs, Apr. 11, 1824; 2d, Mary Hicks, Sept. 13, 

1827 ; no ch. ; d. in Ohio. 

Fanny, b. , m. Joel Libby (2d wife), Jan. 31, 1819. 

Polly, b. , m. Samuel Bolton of Windham, Oct. 26, 18 17. 

John, b. , m. Lydia Moulton, p. Sept. 2, 1821 ; I'd in Waterford ; d. in 

Farmington. 

Ephraim, b. , m. Martha Bacon, Mar. 19, 1820; moved East. 

Ezra, b. , was lost at sea. 

Hannah, b. , m. John Cook of Baldwin, p. Nov, 20, 1824; 2d, Benjamin 

Jordan. 

Mrs. Molly Silla died July 5, 1840, aged 79. 

(3) David Silla, son of John, lived at Little Falls, on the Gorham 

side. About 1830 he moved to Otisfield, and later returned to 

Gorham. He married Lucy, daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah 

Murch, by whom he had one child : 

Mary L., b. Jan. 18, 1S16, m. Jeremiah Green of Naples, p. Dec, 1843; d. 
1893. 

Mrs. Lucy Silla died Jan. 21, 181 7, and Mr. Silla married Mrs. 

Hannah (Lombard) Keyes, widow of Geo. Keyes. Soon after his 

second marriage Mr. Silla moved to Seneca, Onondaga Co., N. Y., 

where three daughters were born : 

Lucinda, b. Aug. 13, 182 i,m. Marquis D. P. Carswell of Harrison, Jan. i, 1843. 
Cynthia W., b. Nov. 19, 1S23, m. Albert Hamblen, Oct. 30, 1842. 



GENEALOGY. 761 

Cloriuda T., b. Feb. 8, 1826, m. J. W. Gallison of Windham, Aug., 1845 ; 2d, 
Edwin Rogers ; 3d, Chas. Winter. 

Mr. and Mrs. Silla died in Gorham ; slie, April 27, 1872, aged 87, 
and he Oct. 27 of the same year. 

SKILLINGS. 

Benjamin Skillings married in Fahiiouth, March 16, 1740, Mary 
Pride, and must have come into (iorham as early as Oct. 15, 1741, 
for at that time his daughter Deliverance was born here. On account 
of the Indian war the family left town and returned to Falmouth, 
where they had a child born in 1746 and one in 1748. Some- 
time before March, 1753, the family returned to Gorham, ^and 
reoccupied their farm. Children of Benjamin and Mary Skillings : 

Deliverance, b. Oct. 15, 1741, m. Thomas Irish, July 6, 1759. 

Isaac, ) 1 T i ni. Susanna Watson, Jan. 8, 1766. 

„ > b. Jan. 22, 1744, ; , J r u 

Susanna, ) -^ ' ^^ } have no record or her. 

John, b. Mar. 2, 1746, was a soldier in the Revolution. 

Thomas, b. May 8, 1748, m. Maiy Burnell, 1781. 

Abigail, b. Mar. 30, 1753, m. Caleb Kimball, Feb. 17, 1774. 

Anna, b. May 2, 1755, m. Benjamin Gates, Aug. 18, 1774. 

Martha, b. Mar. 2, 1760, find no record of her. 

Benjamin, b. Apr. 2, 1763, m. Elizabeth Silla, Aug. 5, 17S4. 

(2) Isaac Skillings, son of Benjamin, was one of the earliest set- 
tlers at what is now West Gorham. He purchased his land there of 
Mr. Alexander Ross, Aug. 8, 1767. Immediately after this purchase 
he built his house, and moved in his family and occupied it till his 
death. This same house is now occupied by his grandson, George 
Skillings, who lives on and owns the old farm. Isaac Skillings mar- 
ried Susanna, daughter of Eliphalet Watson. Children : 

Mary, b. Jan. 13, 1767, m. Samuel Davis, Nov. 11, 1784. 

Elizabeth, b. June 16, 1768, m. Edmund Brown, Aug. 6, 1797. 

Tabitha, b. Nov. 23, 1770, m. Nathan Sawyer of Westbrook, Mar. 17, 1796; d. 

about 1850; her husband d. many years previous. 
Susanna, b. Nov. 10, 1772, d. unm. 
Daniel, b. Mar. 5, 1775, I'd in Portland. 

John, b. Jan. 15, 1777, m. Betty Irish, Oct. 3, 1802; 2d, Peggy Riggs. 
Joseph, b. Jan. 2, 1779, m. Susan Clark, Feb. 6, 1808. 

Isaac Skillings died in Gorham in October, 1779. His widow 
Susanna married. May 13, 1784, Zachariah Sawyer of Westbrook, 
the father of her son-in-law, Nathan. By Mr. Sawyer she had two 
children, Mark, who died young, and Levi, who lived in Portland on 
the corner of High and Danforth Sts., and for many years was well 
known as a wood and coal merchant, and one of the prominent citi- 
zens of the place. Mrs. Sawyer died October, 1834, aged 88. 



762 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) Thomas Skillings, son of Benjamin, was a soldier of the Revo- 
lution, serving as a private in 1775 in Capt. Williams' company, Col. 
Phinney's regiment. He married Mary, daughter of John and Eliz- 
abeth Burnell. Children : 

Benjamin, b. Oct. 12, 1782, m. Anna Hamblen, Mar. 14, 1804. 

John H., b. Aug. 2, 1784, m. Mary Cobb, p. Apr. 6, 1822 ; went to Strong. 

Isaac, b. May 24, 1786, m. Elizabeth Thomes of Standish, June 8, 1810 ; I'd in 

Standish. 
Thomas, b. Apr. 12, 1788, d. unm., Nov. 19, 1850. 

Mehitable, b. June 19, I79i,ni. John Thomes of Standish, Dec. 19, 1813. 
Betsey, b. Nov. 15, 1793. d. unm. Nov. 26, 1S50. 
Polly, b. Sept. 20, 1796, d. unm. Dec. 14, 1850. 
Caleb, b. Dec. 3, 179S, m. Esther Irish, Nov. 21, 1833. 

Daniel, b. Dec. 15, 1802, d. Aug., 1847. (Is recorded on town books as "Mary".) 
Martha, b. . 

Thomas Skillings died May 12, 1810, aged 61, and his wife Mary, 

Aug. 5, 1846, aged 82. 

(2) Benjamin Skillings, Jr., son of Benjamin, married Elizabeth, 

daughter of William and Anna Silla. Children : 

Mary, b. Nov. 5, 1787. 
Anna, b. Nov. 7, 1789. 
Isaac, b. Nov. 12, 1791. 
William, b. Mar. 12, 1794. 
Frances, b. May 12, 1797. 
Abigail, b. Sept. 4, 1799. 
Nathaniel, b. Jan. 26, 1802. 

(3) Joseph Skillings, the youngest child of Isaac, owned and occu- 
pied the ancestral farm in West Gorham. He married Susan, daugh- 
ter of Moses and Martha Clark. Their children were : 

Leonard, b. July 25, 1808, d. Sept. 6, 1808. 

Isaac, b. Aug. 14,1809, d. Nov. 15, 1826. 

Rufus, b. Sept. 9, 181 1, m. Lidania Bean; 2d, Diana Littlehale ; I'd in Bethel. 

Joseph, b. Jan. 20, 1814, m. Mary Nason, Dec. 25, 1848. Ch : Horatio C, b. 

Nov. 6, 1849, m. Martha E. Lowell, May 8, 1899, who d. Apr. 19, 1900; 

Frank, b. July 6, 1S54, d. unm. Nov. 13, 1893. Mr. Skillings d. June 15, 

1888, and his wife Mary, June 16, 1894, ag. 72. 
Mary L., b. May 10, 1816, d. Sept. 11, 1857. 
Horatio C, b. Oct. 26, 1818, d. Mar., 1819. 
Susan C, b. Aug. 31, 1821. 
Clark, b. Jan. 10, 1824, d. Mar. 16, 1825. 
George, b. Sept. 22, 1826, m. Mary A. Hill of Bu.xton, Nov. 16, 1858. Ch : 

Walter, b. July 21, 1859, m. Nellie M. Hanscom of Buxton ; Celia I., b. 

Oct. 20, 1861, d. y. ; George E., b. Feb. 20, 1863, m. Susan Day ; Martha 

J., b. Jan. 14, 1865, d. Oct. 27, 1883; Herbert N., b. Nov. i, 1S67 ; Mary 

E., b.'july 2, 1869, d. Dec. 8, iSSo; John A., b. Oct. 26, 1874, m. Mrs. 

Agnes Cash. Mrs. Mary A. Skillings d. Apr. 30, 1893, ag. 61. 
William P., b. Feb. 26, 1831, m. Julia Bean ; I'd in Bethel. 

Joseph Skillings died April 5, 1853, aged 74, and his wife, Susan, 

March 2, 1834, aged 44. 

(3) Benjamin Skillings, son of Thomas, lived together with his 
brother Caleb for some years on Skillings Hill, in the house which 



GENEALOGY. 763 

had been their father's. Benjamin sold his share in the place to 

Caleb, and moved to Westbrook. He married Anna, daughter of 

Timothy and Anna Hamblen. Children : 

Martha, b. May 21, 1804, m. Ai Libby, Dec. i, 1824. 

Mary Ann, b. July 9, 1806, m. William Wescott, Mar. 4, 1824. 

Timothy A., b. Dec. 5, 1S08, m. Rachel Hopkinson, p. Nov., 1837. 

Barnabas, b. Mar. 19, 181 1, d. Mar. 7, 1826. 

Thomas, b. May 12, 1814, m. Abigail K.,dau. of Alexander and Tahpenes Phin- 

ney, Feb. 22, 1844. Ch : Abba F., b. July 31, 1S44, m. David Patrick ; 

Sarah L., b. Apr. 3, 1846, m. Charles P. Winship. Mr. Skillings d. Oct. 

I, 1850, and his wife, June 3, 1862, ag. 43. 
Gershom H., b. Aug. 2, 1816, m. Patience Files, Apr. 12, 1843; no ch ; he d. 

Feb. 19, 1873; she, Nov. 17, i8()o. 
Esther F., b. May 5, 1819, m. Rufus Whitney. 
Harriet M., b. Apr. 4, 1822, m. Edward Faulkner. 
Benjamin F., b. Apr. i, 1825, d. Nov. 15, 1829. 

Benjamin Skillings died Jan. 28, 1856, aged 74, and his wife, 
Anna, Dec. 31, 185 1, aged 69. 

(3) Caleb Skillings, son of Thomas, lived at the north part of the 
town about one- half mile above the meeting-house, on Skillings Hill, 
on the place where his father had lived before him. He married 
Esther, daughter of Benjamin and Jenny Irish. Children : 

William, b. Mar. 29, 1835, m. Annie Wilband. 

Mary J., b. Nov. i, 1840, m. Wm. B. Libby, Apr. 24, i860; 2d, Robert Rounds 

of Limington. 
Benjamin F., b. June 27, 1845, d- J^"- 6' 185 1. 

Mrs. Esther Skillings died Aug. 31, 1881, aged 75. Caleb Skil- 
lings died a few years after the decease of his wife. 

SMITH. 

Capt. Samuel Smith came to Gorham, from Eastham (or Wellfleet), 
Mass., with his sons Ephraim and Hezekiah, as early as 1782. He 
owned the hundred acre lot. No. 19, (now known as the "Weeks 
farm,") with his son Ephraim, and they built the house recently 
standing there. Subsequently he purchased Ephraim's half of the 
lot. Samuel appears by record to have been in town as late as May, 
1792. Tradition says he returned to Eastham, where he had some 
property. 

Of the number or names of Samuel Smith's children we have no 
record. We hear of but three, Hezekiah, Ephraim, and one daugh- 
ter, whose name we think was Betsey. It is said that she married a 
man by the name of Hathaway. We do not find Hathaway's name 
on record in Gorham. If he came here, he probably returned to 
Massachusetts with Mr. Smith, his father-in-law. Of this Hathaway 
an anecdote has been told us by one of the family, which if true, is 



764 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

curious. He believed himself to be rich, and thought that poverty 
was a contingency that could not come to him. ' When out fishing in 
a boat, some of his companions for some reason reminded him that 
though now rich he might possibly become as poor as any of them. 
He immediately took from his finger a ring and casting it into the 
sea remarked that " It is as possible to find that ring as it is for 
God to make me a poor man." In a few minutes a fish was drawn 
in with the ring in his mouth, and restored to him. He died a poor 
man. 

Hezekiah first settled on a part of the hundred acre lot, No. 20, 
but at the disappearance of his father, he appears to be the owner of 
and occupied the home farm (lot, 19) and remained on it till Dec. 30, 
1796, when he sold it to his son-in-law, James Lombard. 

He married a Miss Cook, probably of Eastham, for his first 
wife. By her he had one daughter, Bethiah, who was born about the 
year 1776. She came to Gorham with the family, and married, Dec. 
13, 1792, James Lombard, before mentioned. The mother died soon 
after the marriage of her daughter to Lombard. Hezekiah, soon after 
coming to Gorham, went into trade at the village with Samuel Pren- 
tiss, in the old Prentiss store. They carried on the potash and 
pottery business (the manufacture of brown earthern ware) quite 
largely, but failed to make a success of it. In January, 1797, Heze- 
kiah married his second wife, Sally, daughter of Rev. Peter Smith of 
Windham. He left Gorham about this time, and after several moves 
finally settled in Windham, where he reared a family, and where he 
and his wife lived till their death. The old farm was occupied by 
James Lombard till his death. His widow Bethiah married Robert 
Weeks, and the place is still owned by her children. 

Ephraim Smith, the son of Samuel aforesaid, was probably born in 
Eastham, Mass. x'Vfter he sold out to his father his interest in the 
lot. No. 19, he purchased a hundred acre lot in the easterly part of 
the town, about one mile westerly from Little Falls, probably lot, 107, 
near what is now the town farm. Here he built the house and build- 
ings afterwards owned and occupied by his grandson, Samuel S. 
Waterhouse, Esq. In his early life Ephraim was a sailor. He 
followed going to sea after he came to Gorham, and finally became 
master or captain. He. was a man of good attainments. In Decem- 
ber, 1773, he was in Boston with his vessel. Seeing a crowd he 
joined in and was one of the men who went on board the English 
vessels, and threw the tea overboard. He often told the story of 
one of the men, who, wishing to carry a little tea home to his wife, 



GENEALOGY. 765 

unwittingly put so much into his coat-tail pocket as to make it too 
prominent. This was discovered by some co-patriots, when a jack- 
knife soon made his coat into a short jacket. That part containing 
the obnoxious weed was thrown into the dock much to his disgust, 
and the amusement of the boys and the crowd generally. Capt. 
Smith before he came to Gorham married Elizabeth Harding, prob- 
ably in Eastham, somewhere about the year 1776. Their first child, 
Ephraim, was born in Eastham. We have no record of the date of 
his birth; but their second child was born in Gorham, in 1780. 
Elizabeth Harding was the daughter of David Harding, and sister of 
Elkanah and David, Jr. The children of Capt. Ephraim Smith and 
his wife Elizabeth were : 

Ephraim, b. , m. Mary Brown, Oct. 30, 1796. 

Sarah B., b. Aug. 13, 1780, m. William H. Waterhoiise, Jan. 31, 1802. 

Hezekiah, b. June 12, 1782, d. Apr. i, 1783. 

Hannah, b. Apr. 4, 1784, m. Jacob P. Bettis, Mar. 21, 1807. 

Hezekiah, b. Feb. 10, 1786, d. Oct. i, 1791. 

Betsey, b. June 4, 1789, m. Peter Strout of Limington, Oct. i, 1S08; d. Apr., 
i860. 

Samuel, b. June 12, 1792, m. Sarah Hacker of Portland, Jan. 27, 1816. 

Mary, b. July 17, 1794, m. Joseph Webster of Standish, Nov. 8, 1824. 

Thomas, b. Jan. 27, 1798, d. Sept. i, 1800. 

Capt. Smith and his wife died at their old homestead in Gorham, 
leaving many friends, and much beloved and respected by all. 
Though they had a large family of children and grandchildren, there 
are but few of their descendants remaining in town. Capt. Smith 
died Jan. 13, 1835, aged 84 ; Mrs. Smith died Dec. 9, 1834, aged 78. 

(2) Ephraim Smith, Jr., son of Capt. Ephraim, married Mary, the 

daughter of Ezra and Mary Brown of Wmdham. Children : 

Nancy, b. May 12, 1797, m. George Hacker, 1815. 

Sarah G., b. July 27, 1799, m. Daniel H. Frost, Dec. 16, 1818. 

Elizabeth H., b. July 17, 1801, m. J. Pray. 

Rebecca, b. July 15, 1803. 

Eliza B., b. June 30, 1805, m. Alexander Pray of Windham, p. Oct. 11, 1823. 

Lois, b. July 9, 1807, m. Alexander Pray of Windham, p. Apr. 12, 1S38. 

Peter B., b. May 20, 181 1, d. unm. June, 1847. 

Samuel, b. Mar. i, 1814. Capt. Samuel; d. unm. July 20, 1850. 

Emeline H., b. Dec. 24, 1816, m. Ezra Brown of Windham, Aug. 9, 1840 ; d. 

July 29, 1S48. 
William, b. Mar. 18, 1820, m. Margaret Murch ; I'd on his father's farm; d. 

Apr. 14, i860; two ch : Frank and Emeline. 
Albion E., b. Jan. 29, 1824, d. Sept. 25, 1851. 

Ephraim Smith died about 1830, and his wife Mary, May 19, 1849, 

aged 70. 

Col. John Tyng Smith was the son of Rev. Peter T. and Elizabeth 
(Wendell) Smith of Windham, and grandson of Rev. Thomas and 
Sarah (Tyng) Smith of Falmouth. He was born May 6, 1772, and 



766 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

married in April, 1798, Miss Mary Duguid from Scotland, the niece 

of Madam Elizabeth Tyng. They settled on the three hundred acre 

lot, which was originally granted to John Tyng, Esq., of Tyngsbor- 

ough, Mass. This was one of the best farms in Gorham, and Col. 

Smith knew well how to manage it. They lived in good style ; 

brought up a large family, and for hospitality none stood ahead of 

them. Children : 

William Tyng, b. Sept. 21, 1800, d. July 15, iSoi. 

William Tyng, b. June 19, 1802, m. Margaret Duncan. 

Peter Wendell, b. June 6, 1805, m. Mary Shaw ; d. Mar. 28, 1862. 

Edward Tyng, b. Dec. 17, 1807, m. Margaret Foster, 1837. 

Arthur McL., b. Dec. 8, 1810, d. unm., Aug. 4, 1847. 

John Duguid, b. Dec. 2, 1813, d. in Alabama, May 29, 1836. 

Thomas S., b. Oct. 17, 1816, d. unm., in Windham, Dec. 15, 1894. 

They also had an adopted -daughter, Elizabeth Webb, who died 

Dec. 4, 1845, aged 26. Col. John T. Smith and his wife were both 

members of the Congregational church in Gorham ; excellent, 

upright, Christian people. They had the respect of their townsmen, 

as well as of a large circle of acquaintances. Col. Smith in his 

younger days had command of the Gorham regiment of militia, and 

was called to Portland for the defence of the town in the War of 

1812. He died in Gorham, Oct. 22, 1856, aged 84, and his wife, 

Jan. 19, 1855, aged 84. 

(2) Edward T. Smith, son of John T., lived near his father, on 
what had been a part of the latter's farm. He held the rank of brig- 
adier general in the militia. He married Margaret, daughter of 
William H. and Betsey Foster. Children : 

Mary D., b. May 8, 1839, m. William H. White of Windham; d. July 30, 1869. 
Edward H. F., b. Aug. 30, 1844, m. Bertha Humphrey of Yarmouth. 

Gen. Edward T. Smith died April 20, 1885, and his wife Margaret 

July 21, 1897. 

Jacob Sheaff Smith, son of Ebenezer and Mehitable (Sheaff) 
Smith, was born in Durham, N. H., April 28, 1786. He came to 
Gorham in 1808, and took the ofifice at the village made vacant by 
the death of Col. Samuel Whitmore. Here he continued in the prac- 
tice of law till 1833, when he bought a farm about two miles south of 
the village, where he spent thirty-four years of quiet home life. In 
1867 he removed to Brooklyn, N. Y., where he spent the remainder 
of his days in the home of his son, Lothrop L. Smith. He married, 
Oct. 12, 1816, Mary L., daughter of Hon. Lothrop and Tabitha 
(Longfellow) Lewis. Children : 

Lothrop L., b. Aug. 24, 1817, m. Margaret J. Mallett ; d. in Brooklyn, Apr. 14, 

1872. 
Samuel L., b. Dec. 13, 18 18, d. Nov. 5, 1S39. 



GENEALOGY. 



767 



Mrs. Mary L. Smith died Feb. 15, 1820, aged 23, and Mr. Smith 
married Tabitha, daughter of John and Tabitha (Longfellow) 
Stephenson (pub. March 24, 1821). There were no children by this 
marriage. Mrs. Tabitha Smith died Dec. i, 1857, aged 69. Lawyer 
Smith died in Brooklyn, N. Y., May 1, 1S80, aged 94. 

James Smith married, about the year 1785, Mrs. Mary (Brackett) 
Halliday, daughter of Anthony and Kerenhappuck Brackett of Port- 
land. Children : 

Jane B., b. about 17S6, m. Samuel Miller, Apr. 12, 18 10. 

William H., b. about 1787, m. Sally, dau. of William and Jane Mayberry of 
Windham, Dec. 25, i8ro. Ch: Samuel, Simeon, Jane, and William M. 
Mrs. Sally Smith d. Oct. 20, 1821, aged 35. Mr. Smith m. Oct. 27, 1823, 
Esther, dau. of Cornelius and Meribah Bramhall, and moved to Wind- 
ham, where he d. He was a joiner by trade. 

James, b. about 1792, m. Mary L., dau. of John and Anna Darling, June 20, 
1814. Ch: Caroline P., b. Apr. 4, 1815, d. unm. in New York ; Mary B., 
b. Jan. I, i8i7,m. Charles O. Cole of Portland, d. in Maiden, Mass. 
Mr. Smith built the house on the western side of South St., now occu- 
pied by Gardner M. Park-er. Mr. and Mrs. Smith removed to New York 
where Mis. Smith d. Mr. Smith d. in Portland, Sept. 27, 1875. 

Keziah, b. about 1794, m. Elisha A. Whitmore, Jan. 28, 1821. 

After the death of Mr. Smith his widow married, in 1800, Capt. 
Isaiah Thomas. 

Stevens Smith was born in Epping, N. H., July 17, 1796. He 

came to Gorham, and kept a watchmaker's and jeweller's store 

on the hill at the village. He afterwards went into the boot 

business. He was postmaster in Gorham for four years, from 1841 

to 1845. He married in 1829, Nancy, daughter of Samuel and Nancy 

(McLellan) Staples. She died Oct. 23, 1829. Mr. Smith married, 

Oct. 30, 1831, Sophia, daughter of Nahum and Desire (Watson) 

Chadbourne. Children : 

Frederic C.,b. Oct. 10, 1832, m. Elvira Crane of Quincy, Mass., Oct. 16, i860; 

was Adj. in an Ohio regt. in war of '61 ; d. in W. Va., Apr. 16, 1862. 
Emeline, b. June 3, 1835, m. Josiah S. Hobbs, May 13, 1858. 
Nancy S., b. June 12, 1837, m. Chandler A. Libby, Jan. i, 1866. 
Charles L., b. Apr. 10, 1839, d. Sept. 9, 1840. 
Martha L., b. Mar. 10, 18^1, d. Oct. 31, 1861. 
Francis M., b. Nov. 6, 1842, d. Mar. 14, 1843. 
Hendric, b. June 30, 1844. 
Charles, b. Aug. 29, 1S45. 
Alfred S., b. Dec. 10, 1847. 
Ella, b. Aug. ID, 1850, m. Elmer H. Marble, Aug. 25, 1870. 

Mr. Smith bought a farm in Waterford, and moved to that place 

from Gorham. His wife Sophia died in Waterford, Oct. 8, 1859, 

aged 52, and he married Mrs. Sanborn. He died at Paris, Me., 

Sept. 13, 1876, aged 80. 



768 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Henry P. A. Smith, son of Isaac and Priscilla (Welch) Smith of 
Portland, was a lawyer here for a few years. He came to town about 
1842, in which year, Sept. 14, he married Caroline Fox of Portland. 
Children : 

Francis W., b. Aug. 27, 1843, ^^^ in the Union Army. 

Horatio F., b. July 4, 1845, was in the Union Army; d. Aug. 28, 1864. 

Emma C, b. Aug. 21, 1847, "i. Prof. H. L. Chapman of Bowdoin College, 

Aug., 1870; d. in Brunswick, June 14, 1892. 
Mary E., b. Oct. 26, 1849, m. Hon. John A. Waterman, Sept., 1885. 

Mrs. Smith and family resided in Gorham for many years. She 
died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Waterman, Nov. 4, 1896, 
aged 75. Mr. Smith died in Helena, Montana, Nov. 20, 1870, aged 
50. Mrs. Priscilla P. Smith, mother of H. P. A. Smith, died in Gor- 
ham, May 10, 1877. 

SNOW. 

Benjamin Snow, said to have come from Barnstable, bought in 

November, 1773, of Daniel Eldridge a part of the hundred acre lot, 

58, and about this time moved here with his family consisting of his 

mother, wife and seven children. He was living in a part of Capt. 

Eldridge's house when it was burned in 1774. His wife's name was 

Bathsheba . They have the births of two children recorded in 

Gorham : 

Ruth, b. Sept. 8, 1774. 

Hannah, b. Dec. 27, 1777, m. Samuel Whitney, Aug. 24, 1798. 

Among other children in this family, born before coming to Gor- 
ham, were probably : 

Bathsheba, m. Nathaniel Edwards, Sept. 29, 1786. 
Jenny, m. Michael Philbrick, Jr., of Standish, Sept. 4, 1788. 
Mary, m. Joseph Hodgdon, Feb. 24, 17S9. 
Lucy, m. Israel Hodgdon. 

Benjamin Snow left town about 1794, going to Orrington, and 
from there moving to Bucksport. 

William Snow came from Eastham, Mass., in 1778, with Capt. 

Joseph Higgins, and bought land with him. Mr. Snow lived on the 

hundred acre lot, 118, on the farm since owned by Lewis Douglass, 

and which joined that of Capt. Higgins on the east. His wife was 

Dorcas Cook, sister of Mrs. Higgins. She was born in 1753. The 

children of William and Dorcas (Cook) Snow on the Gorham records 

are : 

William, b. July i, 1795, m. Betsey Bacon, p. July 8, 1815. 
Mehitable, b. 1797, m. Joseph Cotton, Nov. 20, 181 7. 



GENEALOGY, 



769 



William Snow had also a daughter Harriet, who married Samuel 
Whitney, and as he was taxed for two polls in 1795 it is probable 
that he had other children. Samuel Snow who married Polly McCol- 
liff, March 26, 1798, and Thankful Snow who married Samuel 
Jenkins, Jr., Jan. 23, 1794, may have been among these. William 
Snow died Jan. 24, 1832, aged 85, and his wife Dorcas, Jan. 9, 1832, 
aged 79. 

Edward Snow's name appears on the tax lists for 1781-82-83. 
He came from Eastham, Mass., where he married, Jan. 23, 1755, 

Martha ( ) Brown, widow of Brown. Samuel and 

Sylvanus Brown, Mrs. Martha A. Harding and Mrs. Bethiah H. Tryon 
were children of Mrs. Snow by her first husband. We have the 
record of but one child of Edward and Martha (Brown) Snow : Eliza- 
beth, born in Eastham, Jan. 3, 1766, married in Gorham, Feb. 23, 
1 78 1, Saul Cook (recorded Solomon). Thankful Snow, who died in 
Gorham, Feb. 15, 1837, aged 75, may perhaps have been of this 
family. 

Thomas Snow came from Cape Cod to Gorham about 1778, and 
settled in the northern part of the town ; his farm comprising parts 
of the seventy acre lots, 68 and 78. His house is now gone, but the 
barn is still standing. His wife was Jane Magne. The mother and 
sister of Mrs. Snow came with the family to Gorham, where the sister 
died while a young woman. Children of Thomas and Jane Snow : 

Mercy, b. on Cape Cod, m. John Chase about 1782-83 ; had son Josiah, b. May 
25, 1784. 

Aaron, b. on Cape Cod, m. Eunice ; went to Liveimore. 

Gideon, b. on Cape Cod, m. Joanna Edwards, Dec. 28, 1788 ; 2d, Susan Par- 
sons ; two children, Susan and Joseph. 

Thomas, b. on Cape Cod, about 1773. 

Lydia, b. Feb., 1776, m. Joseph Young, 3rd, Nov. 7, 1793. 

Jemima, b. in Gorham, July, 1785, m. Uriah Nason, Jr., June 5, 1807. 

Thomas Snow died about 1825, and his wife Jane, March 5, 1837, 
aged 102. 

STAPLES. 

The Staples family came from Kittery to Scarboro, and thence 
to Gorham. Samuel and Ai Staples were cousins. They came to 
Gorham about the year 1790. They married sisters, Nancy and 
Eunice, daughters of Lieut. Gary and Eunice McLellan. Samuel 
Staples had a sister, Catherine, who married Isaac Gilkey of Gorham, 
Aug. 26, 1792. 



770 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Samuel Staples lived at the village, in the house on the southwest 

corner of Main and Elm Sts., now owned by Henry Jose. He was 

a blacksmith, and his shop stood on the spot where Miss Kelsey's 

shop now stands. He married, April 28, 1794, Nancy McLellan, 

and their children were : 

Samuel, b. Mar. 25, 1795, m. Adeline Burnham, Aug. 9, 1825; 2d, Jane Barbour. 

William, b. Apr. 26, 1797, m. Mary McLellan, Nov. 11, 1824. 

Stephen McL., b. June 13, 1800, m. Elizabeth P. Lewis, Oct. 17, 1831. 

Nancy McL., b. Nov. 9, 1804, m. Stevens Smith, May, 1829. 

Elizabeth M., b. Apr. 9, 1807, d. unm. July 12, 1S31. 

Albert B., b. Aug. 9, 1816, m. Eliza Nason ; d. in Niles, Mich., June 14, 1856. 

Samuel Staples died Feb. 4, 1837, ^ged 71. Mrs. Nancy Staples 
died June 15, 1839, aged 65. 

(2) Samuel Staples, Jr., son of Samuel, lived on South St., in the 
house now occupied by B. Frank Whitney. He married Mary Ade- 
line Burnham of Scarboro. Children : 

Stephen M., b. June 27, 1826, d. Jan. 5, 1S29. 

Thomas B., b. July 15, 1828, d. Dec. 25, 1832. * 

Stephen McL., h. May 17, 1830, I'd in Illinois. 

Elizabeth L., b. June 7, 1832, I's in the West. 

Mrs. Adeline Staples died Feb. 12, 1834. Mr. Staples moved to 
Portland, where he married Jane Barbour, by whom he had Susan, 
Charles, George, Caroline, and Albert. He died in Portland. 

(2) William Staples, son of Samuel, lived for some years in Bald- 
win. He married Mary, daughter of James and Rebecca McLellan 
of West Newfield. Children : 

Nancy M., b. in Baldwin, May 27, 1828, d. unm. Mar. 7, 1851. 
Mary Elizabeth, b. in Gorham, Nov. 20, 1838, d. unm. July 16, 1874. 

William Staples died July 28, 1838, aged 41. Mrs. Staples died 
July 16, 1852, aged 56. 

(2) Stephen McLellan Staples, son of Samuel, was educated at 
Gorham Academy, and at Bowdoin College, where he was graduated 
in 182 1. He then went to Philadelphia, in which city, in company 
with a Mr. Toppan, he opened an academy, and was for several years 
a successful English and Classical instructor. In 1825 he published 
a grammar of the English language for the use of Spaniards, which 
was the first work of the kind published in this country'. In the 
fall of the same year he went to Mexico, where he remained for sev- 
eral years. He was for a long time Surveyor General of the State 
of Chihuahua. In 1830 he was obliged by the failure of his health 
to return to the United States. He married, Elizabeth P.., daughter 
of Hon. Lothrop and Mary J. Lewis of Gorham. Col. Staples died 
of consumption Feb. 17, 1832, in Philadelphia. 



GENEALOGY. 771 

Ai Staples was the son of Jeremiah of Scarboro, who lived on the 
farm now owned and occupied by James W. Libby. Ai Staples was 
a farmer, and lived in the south part of the town, on the farm now 
owned and occupied by John Sanborn. He married, May 28, 1801, 
Eunice McLellan. Children : 

Statira R., b. Mar. i, 1S02, m. Capt. John Curtis, May 22, 1823. 

Alexander M., b. Oct. 26, 1803, m. Bethiah T. Lincoln, Aug. 2, 1827. 

Ai, b. Mar. 8, 1806, m. Ann Cascolina Meirill; I'd and d. in Augusta. 

Jeremiah, b. Apr. 22, 1810, m. Ann Murray of Baltimore; 2d, Mrs. Sarah B. 
Emery ; enlisted in the summer of 1846 in the Mexican war on board 
the schooner " Morris," which was wrecked at Key West, Oct. 10, 1846 ; 
d. May 19, 1868. 

Robert, b. Sept. 5, 181 2, m. Eliza Marks of Phila. ; d. at Panama. 

Eunice E., b. Dec. 18, 1814, d. Aug. 10, 1815. 

Chailes A., b. Oct. 9, 1816, lost at sea, May 6, 1S39. 

Eunice J., b. Jan. 7, 1820, m. Capt. Charles Frost, Aug. 14, 1848. 

Ellen R., b. Apr. 11, 1823, d. unm. Nov. 14, 1846. 

Ai Staples died Feb. 22, 1835, aged 58. Mrs. Eunice Staples died 
Sept. 28, 1841, aged 63. 

(2) Alexander McLellan Staples, son of Ai, was a sea captain. 
He married Bethiah T., daughter of Capt. John Lincoln of Gorham. 
Children : 

Lydia A. T., b. June, 1828, d. Feb. 5, 1833. 
Statira C, b. May 17, 1830, d. July 20, 1832. 
J. Alexander, b. Sept. 20, 1835, d. May 19, 1842. 

Harriet, b. , m. Joseph Webster of Portland. 

Charles, b. 1839, d. in 1895. 

Lincoln T., b. June 27, 1843, '^- ^^Y 8. 1872. 

Capt. Staples moved to Portland. He died at St. Mary's, Ga., 

Oct. 10, 1844. His widow married Mr. Green, and died Sept. 16, 

1896, aged 93. 

STEPHENSON. 

Capt. John Stephenson was a sea captain. He came to Portland 
from New York. May i, 1771, he married Tabitha, daughter of 
Stephen Longfellow. His house, before the Revolution, stood front- 
ing the beach, near Clay Cove. He removed to Gorham in October, 
1775, having been driven from Portland, when Mowatt destroyed the 
town by the fire which burned his house, as also that of his father-in- 
law, and most of Portland. He had, some years before, purchased 
of the Hon. John Hancock of Boston, the hundred acre lot, 116, a 
little above West Gorham. Here he built a large house, long since 
removed. The two-story ell of this house was moved on to the cross 
road leading from the Gorham and Standish road to the road from 
Standish village to Lake Sebago, and was used by Levi Phinney for 
a paint shop, till within a few years. While Capt. Stephenson was 



772 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

building this house he lived at West Gorham in the Brown house, so 

called, and here his son, Samuel, was born. In 1784 he returned to 

Portland, and built, on the site of the one destroyed by fire, a new 

gambreled roofed house, which is still standing (1877). The children 

of John and Tabitha (Longfellow) Stephenson were, as given on their 

family record : 

John, b. in Portland, Mar., 1772, d. at sea, of yellow fever, in 1791. 
Tabitha, b. in Portland, Feb. 13, 1773, d. in Portland, Feb., 1777. 
Catherine, b. in Portland, June 3, 1774, m. Ebenezer Storer, June 16, 1800. 
Samuel, b. in Gorham, Apr. 5, 1776, m. Abigail Longfellow, Oct. 18, 1801. 
Stephen, b. in Gorham, Dec. 28, 1778, m. Harriet Storer, Oct. 7, 1806. 
Henry, b. in Gorham, 1782, d. in 1793. 

William, b. in Portland, 1785, m. Harriet Lincoln, Aug. 30, 1818. 
Tabitha, b. in Portland, Aug. 24, 1788, m. Jacob. S. Smith in 1821. 

About 1788, the Stephensons returned to Gorham, where Capt. 
Stephenson died Dec. 6, 18 17, aged 76. His wife Tabitha died May 
24 of the same year, aged 65. 

(2) Samuel Stephenson, son of John, married his cousin, Abigail, 
daughter of Stephen and Patience Longfellow. He followed the sea 
for some time, and then entered into business in Portland with his 
brother-in-law, Ebenezer Storer, and was a prosperous merchant for 
many years, till the difficulties arose in connection with the embargo, 
and our troubles with England. He removed to Gorham and settled 
on a part of the farm of his father-in-law, Judge Longfellow. The 
home of Gol. and Mrs. Stephenson was noted for its genial and grace- 
ful hospitality. He and his most excellent wife were members of the 
Congregational church, and were honored by all who knew them. 
Children, the three oldest born in Portland. 

Elizabeth W., b. 1802, m. Randolph A. L. Codnian, Jan. 6, 1825. 

Catherine L., b. 1804, d. Dec. 6, 1820. 

John, b. Dec. 10, 1806, d. Dec. 4, 1845. 

Almira S., b. Mar. 31, 1809, d. unm. Dec. 21, 1836. 

Samuel L., b. June 28, 181 1, was a doctor; went West. 

Ann L., b. Jan. i, 1814, d. unm. Apr. 21, 1861. 

Mary L., b. Mar. i, 1816, d. unm. Apr. 18, 1857. 

Abigail C, b. May 7, 1819, d. unm. Aug. 5, 1885. 

Stephen L., b. Aug. 30, 1821, d. unm. May 28, 1892. 

Col. Stephenson was Representative to the General Court of Mass- 
achusetts in 1816, and to the Maine Legislature in 1825. He died in 
Gorham, May 23, 1858, aged 82. His wife Abigail L. died Feb. 14, 
1869, aged 90. 

Stephen, youngest son of Col. Samuel Stephenson, was a civil 
engineer. He did much work in this vicinity, including the surveys 
for the Portland and Ogdensburg railroad. He resided on the old 
homestead, where he died. 



GENEALOGY. 773 

(2) Stephen Stephenson, son of Capt. John, was also for many 

years a successful sea captain. He afterwards moved on to the farm, 

at West Gorham, where his father had formerly lived. He married 

Harriet, daughter of Ebenezer Storer. Their children all excepting 

Edward born in Portland : 

Stephen S., b. Aug., 1808, d. unm. in Gorham, Feb, 12, 1846. 

William H., b. Jan. 18 10, d. in Singapore, Oct. 31, 1850. 

George S., b. Aug. 24, 181 1, m. Ellen T. Brewster, May 13, 1852; d. Apr. 8, 

1873- 
Frederick S., b. May 10, 1813, d. unm. Apr. 29, 1887, in Gorham. 
Charles L., b. Apr. 13, 181 5, m. Martha B. Washburn of Livermore; d. Aug. 

31, 1880, in St. Paul, Minn. 
Harriet S., b. Mar. 15, 1817, m. Geo. Motley of Lowell, Dec. 18, 1S50. 
Eben S., b. 1819, m. Elizabeth Champlain of Essex, Conn. ; d. May, 1868. 
Edward H., b. May 27, 1823, m. Charlotte Beers, 1865. 

George, Frederick, Eben, and Edward Stephenson went into busi- 
ness in New York. Capt. Stephen Stephenson died on his farm at 
West Gorham, March 19, 183 1, aged 52. His wife Harriet died 
Feb. 9, 1838, aged 52. 

(2) William Stephenson, son of Capt. John, at one time kept an 

hotel in Gorham, in the old Thacher house, now owned by Lewis 

Johnson. About 1832 the family moved to Portland, where he kept 

an hotel till they removed to New York. Mr. Stephenson married 

Harriet, daughter of Capt. John Lincoln. Children : 

Tabitha L., b. June 21, 1819, d. unm. in New York. 

John L., b. Dec. 18, 1821, m. and I'd in Elmira, N. Y. 

Anna Maria, b. Dec. 9, 1S23, m. Mr. Butler of New York ; d. in N. Y. 

Mr. Stephenson died in Brooklyn, N. Y., Aug. 7, 1849, aged 

63. Mrs. Stephenson, in New York City, many years later, at an 

advanced age. 

STEVENS. 

Benjamin Stevens came from Falmouth and settled in Gorham 
before the French and Indian war. He had a daughter, Sarah, 
born in Gorham, 1744. It is probable, though by no means certain, 
that he moved to Falmouth in 1745. If so, he had returned to Gor- 
ham before 1750. He was a scout among Capt. George Berry's men 
in 1747. He sold to Simon Huston in 1759 the hundred acre lot, 
106, in Gorham, drawn for the right 98. He also owned the hundred 
acre lot, 115, and in September, 1760, sold one-half of it to John 
Williams, and in December, 1761, sold the remainder (the eastern 
half) to James Lowe". Benjamin Stevens, with the help of the slave 
Limbo, took care of the Gorham cattle on the " Great Meadows " in 

I James Lowe married in Gorham, Feb. 19, 1762, Mrs. Esther Linsket. 



774 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

the winter of 1760. He was one of the town's first board of select- 
men, chosen in 1764. He married, May 29, 1741, Sarah Pride of 
Fahnouth. Children, all born in Gorham, except Nathaniel, born in 
Falmouth : 

Nathaniel, b. Dec. 12, 1741, m. Elizabeth Sinclair, Jan. 9, 1766. 

Sarah, b. Jan. 7, 1744, m. Ezekiel Rich, Nov. 21, 1765. 

Mehitable, b. July 15, 1750, m. Joseph Whitney, Oct. 13, 1765. 

Abigail, b. Apr. 27, 1753, m. James Rich, p. May 3, 1775. 

Catherine, b. Aug. 5, 1757, m. Barnabas Bangs, Jr., Nov. 20, 1777. 

Benjamin, b. May 9, 1760, m. Amy Webb, p. May 6, 1784. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 14, 1764, m. Joanna Rackley of Pearsonstown, Sept. 2, 1784. 

Ch. on Gorham records: Polly, b. June 22, 1787 ; Benjamin Rackley, b. 

Feb. 23, 1789; Ebenezer, b. June 8, 1792. In 1794 Joseph Stevens had 

left Gorham. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 14, 1766, m. Alice Goff of Alienstown, p. Mar. 12, 1791. Ch. 

on Gorham records: vSarah, b. Nov. i, 1792; Anna, b. Aug. 8, 1794; 

Samuel Goff, b. Sept. 10, 1796. July 19, 1793, Samuel and Alice 

Stevens sold to Lemuel Hicks of Gorham the seventy acre lots, 82 and 

88, reserving five acres from 88, which Samuel sold in 1799 to Charles 

Lord of Gorham. 

Benjamin Stevens died about 1791. Sarah, his widow, married, 
Nov. 21, 1796, Col. Edmund Phinney. 

(2) Nathaniel Stevens, son of Benjamhi, was a soldier of the 
Revolution, a corporal in Capt. Stuart's company in 1775. He mar- 
ried Elizabeth Sinclair. Children : 

Lucy, b. Dec. 17, 1766, m. Edmund Waite of Falmouth, May 15, 1788. 

Robert, b. Feb. 17, 1769. 

Nathaniel, b. Jan. 17, 1772, m. Anna, dau. of Capt. Wentworth and Susanna 

Stuart, Nov. 17, 1791. Ch : Mehitable, b. Jan. 9, 1792; Nathaniel, b. 

Feb. 18, 1795 ; Hezekiah, b. July 25, 1797. Moved to Unity, 
Frederick, b. May 5, 1774, m. Betty Gilkey, Mar. 3, 1801 ; I'd in Unity. 
Hezekiah, b. Nov. 3, 1776. 
Polly, b. Oct., 1779, d. June, 1780. 
John, b. July 2, 1781 ; I'd in Unity. 

Benjamin Stevens deeded to Nathaniel Stevens, March 7, 1774, 

the hundred acre lot, 90. 

(2) Benjamin Stevens, Jr., son of Benjamin, was a member of Capt. 
McLellan's company, and took part in the expedition against Baga- 
duce in 1779. He lived near Horse Beef Falls. He afterwards 
moved to Gorham village where he lived in the house lately remodeled 
by Clark Dyer. Mr. Stevens's wife was Amy Webb of Falmouth, prob- 
ably daughter of John and Elizabeth (Larrabee) Webb. Children : 

Harry, b. Dec. 17, 1784, m. Hannah Libby, Apr. 20, 1816. 
John, b. Dec. 11, 1786, m. Lucy Mugford, Nov. 13, 1813; d. in Bethel. 
Charlotte, b. Nov. 5, 1788, d. unm. in Gorham, Nov. 11, 1844. 
Amy, b. June 4, 1790, d. unm. in Bethel. 

Rev. Mr. Rand records the death of Mrs. Stevens, Nov. 25, 1814, 
aged 60. Benjamin Stevens died Nov. 29, 1843, aged 83. 



GENEALOGY. 775 

(3) Harry Stevens, son of Benjamin, Jr., was a carriage maker. He 

was a member of Lieut. Leighton's troop of cavalry, and took part in 

the defence of Portland in 1814. He married Hannah, daughter of 

John and Phebe Libby. Children : 

Eliza H., b. 1816, m. John Cloudman, Dec. 22, 1839. 
Charlotte A., b. 1S19, d. unm. Jan. 20, 1S40, aged 21. 
Albert B., b. Dec. i, 1826, m. Martha Morton ; 2d, Sarah Hamblen ; d. aged 71. 

Harry Stevens died April n, 1835, aged 51. Mrs. Stevens died 
Oct. 12, 1866, aged 77. 

Jonathan Ignatius Stevens was born in Mt. Desert, Jan. 26, 18 12. 
He was a sea captain, and resided in Gorham for many years. He 
married Sarah Pitts, daughter of and Mrs. Susan Pitts. Chil- 
dren : 

Nelson C, b. in Gorham, Nov. 6, 1841, d. young. 

John M., b. in Baltimore, Mar. 7, 1844, m. Helen B. Emery; served in the 

Civil War; d. at Baltimore, Jan. 4, 1865. 
Henry M., b. in Gorham, Nov. 19, 1S45, d. Dec. 25, 1850. 
Madelein, b. in Gorham, Oct. 6, 1848, d. Sept. 30, 1850. 
Zilmorah, b. in Gorham, Feb. 4, 1851, d. Jan. 30, 1S53. 

Mrs. Stevens died March 15, 1855, aged 38, and Capt. Stevens 
married March 11, 1858, Mrs. Elizabeth (Wescott) Chadbourne. Capt. 
Stevens died July 26, 1867. Mrs. Stevens died April 21, 1889. 

STONE. 

A Joseph Stone was in town as early as 1770 as the following, 
probably from the church in Berwick, shows: " I'his day April 5, 
1770, Joseph Stone, a member of this church, having removed his 
habitation to Gorham, and requesting to remove his relation from us, 
which being proposed to the church, it was voted to dismiss him from 
us to the Congregational Church there." A Joseph Stone of Gorham 
was published, March 30, 1781, to Elizabeth Kneeland. His name 
appears on the tax lists as late as 1786. 'In November, 1782, Elisha 
Pote, Nathan Freeman 2.w^ Joseph S/o/ie came from Gorham, Me., into 
what was then called Thompson Pond Plantation and held meetings 
in the house of Gowen Wilson, Sr. They were all preachers and 
singers. 

Jonathan Stone, was born in Cape Elizabeth, and was an only son. 
His father was Archelaus Stone probably of Scarborough, who may 
have been the Archelaus Stone who married, Jan. 3, 1746, Sarah 

I Address of Otis Sawyer, given Sept. 7, 1874 at the Centennial exercises of New 
Gloucester. 



776 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Weston of Falmouth. The name of Archelaus Stone appears, together 
with that of his son Jonathan, on the tax lists of Gorham for the first 
time for the year 1780. Jonathan settled in the northwestern part 
of the town, on the farm recently owned and occupied by his grand- 
son Samuel. Soon after he came to Gorham, his mother, then a 
widow, moved into the town with her six daughters and settled on 
a part of his farm, on the old road to Standish, near where the house 
formerly occupied by William Bangs now stands. Her six daughters 
married as follows : 

Hannah, m. Zel)ulon Whitney, Nov. 10, 1774. 
Elizabeth, m. Joel Sawyer, Dec, 1773. 
Abigail, m. Daniel Whitney, Dec. 7, 1780. 
Mary, m. Ichabod Hunt, July 19, 1780. 
Eunice, m. Ichabod Hunt (2d wife), Apr. 9, 1801. 
Susanna, m. Jolin Phinney, Jr., Feb. 16, 1786. 

Jonathan Stone married Damaris Elder of Falmouth, (pub. Nov. 
16, 1782). Children : 

Jonathan, b. Oct. 26, 1783, m. Sally Whitney, p. Feb. 15, 1806; I'd and d. in 

Unity. 
William, b. Aug. 22, 1785, d. at sea of yellow fever, Aug., iSio; was buried at 

Portland; was unm. 
Damaris, b. Oct. 17, 1787, m. Eli Whitney, Apr. 19, 1811. 

Solomon, b. Aug. 1,1789, m. Sally Wescott, July 29, 1813 ; moved to Hampden. 
Archelaus, b. Nov. 17, 1791, m. P.etsey Emery, Mar. 31, 1815. 
Anna, b. Nov. 26, 1793, "i- George Piles; d. in Thorndike. 
Miriam, b. Dec. 6, 1795, "^- I^aniel Davis of Standish, Mar. 29, 1826. 
Eunice, b. Apr. 25, 1799, d. unm. 
Mary, b. 1801, d. unm. Oct. 6, 1833. 

Jonathan Stone and his wife were members of the Congregational 
church in Gorham ; honest, upright people, in every way adorning 
their profession as Christians. He died on his farm in Gorham, Apr. 
19, 1834, at the age of 78; and his wife, Feb. 28, 1836, aged 85. 
Mrs. Stone, widow of Archelaus, and mother of Jonathan, died in 
Gorham in January, 18 13, at the age of 90. 

(2) Archelaus Stone, son of Jonathan, lived on his father's home- 
stead. He was a soldier in the War of 18 12. He married Betsey 
Emery of Buxton, who was born in 1793. Children : 

Samuel E., b. Oct. 16, 1S17, m. Elizabeth H., dau. of James and Betsey Bangs, 
Nov. 25, 1841. Ch: Mary E., b. Apr. I, 1845, d. Mar. 23, 1878; Charles, 
b. Aug. 17, 1851, d. Apr. 13, 1876. Mr. Stone I'd on the farm formerly 
owned by his grandfather. After the death of his children he sold the 
old place, and moved to the village, where he now I's. 

Damaris W., b. June 1 1, 1822, m. Samuel Libby, 3d, Sept. 1 1, 1859. 

Archelaus Stone died at his home in Gorham, March 18, 1865, 
and his wife, Feb. 5, 1879. 



GENEALOGY. 777 



STORER. 



Ebenezer Storer, who was born in Wells, July g, 1758, was the son 
of John Storer, Jr., and his wife, Mary (Langdon) Storer. Mr. Storer 
was a soldier in the Revolution, enlisting in 1775 as a private under 
Capt. Samuel Sawyer, in Col. James Scamman's regiment. Jan. i, 
1776, he enlisted as a sergeant in Capt. Hill's company. Col. Phinney's 
1 8th Continental. The same year he was appointed ensign in Col. 
Samuel Brewer's regiment. In 1779 he received a commission as pay- 
master and first lieutenant under Col. Ebenezer Sprout. He served 
in the army until peace was declared in 1783. With his regiment 
he saw the battle of Bunker Hill, was at the siege of Boston, at Fort 
Ticonderoga, at Bemis Heights, Stillwater and Burgoyne's surrender 
at Saratoga, and was at Valley Forge. He was, at the same time, 
lieutenant, clothier, and paymaster of his regiment, and received after- 
wards a treble pension from the government as reward for his services. 
He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. He was for 
many years a prosperous merchant in Portland, where he built the 
three-story house, corner of High and Danforth Sts., lately occupied 
by John Muzzey, Esq. From Portland he moved to New York, and 
from thence to this town. He was an honored citizen, and an upright 
Christian gentleman. Nov. 10, 1784, he married Eunice, daughter of 
Benjamin Titcomb of Falmouth. Children : 

Harriet, b. Feb. 21, 17S6. m. Stephen Stephenson, Oct. 7, 1806. 

Mary Ann, b. Aug. 20, 178S, d. unm. Mar. 5, 1844. 

George L., b. Mar. 25, 1790, m. Anna W. Chapman, 1817 ; 2d, Jane E Ward, 

May 14, 1835 ; d. Nov. i, 1854. 
Eunice, b. May, 1792, d. young. 
Ebenezer, b. Aug., 1793, d. young. 
Charles, b. Dec. 16, 1794, d. in Missouri in 1S50. 
Elizabeth Lake, b. Sept. i, 1797, d. unm. May 24, 1840. 

Mrs. Eunice Storer died Nov. 13, 1798, aged 39, and Mr. Storer 

married, June 16, 1800, Catherine, daughter of Capt John and 

Tabitha (Longfellow) Stephenson. Children : 

Ebenezer, b. Aug. 20, 1803, m. Mrs. Louisa C. Wooster; was a physician in 
New York City ; d. in 1882. 

Edward, b. Apr. 25, 1805, m. Miss Valencia in S. America; was a purser in the 
U. S. Navy; d. at sea in 1851. 

Catherine, b. Feb. 27, 1807, d. unm. Jan. 7, 18S5. 

Caroline, b. Dec. 15, 1808, d. unm. Dec. i, 1848. 

William H., b. Dec. 25, 1810, m. Harriet M. Rolette, May 6, 1835 ; was a grad- 
uate of West Point ; served in the Florida war; d. Aug. 22, 1878. 

Ellen, b. Sept. 22, 1812, d. unm. May 19, 1857. 

Albert, b. Jan. 16, 1815, m. Elizabeth M. Wooster, 1841 ; 2d, Louisa Burritt, 
1849; 3d, Augusta Burritt, 1864 ; I'd in New York City. 

Mr. Storer died July 20, 1846. His wife Catherine died Feb. 26, 

1850, aged 76. 



778 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 



STROUT. 



The Strouts are of Scotch descent. Some of the family came from 
Provincetown, Mass., to Cape Elizabeth about 1730, and from Fal- 
mouth (Cape Elizabeth) to Gorham about the year 1750. Elisha and 
George Strout were probably brothers. Elisha Strout married, Nov. 
27, 1764, Eunice Freeman of Gorham. Children: 

Simeon, b. Nov. 24, 1765, m. Mary Lake, p. May 10, 1783. (?) 
Susanna, b. July 28, 1767, m. Daniel Grant, p. Mar. 23, 17S7. 
Eunice, b. July 26, 1770, m. Wm. Nason Edgecomb, Sept. 13, 1792. 
Dorcas, b. Mar. i, 1773, m. Rufus Libby, Apr. 25, 1793. 
Elisha, b. Apr. 13, 1775, prob. setiledin Liniington. 

Solomon, b. Apr. 13, 1777, m. Mrs. Patience (Wallace) Fickett of F"almouth, 
Nov. 20, iSoo; I'd in Limington. 

The name of Elisha Strout is not found on the Gorham ta.x bills 
after 1793. 

George Strout settled on the farm now owned by William E. Strout, 

which he bought of Jonathan and Jonathan Freeman, Jr., June 10, 

1768, and is the eastern half of the hundred acre lot, No. 7. His 

house stood on the spot where William E. Strout has built the new 

house lately occupied by Isaac Sanborn. He married Rebecca 

Freeman, Children : 

Lydia, b. Sept. 6, 1763, m. Geo. Smalley of Raymondtown, p. May 10, 1783. 
Samuel, b. Apr. 13, 176S, m. Jerusha Emery of Buxton, June 21, 1787. 
Rebecca, b. Feb. 13, 1770, m. Levi Strout, Jr., of Cape Elizabeth, Dec. 7, 

1786. (?) 
Ellis, b. Jan. 19, 1771, m. Jesse Brown, Dec. 14, 1786. 
Sally, b. Apr. 29, 1775, m. Joseph Roberts, Jr., Dec. 16, iSoi. 
George, b. Apr. 9, 1780, m. Comfort Emery, June 21, 1804. 

(2) George Strout, Jr., son of George, lived on his father's place, 
on the old Strout farm. He married Comfort Emery of Buxton. 
Children : 

William, b. Nov. 17, 1804, m. Mary Libby; 2d, Sarah Meserve ; 3d, Phebe L. 

Meserve. 
Mary, b. Apr. 24, 1806, m. Edward Merrill; I'd and d. in Falmouth. 
Charles, b. Oct. 11, 1808, d. Sept. i, 1814. 
Harriet, b. Sept. 17, 1810, d. May 15, 1827. 
Sally, b. Aug. 17, 1813, m. Alexander Wescott, Oct. 4, 1837. 
Almira, ) , p , .,0 \ m. Capt. Chas. C. Penfield, Aug. 26, 1835. 
Samuel, ) " ' -'' 5- ^ (j Dg^. 25, 1831. 
Martha, b. Oct. 18, 1817, I'd at home unm ; d. Aug. 10, 1842. 
Charles, ) , ,. ^, | d. in Newtonville, Mass., Feb. 16, 1894. 

Franklin, \ ''• -^^^^ 24- 1^21, ^ ^ j^,y ^^ jg^^_ 

George Strout died Sept. 10, 1837, aged 57, and his wife, April 25, 
1839, aged 52. 

(3) William Strout, son of George, Jr., was a deacon of the Free 
Baptist church. He was a shoemaker, and lived on the County 



GENEALOGY. 779 

road, near where it is joined by the road leading to Gorham village. 

He married Mary, daughter of Charles and Mary Libby of Scarboro. 

Children : 

Caroline, b. Apr. 30, 1S25, m. and d. 

Charles J., b. July 18, 1826, m. and I'd in Boston. 

Ellen, b. Oct., 1830, d. May 12, 1832. 

Mrs. Mary Strout died Nov. ig, 1832, and Mr. Strout married, 

Sarah, daughter of John and Anna Meserve of Scarboro, by whom 

he had : 

Mary E., b. Mar. 26, 1836,111. Jedediah Wheeler of Portland. 
William E., b. May 18, 1839, m. Dora I!. Russell; 2d, Rebecca Fisher. 
Joseph M., b. Oct. 20, 1843, m. Sarah A. Willard of Portland. 

Mrs. Sarah Strout died Jan. 15, 1864. aged 58, and Mr. Strout mar- 
ried in 1867 her sister Phebe L. Meserve. About 1840, Mr. Strout 
bought and moved on to the old Penfield place. He died Oct. 31, 
1886, and his wife Phebe, July i, 1880, aged 58. 

STUART. 

Wentworth Stuart came to Gorham from Berwick, in York Co. In 
a deed from James Gilkey, dated Jan. 23, 1753, he is named as of 
Berwick ; and during the same year he purchases lands and styles him- 
self as of Gorham. He was born in Wells, Me., Oct. 20, 1731- His 
father Joseph Stuart (son of Samuel) died about the year 1734. 
He had a sister Dorcas born about the time of his father's decease. 
His mother's maiden name was Mary Lord, of Berwick. Mary, the 
widow of Joseph, was appointed guardian of Wentworth and Dorcas, 
her two minor children, by Court, April 25, 1735. She was after- 
wards Mary Grant of Berwick, widow. Wentworth Stuart, through 
his grandmother, Martha (Wentworth) Lord, wife of Capt. Samuel 
Lord of Berwick, descended from the Wentworths of Portsmouth, a 
name much prized in New Hampshire. He married, Feb. 7, 1753, 
Susanna, daughter of Rev. Solomon Lombard, the first settled min- 
ister of Gorham, and settled on the thirty acre lot, 29, which is on 
the southerly side of the cross-road, running westerly from the Fort 
Hill road above the Dyer place. He soon after sold this place, and 
settled above Fort Hill on the hundred acre lot, 96, on the farm 
since owned and occupied by Wilder Libby. Having a good educa- 
tion, he became a prominent man in town ; was town clerk two years ; 
one of the selectmen, and represented the town in the General Court 
in 1773 and 1774. He was a lieutenant in Capt. Jos. Woodman's 
company of Provincials, six months men, raised mostly in Gorham 
and Narragansett, No. i (Buxton), in the service of his Majesty in, 



780 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

the summer of 1757, in one of the French wars. He was a strong 

patriot in his political views. He received a captain's commission in 

the army of the Revolution, and died while in the service, at Sewall's 

Point, near Boston, of the small pox, April 17, 1776. Children: 

Mary, b. Jan. 20, 1754, m. John Green, July 3, 1770. 

Susanna, b. May 21, 1757, d. Jan. 4, 1759. 

Joseph, b. Apr. 3, 1759, m. Hannah Smalley, Sept. 30, 1779. 

Solomon L., b. Feb. 13, 1762, d. Dec. 29, 1763. 

Sarah P., b. Feb. 28, 1764, m. Ebenezer Phinney. p. May 20, 1781. 

Dorcas, b. June 8, 1766. m. Peletiah McDonald, Aug. 17, 1787. 

Susanna, b. Apr. i, 1768, m. Francis Brooks of No. Vamiouth, Jan. 4, 1786. 

Wentworth, b. Aug. 17, 1770, m. Hannah Shaw, Nov. 4, 1790; I'd in Standish ; 

d. Jan. 23, 1807 ; his widow m. Lemuel McCoirison; d. in Baldwin. 
Solomon L., b. Feb. 24, 1773, ba-^t^ "O record of him. 
Anna, b. Oct. 31, 1775, ^- Nathaniel Stevens, Jr.. Nov. 17, 1791. 

Susanna, widow of Capt. Stuart, married, March 4, 1779, William 

Wood of Gorham, and died in Standish, Aug. 7, 1803, at the house 

of her son Wentworth. 

(2) Joseph Stuart, son of Wentworth, served in the Revolution. He 

was a fifer in his father's company. He married Hannah Smalley. 

Children : 

Joseph, b. July i, 1780, m. Nancy Lombard, p. Nov. 2, 1805. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 5, 1782, m. Jonathan Saunders of Harrison; d. Jan. i, 1864. 

Elizabeth, b. Feb. 13, 17S4. 

Samuel, b. Apr. 16, 17S6. 

Susanna, b. June 8, 1788, m. Francis Mayberry of Windham, p. Jan. 27, 1810. 

Wentworth, b. Sept. 26, 1790, m. Mercy Hall. 

Achsah, b. June 8, 1793, m. Richard Fogg. 

Solomon, b. Apr, 22, 1796, m. Polly Hall; I'd at Harrison. 

Josiah A., b. Apr. 20, 1798, m. Miriam Rich of Harrison; I'd at Harrison. 

Joseph Stuart was lost at sea from the schooner "Martha" off 
Cape Ann, Feb. 15, 1802, at the age of 43. His wife Hannah died 
July 27, 1819, aged 61. 

(3) Joseph Stuart, son of Joseph, married Nancy, daughter of 
Joseph and Fanny Lombard of Gorham. They lived for a time near 
Fort Hill, where three of their children, Fanny, Samuel, and Joshua, 
were born. They then removed to Harrison, where ten other chil- 
dren were born to them. Their fifth daughter, Emily, married Mr. 
Chute, and lived for some years in Gorham, where she died in 1898. 
She was the mother of Mrs. Frank P. Johnson of Gorham. 

STURGIS. 

The first of the name of Sturgis in this country was I^dward 
Sturgis, who came from England about 1634, and in 1639 ^^^ ^^ 
Yarmouth, Mass. He was the son of Philip Sturgis of England, and 
was the progenitor of all the Sturgises of Barnstable Co., Mass. His 



GENEALOGY. 781 

son, Edward, Jr., married Temperance, daughter of Capt. John and 
Desire (Howland) Gorham. Desire Rowland was the daughter of 
Capt. John and EUzabeth (Tilley) Howland, both of whom were 
pilgrims in the MayHower. 

Jonathan Sturgis, the first of the name in Gorham, originated in 
Truro, Mass. He was the son of Nathaniel and Abigail (Cobb) 
Sturgis of Barnstable, who were married, Feb. 20, 1 734/5- Jonathan 
Sturgis married, Feb. 7, 1765, in Barnstable, Temperance, daughter 
of Ebenezer and Temperance (Hawes) Gorham of Barnstable, and 
sister to Thankful, the wife of Josiah Davis of Gorham. Mr. and 
Mrs. Sturgis came to Gorham from Barnstable about 1769. He 
took up and cleared, at what is novv West Gorham, the farm (the 
hundred acre lot, 74) on which he lived and on which he died.^ In 
1775 Mr. Sturgis enlisted in Capt. Hart Williams' company, and 
marched to Boston with the regiment. The children of Jonathan 
and Temperance Sturgis, of whom the two eldest were born in Barn- 
stable, were : 

Hannah, b. Dec. 9, 1766, m. William Files, Jr., Dec. 30, 1784. 

Temperance, b. Nov. 5, 1768, m. George Files, Oct. 10, 1789. 

James G., b. Dec. 3, 1771, m. Molly Roberts, Dec. 14, 1792. 

Nathaniel, b. Sept. 3, 1774, m. Sarah Patten of Buxton, Mar. 23, 1802; I'd in 

Danville. 
Abigail, b. Mar. 4, 1776, d. unm. 

David, b. Jan. 27, 1779, m. Betsey Paine, Feb. i, 1806. 
Joseph, b. Jan. 30, 1783, m. Hannah Blake. 
Sarah, b. July 24, 1785, m. Warren Gilbert, p. Dec. 28, 1805. 
Jonathan, b. Feb. 6, 1788, d. at New Gloucester, Apr. 26, 181 o. 
Ebenezer, b. June 9, 1790, moved to Thorndike. 

Jonathan Sturgis died May 10, 1833, aged 92, and his wife Tem- 
perance, Nov. 26, 1824, aged 82. 

(2) James G. Sturgis, son of Jonathan, lived at White Rock. He 
married Molly, daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Weeks) Roberts. 
Children : 

Susan, b. Dec. 14, 1794, m. Solomon Libby, Mar. 24, 1823. 

Mary W., b. Aug. 19, 1796, m. John Littlefield of Topsham, 1821 ; d. in Stone- 
ham, Me. 

Temperance G., b. Aug. 4, 1798, m. Joseph Cannell, Apr. 29, 1821. 

William R., b. Feb. 4, 1801, m. Joan McDonald, Dec. 26, 1826; I'd at Modera- 
tion. 

Abigail, b. Apr. 23, 1803. m. James McDonald, Jr., July 18, 1826 ; d. at Stroud- 
water. 

John, b. July 2, 1805, m. Mary Purinton, Nov. 8, 1834. 

Ebenezer G., b. Dec. 3, 1807, m. Mary Ann Babb; I's in Saccarappa (1902). 

Benjamin R., b. Jan. 18, iSii, m. Keziah Elder, Nov. i, 1835. 

James G. Sturgis died Feb. 14, 1825, aged 53, and his wife Molly, 
Sept. 7, 1859, ^g^^ 92- 



782 HISTORY OF GORIIAM. 

(2) David Sturgis, son of Jonathan, lived at West Gorham on the 

farm which had been his father's. He married Betsey, daughter of 

William and Sarah Paine. Children : 

Harriet, b. Mar. 18, 1807, m. Robert Rounds, p. Dec. 28, 1828. 

Nancy, b. Feb. 12, 1808, d. unm. May 18, 1871. 

Betsey, b. Nov. 7, 1809, d. unm. Nov. 27, 1846. 

David, b. Aug. i, 181 2, m. Harriet Paine. 

John, b. May 7, 1814, d. young. 

Mary Ann, b. Nov. 9, 1816, m. Jonathan ¥. Kimball of Buxton, .Sept. 20, 1842. 

William P., h. Sept. 4, 1S18, m. Susan M. Cressey, Jan. 17, 1843. 

Samuel P., b. Nov. 29, 1820, d. Sept. 10, 1846. 

Sarah ,M., b. June 23, 1822, d. June 17, 1823. 

George A., b. June 14, 1824, d. Oct. 26, 1826. 

Sarah M., b. Mar. 19, 1826, m. Lorenzo D. Files, June 17, 1855. 

David Sturgis died Dec. 6, 1828, aged 49, and his wife, Oct. 7, 
1864, aged 79. 

(2) Joseph Sturgis, son of Jonathan, lived at West Gorham village. 

He was a blacksmith. He married Hannah, daughter of Joseph 

and Hannah Blake. Children : 

Maria', b. July 6, 1805, m. Wm. Cotton, Mar. 23, 1835. 

Caroline P., b. Jan. 29, 1S07, m. Harvey Wescott, Dec. 5, 1829. 

Ebenezer, b. July 20, 1809, went to S. America, and was never heard from. 

Hannah, b. July 13, 181 1, m. James B. Sawyer, Feb. 25, 1830; 2d, Jacob Allen. 

Loanne, b. Jan. 11, 1814, m. David B. Swett ; 2d, Joshua Tukey. 

Martha, b. Oct. 3, 1816, m. Nathan Whipple of Lisbon, N. H. 

Eliza, b. Feb. 6, 1822, m. Sylvanus Cook of Windham. 

James, b. Feb. 16, 1825, d. young. 

James, b. , m. Louisa Cook ; d. in Windham. 

Joseph Sturgis died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Cotton, Jan. 
4, 1842, aged 59. Mrs. Hannah Sturgis died Feb. 3, 1857, aged 71. 

(3) John Sturgis, son of James G., lived at White Rock, on the 
farm where his wife's brother, the late Otis Purinton, afterwards 
lived. He was a deacon of the White Pock church. He married 
Mary, daughter of Meshach and Sarah (Gerrish) Purinton of Wind- 
ham. Children : 

Jane, b. 1836, d. young, Sept. 25, 1836. 

JJenjamin F., b. Oct. 28, 1837, m. Ellen Hammond; 2d, Jennie Brooks of Lew- 
iston; physician in Auburn. 

William P., b. Sept. 4, 1840, m. Margaret Libby of Portland, Oct. 2, 1873 ; I's 
in Brooklyn, N. Y. 

John Irving, b. Dec. 24, 1844, m. Myra Hayden ; 2d, Jennie Hayden of Ray- 
mond ; physician in New Gloucester. 

James Edgar, b. Dec. 14, 1847, m. Ida Barrett of Portland ; I's in the West. 

June 13, 1854, Berry's shoe shop, which stood near the \\hite 
Rock church, and near the house of Capt. Sturgis, was burned. 
Capt. Sturgis and his son Benjamin, while helping to remove prop- 
erty from the burning building, were both severely burned by an 
explosion of camphene. The son recovered, but his father died on 



GENEALOGY. 783 

the following day, the 14th, aged 49. Mis widow married George 
Hammond of New Gloucester, and died in that town, Sept. 14, 1887, 
aged 77. 

(3) Benjamin R. Sturgis, son of James G., married Keziah, daugh- 
ter of William and Margaret Elder of Windham. In 1840 he moved 
to Stoneham, Me., where he engaged in the lumber business, but 
after a few years returned to Gorham and lived at Little Falls in the 
Jonathan Leavitt buildings. In 185 i he exchanged this place with 
Freeman Harding for the David Harding farm. This he sold in 
1862 to Daniel Ward, and again engaged in the grocery business at 
Little Falls. He represented Gorham in the State Legislature 
in 1866. Shortly after this he v/ent to. New York, and engaged in 
street contracting. In 1883 he returned to Gorham, where he spent 
the remainder of his days. Children : 

James G., b. in Windham, I'd at Little Falls ; d. Jan. 8, i860. 

William H., b. in Windham, m. Rebecca Forbes. 

Margaret, b. in Stoneham, d. young, in Windham in 1842. 

Marshall C, b. in Stoneham, m. Mary Harris. 

Mary Ellen, h. in Stoneham, m. William H. Leavitt. 

Frances J., b. in Gorham, m. Elmer A. Black. 

Granville H. M., b. in Gorham, d. in 1859, about 7 years old. 

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Sturgis lived to celebrate their golden 
wedding. He died x\pril3o, 1896, aged 85, and his wife, July 12, 1889, 
aged 78. 

(3) David Sturgis, son of David, lived at West Gorham, on the 
old homestead. He married Harriet E., daughter of Freeman and 
Hannah (Clark) Paine of Standish. Children : 

Fred O., b. Oct. 22, 1862, m. Clara E. Douglass, May 23, 1883; I'd in the 
house built by his great-grandfather, Jonathan Sturgis ; d. Mar. 3, 1899. 

Sarah M., b. Sept. 3, 1868, m. David K. Fillmore, Dec. 5, 1894. 

David Sturgis died Nov. 26, 1882, aged 70, and his wife Harriet, 
July 4, 1881, aged 51. 

(3) William P. Sturgis, son of David, lived at West Gorham, from 

which place he moved to Walla Walla, Washington. He married 

Susan, daughter of James and Hannah Cressey of Buxton. Children : 

Helen, b. Feb. 19, 1844, m. Asa Legrow of Oregon, and is d. 

Samuel P., b. Mar. 23, 1856, d. in Pendleton, Ore., Feb. 4, 1896 or '97. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sturgis both died November, 1902. 

SWETT. 

Dr. Stephen Swett was the first physician to settle in Gorham. 
He was descended from John Swett who came from England and 
was one of the grantees of Newbury, Mass., in 1642. Benjamin, son 



784 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

of John and Sarah Swett. married, Nov. 8, 1647, Hester, daughter 
of Nathaniel Weare of Newbury. He was a captain of militia and 
was killed in a fight with the Indians at Scarborough, June 29, 1677. 
Stephen, son of Capt. Benjamin and Hester Swett, born in Hampton, 
N. H., Sept. 13, 1673, married Mary, daughter of John Kent, and 
lived in Newbury. Their son Moses, born Dec. 12, 1708, married, 
Feb. 2, 1728, his cousin Hannah, daughter of Lieut. Joseph and Han- 
nah Swett. Dr. Stephen Swett, son of Moses and Hannah (Swett) 
Swett, was born in that part of Exeter, N. H.,now Newmarket. He 
married, Aug. 8, 1756, Sarah, daughter of Dr. Samuel and Phebe 
Adams of Durham, N. H., and settled first in Pembroke, N. H. He 
came to Gorham June 20, 1770, and soon after brought his family 
here. He lived above Fort Hill, on the place where the late Ezra 
Thomes since lived. He was a surgeon in the Revolutionary army, 
serving in Col. Phinney's regiment, the 31st Mass., enlisting May 7, 
1775. After his term of service expired, he was recommended by 
Gen. Washington, to be commissioned by the Council ; and probably 
reenlisted and saw further service. The children of Dr. Stephen 
and Sarah (Adams) Swett, were : 

Samuel, b. Oct. 16, 1757, d. young. 

Hannah, b. June 21, 1759, d. young. 

Josiah, b. May 6, 1761, m. Hannah Hanscom, Apr. 27, 1783. 

John, b. June 23, 1763, m. Betsey Warren of Falmouth, Mar. 27, 1788 ; I'd in 
Buckfield; d. July 14, 1844. 

Samuel, b. Apr. 22, 1765. m. Priscilla Davis, Oct. 12, 1784; I'd in Portland. 

Moses, b. May 7. 1767, m. prob. Elsey Kelley of Scarboro, June 27, 1789; I'd 
in Boston. 

Mary, b. July i, 1769, d. in Windham, Sept. i, 1788. 

Nathaniel, b. Oct. 9, 177 1, m. Olive Moody, Dec. 25, 1794; d. in Scarboro. 

Sally, b. May 13, 1773. 

Nancy, b. Feb. 9, 1775, ^- unm. Oct. 15, 1858. 

William, b. Dec. 6, 1776, m. Clarissa Benson of Middleboro, Mass. ; d. at 
Hartford, Me. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 7, 1779, m. and I'd in Vassalboro. 

Stephen, b. Apr. 11, 1781, d. in Portland, Mar. 9, 1S49. 

Eliza, b. Sept. 28, 1783, m. June 6, 1802, at Windham, Elijah Macomber of 
Middleton, Mass. ; I'd in Durham, Me. ; d. Apr. 26, 1853. 

The last seven of these children were born in Gorham. Dr. 

Stephen Swett moved from Gorham to Windham, and thence to 

Otisfield, in which latter town he died Jan. 6, 1807. His wife Sarah 

died in Otisfield, May 3, 1808. 

(2) Josiah Swett, son of Dr. Stephen, in 1784 lived in Gorham on 
the thirty acre lot, 103, on the place where Capt. Nathaniel Frost 
afterwards lived. He married Hannah, daughter of George and Abi- 
gail Hanscom. They had one son : 

James, b. Aug. 21, 1784, m. Sophia Lincoln, p. Nov. 29, 1806; 2d, Hannah 
Martin; 3d, Aurelia Jenkins. 



GENEALOGY. 



785 



Josiah Swett died in Gorham, July 26, 1791. His widow married, 
Nov. 5, 1794, John Martin. 

(3) James Swett, son of Josiah, was a shoemaker ; and also at one 
time was in trade in this town. His first wife was Sophia, daughter 
of Royal Lincoln. They had three children : 

Hannah, b. Nov. 4, 1807, d. June 3, iSio. 

Josiah, b. Dec. 22, 1809. 

Parsons, b. Nov. 2, 181 1, d. Dec. 25, 181 1, 

Mrs. Sophia Swett died June 2, 181 2, aged 28. Mr. Swett then 
went to Eastport, and to the British Provinces. After returning to 
Gorham he married, July 12, 18 17, Hannah Martin. She died Sept. 
3, 1828, and he married Aurelia Jenkins. The latter part of his life 
Mr. Swett lived at the village, near the graveyard, in one of the 
houses which was burned in January, 1875. Mrs. Aurelia Swett 
died Feb. 23, 1849, aged 61. Mr. Swett died Feb. 8, 1859, aged 70. 

Joseph and Deborah (Linnell) Swett had the following children 
born in Gorham : 

Susan, b. Sept. 16, 1791, m. Rev. Sargent Shaw of Standish, Nov. 12, 1815. 

James, b. Feb. 2, 1794, m. (prob.) Mary Horr of Standish, p. Feb. 19, 1831. 

Josiah, b. Sept. 13, 1802, m. Achsah Shaw of Standish, Aug. 3, 1823; moved 
to Standish Neck. 

Joseph Swett had two sisters, Eunice, who married Nathan Cloud- 
man, and Hannah, who married Jessee Cloudman. Mrs. Joseph 
Swett died Jan. 2, 1835, aged 64. 

Joshua Swett with his brother Stephen and some sisters are said to 
have come to America about the year 1770. Joshua Swett was a 
soldier in the Revolution. He was one of the early settlers at Malli- 
son's (Horse Beef) Falls, where he was interested in the mill 
privilege. He purchased land at Little Falls, and built a house 
there. This farm is now (1897) owned by Mrs. J. A. Magnussen. 
He married Mary Bailey of Westbrook. Children : 

Clark, b. Dec. 6, 1791, m. Martha Edwards, p. Aug. 21, 1818. 

David, b. June 22, 1793, m. Lydia Mains of York, p. Aug. 23, 1823; F. W. 

Bapt. minister ; at one time pastor at Little Falls. 
Eliza, b. Jan. 3, 1795, ^- Josiah Mayberry of Windham; d. Jan. 3, 1834. 
John, b. Feb. 28, 1796. 

Simeon, b. Oct. 23, 1797, a minister and doctor; d. in Beverly, Mass. 
Mary B., b. Mar. 8, 1799, m. Caleb Graffam of Westbrook, Nov. 14, 1817. 
Hale, b. June i, 1800, F. W. Bapt. minister at Little Falls. 

Sophia, b. Aug. 15, 1802, m. Capt. Edmund Dorsett of Standish, Feb. i, 1825. 
William, b. Feb. 28, 1804, was a minister; d. in Gorham, Dec. 30, 1830. 
Emore, b. Apr. 25, 1805, m. OUve Benson, p. Nov. 3, 1827. 
Jesse, b. Nov. 25, 1807, was a minister; went West. 

Rebecca, b. , m. Lewis Hanson of Windham, p. Nov. 18, 1833. 

Joshua, b. Dec. 19, 1809, d. young. 

Capt. Joshua Swett died April 20, 1851, aged 90. His wife died 
Aug. 22, 1849, aged 88. 



786 HISTORY OF GORHAiM. 

(2) Clark Swett, son of Joshua, married Martha, daughter of Sam- 
uel and Martha Edwards. Col. Swett was one of the selectmen of 
Gorham in 1831. He owned a saw mill at Mallison's Falls, and, 
like his father, was interested in the lumber business. He built and 
occupied the brick house near Little Falls, now owned and occupied 
by Wm. Churchill. Here he died. May 5, 1839. His wife died Jan. 
22, 1843, aged 45. Children of Clark and Martha Swett : 

Lucretia Ann, b. Oct. 22, 1819, m. Jefferson Mabry, 1841. 
Charles Clark, b. Apr. 16, 1824, d. unm. Sept. 8, 1S54. 

Josiah Swett, son of Stephen and Hannah (Knight) Swett, and 

nephew to Capt. Joshua Swett, was born Jan. 19, 1800. He lived at 

Horse Beef Falls, near the canal, then moved to Little Falls, where 

he built the house where Tyng Libby has since lived. He married, 

Oct. ID, 1825, Clementine, daughter of Joseph and Mary Knight. 

Children : 

John L., b. Jan. 8, 1S28, d. Aug. 6, 1832. 

Mary M., b. Feb. 9, 1S30, m. George Warren, 1852. 

Miriam E., b. Aug. 2, 1832, m. D. B. Pike of Farmington, N. H., 1851. 

Joseph S. K., b. Apr. 22, 1834, 1's in Cal. 

John A., b. Feb. 29, 1836, killed at the Powder Mills, Oct. 12, 1855. 

George W., b. June 13, 1840, was in the Army. 

Mark D., b. June 15, 1842, I's in Milwaukee, Wis. 

Clementine A., b. Aug. 9, 1845, ™- Levi Wentworth. 

Josiah Swett died Feb. 11, 185 i, and his wife, July 21, 1884, aged 
78. 

SYKES. 

Thomas Sykes, son of Richard and Ann Sykes, was born in Crowle, 
Lincolnshire, England, March 10, 1804. He was married in the old 
Crowle church, Oct. 25, 1825, to Catherine, daughter of Richard and 
Elizabeth Maw of Crowle. Mr. Sykes came to Gorham about 1827, 
where for many years he carried on the business of a tailor. His 
shop and house were next to the old Congregational vestry, on the 
east side. The house has been raised and a story built under it. 
The shop has been moved on to Main St., just west of Mrs. Sawyer's. 
In 1829, Mr. and Mrs. Sykes went to England and spent a year or 
two, and there their son Charles was born. In 1861 they embarked 
from Quebec on the "Canadian," which was wrecked and sunk in an 
ice field in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and they with difficulty escaped 
with their lives. Returning from England in the famous " Great 
Eastern," they were again in peril. The steamer lost its rudder and 
floated helpless on the sea for several days until a temporary rudder 
was contrived by an American engineer, with which they made the 



GENEALOGY. 787 

harbor of Cork. There they again embarked, and finished their voy- 
age in safety on the "Norwegian." In i860 Mr. and Mrs. Sykes 
removed to Auburn. Their children were : 

George, b. Sept. 4, 1S26, m. Lois Reed of Auburn. 

Richard M., b. Nov. 26, 1S28, m. Susan Ingalls, Nov. 30, 1S52 ; served in the 

Civil War; d. in Manchester, N. H., Nov. 16, 1S72. 
Charles Henry, b. Oct. 9, 1S30, I'd in San Franci.sco ; d. Feb. 6, 1892. 
Elizabeth A., h. Aug. 22, 1832, m. Wm. Wiley of Lowell, Sept. i, 1856. 
Robert ^L, b. Jan. 16, 1S35, m. Theda Carey of Gray. 

Kate M., b. Mar. 4, 1837, m. Wni. E. Wood; d. in Portland, Feb. 10, 1898. 
Thomas E., b. July 6, 1839, d. in Auburn, Jan. 15, 1878, unm. 

Thomas Sykes died in Auburn, Oct. 31, 1S84. aged 80, and his 
wife, in Lewiston, Nov. 7, i8gS, aged 91 years, 6 mos. 

THACHER. 

The Rev. Josiah Thacher was the second settled minister in the 
town of Gorham. He married, July 13, 1768, Apphia Mayo. Their 
children were : 

Peter, b. July 13, 1769, d. young. 

Apphia, b. Aug. 19, 1770, d. young. 

Peter, b. Aug. 5, 1771, d. young. 

Apphia, b. March 23, 1773, d. Jan. 30, 1782. 

Peter, b. July 21, 1774, m- Deborah Gordon of Poitland. She d. Dec. 7, 1810. 
Mr. Thacher read law with Wm. Symmes, Esq., of Portland, and entered 
into practice at Saccarappa in the year 1804, where he remained about 
five years, when he returned to Gorham to the old family mansion which 
stands near the Cong'l church and is now owned by Lewis Johnson, 
where he d. Jan. 26, 181 1. He left a legacy of two thousand dollars to 
the village of Saccarappa, for the purpose of keeping a grammar school 
for the children of that village. 

Mary, b. May 8. 1776, d. Jan. 5, 1789. 

Faith, b. Oct. 30, 1778, d. unm. in Gorham in 181 1. 

John, b. Feb. 18, 1781, d. unm. in Gorham, Jan. 9, 1810. He was for several 
years previous to his death employed as clerk, or bookkeeper, in the 
store of Mr. Webster in Portland ; he never was in business for himself. 

Apphia, b. Apr. 7, 1785, m. Reuben Nason, Oct. 14, 1807. 

Josiah, b. Jan. 21, 1789, is said to have been a young man of much promise, 
and a remarkable scholar for one of his age. He was preparing for 
college at Exeter Academy, when taken sick. He d. in Gorham, in 1807. 

Mr. Thacher died Dec. 25, 1799, and his wife some years before. 
He and his family all died of consumption, at the family mansion 
in Gorham, and all, including his grandchild (Apphia T. Nason), 
are interred in the Thacher tomb in the back part of the old burying- 
ground at Gorham village. 

THOMAS. 

Capt. Isaiah Thomas was born in Newbury, Mass. He was an 
adjutant in one of the Massachusetts regiments in the war of the 
Revolution. We have no record of where he married his first wife, 



788 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

or of her name. By her he had four children : Spencer ; Isaiah ; 
Mary C, and Michiel. All these children remained in Massachusetts, 
except Mar}', who came with her father to Gorham. She married 
John Kenniston, and by him had one son. Capt. Thomas's second 
wife, whom he married in 1800, was Mrs. Mary Smith. Her maiden 
name was'Mary Brackett, daughter of Anthony and Kerenhappuch 
Brackett of Portland. She married, May 22, 1783, a Mr. Halliday 
who died soon after, leaving no children, and about the year 1785 
she married James Smith, by whom she had four children (see 
Smith). After the death of Smith, Mary married, as before 
said, Capt. Isaiah Thomas. Capt. Thomas by his second wife Mary 
had but one child : 

Holmes, b. in Gorham, Aug. 15, 1803. m. Lucy Harding, May n, 1S28. 

Capt. Thomas and his family lived on Fort Hill on the farm 
recently owned by Zenas Chase. Mrs. Mary Thomas, wife of 
Isaiah, died in 18 15, and Capt. Thomas, Aug. 15, 1828. 

(2 ) Holmes Thomas, son of Capt. Isaiah, married Lucy, daughter 

of Nicholas and Miriam Harding. Children, all born in Gorham: 

William E., b. July 5, 1829, m. Caroline Hoyt. 

James S., b. Jan. 28, 1834, m. Mrs. Georgiana Knight of Pownal. 

Samuel M., b. July 4, 1836, m. Sarah Fickett of Pownal; 2d, Merritt. 

Lucy J., b. May 11, 1839, m. Chas. C. Burgess of Durham. 
Charles C, b. Mar. 8, 1841, m. Nellie Watts of Pownal. 

Holmes Thomas with his family moved to Durham, where his wife 

Lucy died March 15, 1866, aged 58. Feb. 24, 1867, he married 

Mrs. Mary H. (Brackett) Tracy, daughter of Nathaniel Brackett of 

Gorham, and widow of Rev. Jonas Tracy. Mr. Thomas died in 

Durham, and his wife Mary in Wales. 

Tufts Thomas came to Gorham about the year 1776 from Tam- 
worth, N. H. His wife's name was Fanny Bootman. Children : 

James, b. May 7, 1771, m. Charlotte, dau. of Joseph and Mary Libby, Dec. 19, 
1795. ^'^- recorded in Gorham: Peggy, b. Oct. 4, 1796, d. 1798; Polly, 
b. Nov. 3, 1798, m. Apr., 1821, John Richards, d. May 30, 1847; Sophia, 
b. Mar. 8, 1800. James Thomas moved to Durham, where other ch. 
were b. : Sally; James L. ; Elias ; Benjamin; Eliza. 

John, b. Sept. 9, 1772, m. Miriam, dau. of Lt. Joshua and Hannah Crockett of 
(lorhani, Jan. 17, 1796. Ch. recorded here: Hannah, b. Dec. 15, 
1796; Susan, b. Feb. 22, 1799. 

William, b. Mar. 14, 1774, m. Anna Ross, Nov. 29, 1798. 

Isaac, b. Dec. 31, 1777 ; have no further record of him. 

Tufts Thomas had a daughter by a second wife. She married a 
Mr. Cobb of Windham. 

(2) William Thomas, son of Tufts, lived on a farm near Little 
Falls, which he purchased of Col. Wm. Tyng ; it being a part of the 



GENEALOGY. 789 

estate of Capt. Alexander Ross, one of the early proprietors of Gor- 

ham. He married Anna, daughter of James Ross. Children : 

Betsey, b. 1799, ^- May 30, 1847. 

Merrill, b. Aug. 27, 1801, m. Charlotte Knight, June 10. 182S. 

Eliza, b. 1803, m. John Elder; 2d, Jos. Hamblen; 3d, Wm. Frost. 

Samuel F., b. . 

Sarah, b. 181 1, d. Mar. 5, 1S17. 
Sarah L., b. , d. Mar. 15, 1847. 

William Thomas and his wife, who was a niece of Capt. Alex. 
Ross, were members of the Socity of Friends, and good citizens. 
She died Oct. n, 1836, aged 56, and he, Feb. 25, i860. 

(3) Merrill Thomas, son of William, lived at Little Falls, a much 

respected citizen, for several years one of the selectmen of Gorham. 

He married Charlotte, daughter of Joseph and Mary Knight. 

Children : 

Charles M. T., b. Mar. 16, 1829, m. Sophronia Webb; d. Jan. 6, 1900. 

Mary A., b. Nov. 10, 1832, m. John F. Smith of Standish (who was in trade for 

some years at Little Falls). 

Eliza F., b. Nov. 10, 1835, m. Joseph Nason ; d. Apr., 1S73. 

Charlotte K., ) , t-. ^^ „ „ ( m. Josiah C. Shirley. 
An I r b. Nov. 21, 18^8,^ , J. 00 -^ 

Albert, ) ' -^ ' ( d. Dec. 9, 183S. 

Georgiana, b. Aug. 2, 1842, m. Chas. E. Emery. 

Merrill Thomas died in January, 1885, and his wife, July 7, 189 15. 
The farm on which he lived is now owned by George Thomas of 
Portland. The buildings are burned. 

THOMES. 

Thomas Thomes was an inhabitant of Falmouth Neck as early as 
17 16. He built and lived in a house which stood in Clay Cove. He 
and his w-ife Elizabeth united with Parson Smith's church in 1738. 
March 13, 1721 Mr. Thomes received a grant of land on the Neck. 
This grant his son Thomas sold in 1765 to John Thomes of Falmouth. 
Thomas and Elizabeth had at least three sons, Joseph, who married 
Mary , John, who married Mar)^ , and Thomas. 

Joseph and Mary had a son Joseph who married Sarah Pickering 
in 1759. Joseph, Jr. and four of his brothers were lost at sea. Several 
of Joseph Jr.'s children lived in Gorham, the family coming out here 
soon after the burning of Falmouth by the British. 

Thomas Thomes, son of Thomas, married Mary . They 

joined the church in Falmouth in 1743. There is no perfect record 

of their children but there were : 

Betty, bapt. in Falmouth in 1743. 

George, b. about 1745, m. Lydia Brown, Apr. 6, 1780. 



790 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Samuel, b. about 1747, m. Sarah Lombard, Dec. 23, 1779. 

Charles, b. about 1750, m. Anna Gray, Sept. i, 17S2. 

Amos, b. about 1755, m. in Portland, Mehitable Burnell, Dec. 20, 1 781, and 
shortly after moved to Pearsonstown. Amos Thomes was a member of 
Capt. Whitmore's Gorham militia company in 1777. In this year also 
his name first appears on a Gorham tax bill. 

Comfort, b. , m. Andrew Gates, Oct. 6, 1785. 

Susanna, b. , m. James Gray, Jan. 2, 1791. 

Some time previous to the year 1763 Thomas Thomes and his wife 
Mary came to Gorham where they took up and cleared land on the 
easterly side of what is now the Fort Hill road. This land is now 
owned by the widow and children of Leonard Roberts, the great- 
grandson of Thomas, and son of Mary Thomes who married Joshua 
Roberts. In clearing this land a large apple tree was found among 
the trees of the forest, and was carefully preserved. This was 
doubtless the first apple tree in Gorham. It stood a little south of 
Leonard Roberts' house, near the foot of the hill, close to the spring. 
It is very probable that the Indians dropped the seed there. Our 
informant, an elderly man and a descendant of the Thomes family, 
says he well remembers the tree, and when a boy, often gathered 
apples from it. One year seventeen barrels of cider were made from 
the apples gathered from this tree. After the tree had grown old 
and begun to decay, the hollow in its trunk was large enough to con- 
tain a full grown person, and on more than one occasion served to 
do so as a shelter from the storm. Thomas Thomes died Dec. 16, 
1790. His wife Mary died Dec. 13, 1786. 

(2) George Thomes, son of Thomas, came to Gorham with his 
father. He lived at West Gorham where Alonzo Douglass now lives. 
He married Lydia, daughter of Ezra and Mary Brown of Windham. 
Children : 

Betty, b. Mar. i, 1781, m. Joseph Brown, Nov. 5, 1801. 

Ezra, b. May 18, 1782, d. unm. in Harrison, June 16, 1818. 

Mary, b Dec. 20, 1783, m. Jacob Emerson, of Harrison. 

William, b. Feb. 13, 1787, m. Sally Plaisted, Mar. 18, 1817 ; 2d, Hannah Plaisted. 

Amos, b. Oct. 30, 1788, m. Abigail Higgins, Mar. 29, 1810; went to Harrison. 

Eunice, b. Dec. 20, 1790, m. Joseph Plaisted, Dec. 5. 1820 ; I'd in Harrison. 

Mehitable, b. Dec. 7, 1792, m. John Johnson of Harrison. 

Lydia, b. Nov. 22, 1795, m. Jeremiah Staples of Bu.xton, Sept. 24, 1821. 

Nancy, b. June 3, 1799, m. Zebulon Johnson, 1821 ; I'd in Harrison. 

George Thomes died April 28, 182 1, aged 76. His wife Lydia 
died May 13, 1822, aged 67 years. 

(2) Samuel Thomes, son of Thomas, lived 'at West Gorham where 
Granville Clements now lives. He married Sarah, daughter of John 
Lombard. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 791 

Sarah, b. Sept. 7, 17S1, m. Moses Baker, Feb. 28, 1800. 
Nathaniel, b. Jan. 23, 1784, in. Mary Higgins, Jan. 29, 1807. 

George, b. , I'd in Bethel; was a Universalist minister. 

Samuel, b. , m. Betsey Harmon, Sept. 9, 1810; I'd in Denmark. 

Samuel Thomes died March 3, 1798, aged 51. His wife Sarah 
died May 20, 1846, aged 8^. 

(2) Charles Thomes, son of Thomas, was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary army. He made his way home to Gorham on foot in nine 
days and a half from Peekskill, N. Y., where he was discharged from 
the army. He lived on the Fort Hill road on the old homestead. 
He married Anna Gray. Children : 

Comfort, b. Apr. 19, 1785, d. unm. Feb. 7, i8i;7. 

James, b. Nov. 27, 17S6, m. Abigail Libby, Feb. 28, 1819 ; d. Nov. 9, 1865. 

Susanna, b. July 3, 178S, m. Stuart Green, Sept. 13, 1S35 ; d. in Hiram. 

Mary, b. Dec. 16, 1789, m. Joshua Roberts, Apr. 15, 1810. 

Job, b. May 19, 179 1, served in War of 1812 ; d. unm. Dec. 7, 1843. 

Hannah, b. Oct. 12, 1793, d- unm. 

Martha B., b. June 17, '795, m. Cyrus Hamblen, Apr. 29, 1846. 

Stephen H., b. Apr. 13, 1797, m. Abigail Twombly, Mar. 24, 1833; 2d, Ann 

Berry. 
Joseph C, b. Aug. 26, 1800, m. Catherine Bacon, Nov. 15, 1829 ; I'd in Harrison ; 

d. May 22, 1859. 

Charles Thomes died Nov. 25, 1833, aged St, years, 9 mos. His 
wife Anna died July 14, 1824, aged 63. 

(3) William Thomes, son of George, lived on the road from West 

Gorham to P'ort Hill, on the place where his father had lived before 

him. He married Sally, daughter of Andrew and Molly Plaisted. 

Children : 

Miranda P., b. Oct. 25, iSiS, d. unm. Nov. 22, 1S95. 

Octavia, b. Oct. 3, 1823, m. Israel S. Hopkinson of Limington, Jan. 15, 1850. 

Mrs. Sarah Thomes died April 7, 1852, aged 64, and Major Thomes 
married, March 17, 1854, her sister Hannah. He died Sept. 3, 1861, 
aged 75, and his wife Hannah, April 26, 1874, aged 71. 

(3 ) Nathaniel Thomes, son of Samuel, lived at West Gorham, on 
his father's place. He married Mary, daughter of Capt. Joseph 
Higgins. Children : 

Catherine, b. May 3, 1808, m. Samuel Merrill, Apr. 22, 1847 ; d. June 20, 1848. 

Eleanor, b. 1S12, d. Nov. 19, 1830. 

Frank, b. 1817, m. Salome Gilkey (adopted dau. of Jos. Gilkey) ; moved to 111. 

Major Nathaniel Thomes moved to Standish, where he died June 
3, 1850, aged 66. His wife Mary died at Bunker Hill, 111., Feb. 26, 
1874, aged 87. 

(3) Stephen H. Thomes, son of Charles, married Abigail, daughter 
of Andrew Twombly. She died Feb. 4, 1838, and he married, in 
1839, Ann, daughter of Joshua Berry. They had one son: 



792 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Charles B., b. in Windham, m. Caroline Johnson, May 22, 1864; d. on Fort 
Hill, Feb, 7, 1873, aged 31 ; his widow m. Benj. L. Harmon, and d. Feb. 
10, 1876, aged 28. 

Stephen H. Thomes died in Windham, April 13, 1847, ^"^^ ^is 
widow married Robert Files. She died June i, 1871, aged 71. 

Ebenezer Scott Thomes was the son of Joseph and Sarah (Picker- 
ing) Thomes, of whom we have already spoken. He was in town as 
early as 1777. He was a soldier of the Revolution, a member of 
Capt. Whitmore's militia company, in Col. Fogg's regiment. He 
married Mary, daughter of Moses Plummer of Scarborough, (pub. 
Sept. 2;^, 1780,) by whom he had two children, Moses and Abigail. 
He left Gorham about 1787, and afterwards lived in N. Yarmouth and 
Scarborough. 

Ebenezer S. Thomes had a number of brothers and sisters, among 
whom were Joseph who married, July 12, 17S1, Abigail Weston of 
Buxton who was the daughter of Thomas and Abigail Weston of Gor- 
ham, and Esther who married, Sept. 28, 1786, Samuel Files of 
Gorham. 

Ezra Thombs, born in 18 12, was the fourth son of Joseph and Betty 

(Thomes) Brown of Windham. He was brought up by his uncle 

Joseph Plaisted of Harrison, and took the name of Ezra Thombs. 

About 1835 became to Gorham and worked for nine years for Robert 

Johnson. In 1845 he bought the old Dr. Swett place above Fort 

Hill, where his son Llewellyn now resides. Here he lived till his 

death. He married, May 22, 1844, Sarah J. Brackett of Westbrook. 

Children : 

Llewellyn T., b. Apr. 2, 1846, m. Rebecca E. Elliott. 
Samuel B., b. Apr. 22, 1853, is a physician in Portland. 

Mr. Thombs died July 23, 1895, and his wife, Dec. 19, 1892. 
THURRELL. 

The Thurrell, or Thurlo, family came to Gorham from Berwick, 

where Richard " Thurold " joined the church by profession of faith 

March 27, 1719/20, and Ann, his wife, Jan. 30, 1 741/2. Their 

children : 

James, b. , m. Judith Crediford, June 4, 1749. 

Jonathan {?), b. , m. Sarah Grant, July 26, 1749. 

Mary, bapt. Sept. 11, 1740. 
Jacob, bapt. Sept. 11, 1740. 
Ann, bapt. Sept. 11, 1740. 
Jerusha, bapt. Sept. 11, 1740. 

John, bapt. Mar. 27, 1743/4, I'd in Gorham; enlisted in Capt. Stuart's company 
in 1775; was a sergeant in the following year under the same captain, 



GENEALOGY. 793 

and was at Bagacluce in 1779 under Capt. Wm. McCobb ; was "out of 

town " in 1782. 
Ann, b. May 13, 1746. 
Abigail, b. Apr. 8, 1752. 

James Thurrell, son of Richard, was in town as early as May, 1766. 
He lived on the north half of the hundred acre lot, 38. His house 
stood just east of where the house of Freeman Richardson now 
stands. This lot was granted and laid out to Joseph Weston, of 
whom Thurrell purchased it together with the buildings thereon. In 
1772 James sold the south half of this lot to his son Richard of 
Windham. James Thurrell was a soldier of the Revolution, a mem- 
ber of Capt. Stuart's company in 1776. He married in Berwick, 
Judith Crediford. We have no list of the children of James and Judith 
Thurrell, but their son Davis was baptized in Berwick, April 8, J 752, 
and married Jan. 28, 1773, Abigail, daughter of Stephen and Sea 
Fair Manchester, born Nov. 19, 1753. In July, 1777, Davis Thurrell 
sold to John Thurrell the south half of the seventy acre lot, 72, which 
lot he had purchased of Enoch Ilsley. This lot, which now forms a 
part of the farm of Augustus F. Kemp near White Rock, Davis 
Thurrell in 1782 sold to Amos Brown of Gorham, and left town. In ' 
1797 he and Richard, both being then " of a plantation called Sabbath 
Day Pond plantation " (New Gloucester) sold land in Buckfield. He 
is said by some to have lived in Poland. 

Another son of James Thurrell was Richard. He was a soldier 
in the Revolution, a member of Capt. Paul Ellis's company in 1776. 
He lived at one time in Windham. 

There was an Asa Thurrell who lived in Gorham, who may have 
been a son of James. He also served in the Revolutionary army, 
being in Capt. Martin's company in the Rhode Island service, and 
in 1779 was at Bagaduce under Capt. McLellan. He left Gorham 
about 1782, and is thought to have gone to Shephardsfield (now 
Hebron). It is possible that he is the Asa Thurrell who, with his 
wife Abigail, sold land in Hebron in 1794. 

A James Thurrell of Gorham was published Nov. 25, 1780 to 
Elizabeth Philbrick. 

TOWLE. 

The first of the name on the Gorham records, Jeremiah Towle, 
came from Hampton, N. H., to Gorham about the year 1787. He 
married Jan. 20, 1791, Martha, daughter of Seth and Elizabeth 
Harding, and lived on the farm once owned by his father-in-law. 
Children : 



794 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Jael, b. May 22, 1791, m. John McQuillan, May 4, 1S17. 

William, b. . 

Tlieophilus, b. Feb. i, 1794, moved to Cherryfield. 

Stephen, b. Dec. 14, 1795, "^- ^I'l'iam Plummer of Scarboro, Dec. 25, 1S25. 

Martha, b. Apr. 25, 1799, m. Samuel Lombard, Apr. 8, 1832. 

Mary Ann, b. Nov. 10, 1804, m. Jonathan Hamblen, p. Oct. 18, 1835. 

Jeremiah Towle died March 17, 1846, aged 78 years. 

Abner Towle was a brother of Jeremiah Towle. He lived on the 

eastern side of South St., near where the house of Daniel Whittier 

now stands. He married Mary C, daughter of Capt. Josiah and 

Prudence Jenkins. Children : 

Cynthia, b. May i, 1806, m. Ira Baker, Dec. 20, 1842. 

Lorenzo, b. Feb. 17, 1808, m. Harriet Merrill, Oct. 10, 1830. 

Edward C, b. Mar. 19, 1809, m. Martha Bryant. 

Robert H., b. Sept. 11, 1810, d. unm. Dec. 14, 1896. 

Miriam B., b. Oct. 8, 1812, m. Samuel T. Buck, p. Sept. 12, 1836; d. Nov. 

II, 1890. 
Henry, b. Sept. 11, 1S14, m. Adeline Hill of Portland. 
Brainard, b. July 25, 181 5, I'd in Boston. 
Serena, b. May 7, 1S18, d. June 20, 1840. 
Mary M., b. Apr. 26, 1820, d. unm. Mar. 6, 18S7. 
Almira, b. Apr. 11, 1823, m. Eli Clay of Hiram in 1841. 
Catherine, b. Nov. 25, 1827, m. John E. Naylor, Mar. 23, 1857; 2d, J. Holmes 

Smith. 

Abner Towle died Nov. 8, i860, aged 80, and his wife Mary, July 
22, 1849, aged 64. 

TRYON. 

Simeon Tryon, a descendant of William Tryon who came from 
England and settled in Wethersfield, Conn., about 1673, was a grad- 
uate of Yale College in 1769. In 1776 he enlisted in the Continental 
army as a first lieutenant. He was a physician, and the family 
tradition, first given by his widow, is, that while serving as surgeon 
in the army, he died of small pox, at West Point, in 1778. He mar- 
ried, in 1772, Bethiah Harding Brown, who was born in Eastham, 

Mass., and was the daughter of and Martha ( ) Brown. 

After the death of her husband and the burning, by the British, of 
her house at New Fairfield, Conn., Mrs. Tryon came with her chil- 
dren to reside in Gorham, where her brothers, Samuel and Sylvanus 
Brown, and her sister, Mrs. Martha A. Harding, had settled. Her 
children were : 

Jane, b. in Fredericksburg, N. Y., Dec. 20, 1774, d. Sept. 18, 1795. 

James, b. in Fredericksburg, N. Y., Oct. 9, 1776. While engaged in assisting to 
raise the frame of the First Parish meetinghouse, June 8, 1797, James 
Tryon was so injured by the giving way of some of the rigging, and by 
the falling timbers, that he died the following day, June 9, 1797. 

Simeon, b. in New Fairfield, Conn., Sept. 28, 1778, m. Feb. 16, 1802, Mercy 
Cook; 2d, Jane Cook; daus. of Saul and Elizabeth (Snow) Cook. 



GENEALOGY. 795 

Saul Cook was b. in Marshfield, Mass., May 27, 1757, and was the son of 
Barnabas Cook, and prob. brother to Mrs. Mercy Higgins and Mrs. Dorcas 

Snow of Gorham. He m. Elizabeth, dau. of Edward and Martha ( ) 

(Brown) Snow, and half-sister to Mrs. Bethiah Tryon. Saul Cook was a 
soldier of the Revolution. He settled in Litchfield. Simeon Tryon set- 
tled in North Pownal. He d. Aug. 7, 1S47. 

Mrs. Bethiah H. Tryon left Gorham about 1800, going with her 

son Simeon. She died at North Pownal, March 19, 1838, aged 94. 

TWOMBLY. 

Andrew Twombly came to Gorham about 1819, when he exchanged 

his farm in Poland with the Shakers, for a part of their Gorham 

property. His first wife was Mary Huston, and their children, born 

in Poland, were : 

Solomon, d. unm. 

Harry, lost at sea. 

William, m. Lucy Perry; moved to N. Yarmouth; d. there. 

Eliza, m. Col. Jabez Cushing of N. Yarmouth, Mar. 10, 1S27. 

Abigail, m. Stephen H. Thomes, Mar. 24, 1833. 

Mrs. Mary Twombly died in Poland, and Mr. Twombly married, 

Mrs. Ruth (Wilson) Merrill. Children : 

Andrew, m. Bethia Whitney. 
Charles, m. Jane Wyman. 
Deborah, d. unm. about 1S40. 

Andrew Twombly died Aug. 15, 1856, aged 88. Mrs. Twombly 

died Jan. 26, 1859, aged 81. 

(2) Andrew Twombly, Jr., son of Andrew, lived in the Shaker 

neighborhood, in the house formerly occupied by his father. He was 

a soldier in the Madawaska war. He married Bethia Whitney of 

Standish. Children : 

Wilson, b. July 12, 1844, m. Georgie Ma.xim of Byron; served two enlistments 

in the Civil War. 
George, b. Apr. 8, 1846, m. Emma Brooks; d. Mar. i, 1S79. 
Jennie, b. July 12, 1854. 

Mr. Twombly died April 6, 1874, and Mrs, Twombly, Oct. 29, 
1874. 

TYLER. 

James Tyler was a clothier and fuller by trade. He came to Gor- 
ham, probably, about 1794. He lived in the one-story house above 
Little river bridge, on the eastern side of the Fort Hill road, where 
Peter Whitney since lived, and carried on the principal part of his 
business at the mill by the bridge. He had his fulling-mill and dye- 
house on the Blenham falls below. He sold out his part of the 



796 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Blenham lot, 122, with the privileges and all the buildings, to Willard 
Buttrick, Feb. 23, 1801. He married, Dec. 11, 1796, Frances, daugh- 
ter of Judge William Gorham. They had one child : 

William, b. June, 1798, d. Oct. 20, 1798. 

Mrs. Frances Tyler died at the home of her father, Sept. 22, 1798, 
aged 24. James Tyler married for his second wife, Dorcas Bridges 
of Andover, Mass., (pub. Jan. 11, 1800). 

Capt. Abraham Tyler, son of James and Phebe Tyler of Scar- 
borough, lived in Scarborough, where he was the last person to keep 
the Blue Point ferry. He was a soldier of the Revolution, being a 
captain for two years under Col. Edmund Phinney. He married, 
Aug. II, 1743, Mrs. Elizabeth Brown of Biddeford, who was probably 
his second wife. 

Joseph, Daniel, and James Tyler were sons of Abraham and 
Martha Tyler of Scarborough, and probably grandsons of Capt. 
Abraham. Abraham Tyler, their father, married second, in 1809, 
Mrs. Sarah Jordan, widow of Benjamin A. Jordan of Gorham. He 
is probably the Abraham Tyler who died in Gorham, June 26, 1816, 
aged 77 years. 

Daniel Tyler, son of Abraham, was baptized in Scarborough, 
March 28, 17S0. He married, Oct. 20, 1803, Mary Ann, daughter 
of Benjamin A. and Sarah Jordan, and made his home in Gorham in 
the Hurricane neighborhood. Children : 

Sally, b. May 15, 1804, d. Sept. 11, 1809. 

Lendall, b. Aug. 28, 1805, m. , I'd in Milltown, Me. 

Mary C, b. July 2, 1807, m. Maddox. 

Daniel, b. Apr. 28, 1809, was a sea faring man ; d. Apr. 15, 1S64. 

Sally, b. Aug. 16, 1811, m. . 

Allen, b. Apr. 2, 1814, d. unm. Jan. 24, 1896. 
Abraham, b. Mar. 12, 1816, d. young. 

Emily, b. Aug. 27, 18 iS, m. ■. 

Martha, b. July 27, 1821, m. . 



Daniel Tyler died Sept. 26, 1822. 

James Tyler, brother of Daniel, was baptized in Scarborough, Oct. 
13, 1782. He married, July 4, 1804, Sally Jordan, sister to his 
brother's wife. We have no record of any family. 

WALKER. 

We find the names of Jabez Walker and Sarah Atwood, both of 
Cape Cod, on the Gorham records as married June, 1748, but have 
been unable to ascertain anything further concerning this couple. 



GENEALOGY. 



797 



John Walker of Windham purchased in 1790 of Dr. Jeremiah 
Barker the seventy acre lot, 29. He was a farmer and made his 
home on this lot which is the farm now occupied by Van W. Carll. 
He was the son of George and Elizabeth (Snow) Walker of Falmouth, 
both of whom died before 1802. He married Elizabeth Grant of 
Westbrook, and his children were : 

John, b. , m. Apr. 22, 1821, Jane, dau. of Ebenezer and Jenny Lombard. 

Ch : Harriet ; Lydia ; Joseph ; James. Mr. Walker I'd on the farm 

where his father had I'd before him. 

George, b. , m. Hannah Bragdon ; I'd and d. in Saco. 

Chailes, b. , m. Elizabeth Hooper; I'd in Windham. 

Betsey, b. July 27, 1789, m. Ezekiel Ward, Feb. 21, 181 1. 

Lucy, 1). , m. Benjamin Parker of Standish, p. May 2, 181 2. 

Abigail, b. , m. Aaron Parker (bro. to Benj.), Oct. 23, 1823. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Walker died July 15, 1828, aged 59, and Mr. 

Walker married, Oct. 11, 1828, Elizabeth Grover of Carthage. 

Children : 

Mary, b. June 30, 1829, d. Oct. 20, 1829. 

Ruth J., h. July 27, 1831, m. Morton ; I'd in Taunton, Mass. 

Edsel, b. Dec. 4, 1832, d. in the Civil War. 
Mary, b. Mar. 4, 1837. 

Mr. Walker died in Standish, March 20, 1841, aged 77, and his 
widow married Simon Moulton of Standish. 

WARD. 

John and Joseph Ward were brothers, and came from Cape Cod. 
The name of John Ward first appears on the tax lists in Gorham in 
1779. He lived between Great Falls and White Rock, on the place 
lately occupied by Mark Hicks. We have no record of his wife's 
name. He died Sept. 6, 1831. Children : 

William, went to Thorndike ; d. there. 

David, went to Thorndike ; d. there. 

Jonathan, m. Sally Hall of Standish, Dec. 21, 1793; 1'^ i" Standish. 

Jesse, m. Hannah Mitchell. 

Mary, m. William Hall of Standish, July 14, 1800; both d. in Gorham. 

Lucy, m. Nathaniel Hicks, p. Dec. 12, 1S12 ; I'd on the old Ward place. 

Ezekiel, m. Elizabeth Walker, Feb. 21, 181 1. 

Hannah, d. unm. Apr. 23, 1872, ag. So. 

Joseph Ward's name first appears on the tax list for 1780, where 

he is taxed for two polls, this being probably for himself and eldest 

son. He owned the hundred acre lot, 83, and also a part of the 

hundred acre lot, 84. We find no record of his family, but he had : 

Nathan, m. Isabella, dau. of Lemuel Jordan, p. Sept. 30, 1797. Ch : Joseph, 
b. Jan. 3, 1800, m. May i, 1823, Harriet, dau. of Jona. and Jane Emery, 
had two ch., was lost at sea, his widow m. Col. Daniel Parsons of Hart- 
ford, Me.; Simon, b. Jan. 17, 1802. Nathan Ward I'd on the hundred 



798 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

acre lot, 83, which he received from his father; this farm he sold to 
Abraham Dow; it has since been known as the Albion Wood place. 
Joseph, Jr., m. Hannah Lunimus of Hamilton. Mass., p. July 12, 1800. Mr. 
Ward at one time followed the sea. In 1796 he bought of Samuel 
Prentiss a quarter of an acre of land on the north side of Main St. at 
Gorham village. He d. before 1807. for in that year his estate was 
settled by his widow, and by Samuel Lummiis of Hamilton ; in this set- 
tlement Ward is styled a trader, and of Gorham. 

Probably Joseph Ward had other children. 

(2) Jesse Ward, born in 1771, son of John, was a farmer and lived 
near Great Falls. He married Hannah Mitchell. Children: 

Martha, b. , m. Thomas Libby, Dec. 20, 1821. 

John, b. Jan. 8. 1801, d. young. 

John, b. 1S05, m. Mary Gerrish of Windham, Nov. 19, 1826. Ch : Abbie 
E., d. y. ; Abby J., b. Dec. 27, 1828, d. y. ; Eliza J., b. Nov. 12, 1829, d. 
ag. 28 ; Lucy A., b. Apr. 10, 1832, d. Apr. 26, 1855 ; Lewis B., b. Jan. 20, 
1835, d. Oct. 15, 1853 ; John H., b. Aug. 25. 1838, m. Mary S. Russell of 
Gray, June 29, 1861 ; Charles M.,b. Mar. 28, 1840, k'd at Spottsylvania, Va., 
May 12, 1864; William W., b. Dec, 1844, d. in the army, Oct. 20, 1863. 
Mrs. Mary Ward d. Apr. i, 1861, and Mr. Ward m. Mrs. Eleanor Webb. 
Mr. Ward d. in New Gloucester. 

Joseph, b. 1807, m. Mehitable, dau. of Joseph and Elizabeth Nason, and I'd 
in the north part of the town. One child: Roswell, b. Sept. 30, 1833, 
m. Sarah J. Warren; she d. Jan. i, 1891, ag. 48; he d. Apr. 5, 189S. 
Joseph Ward d. Sept. 24, 1865; his wife, MehitalDle d. Mar. 9, 1864, ag. 
57- 

Lucy, b. , m. Israel H. Coates, Dec. 4, 1825. 

Mary, b. , m. Lewis Brackett, Feb. 26, 1824; 2d, Walker. 

Solomon, b. Dec. 22, 1816, d. unm. 

Benjamin, b. Aug. 16, 18 18. m. Mary M. Higgins of Standish, p. 1843. 

Hannah, b. , m. (ierrish ; 2d, John Hamilton. 

Delia, b. , m. McKenny. 

Sarah, b. Dec. 12, 1822. 

Abigail, b. 1829, d. young. 

Abigail, b. 1830, d. young. 

Jesse Ward died May 23, 1845 ; his wife died March 29, 1856. 
aged 83. 

(2) Ezekiel Ward, born Sept. 4, 1786, son of John, was a farmer, 
and a tin peddler — a man noted for his strict honesty. He lived 
about three-fourths of a mile from the railroad station at White Rock. 
He was a sergeant in Capt. Bettis's company in the War of 1812, 
and went to the defence of Portland. He married Elizabeth, 
daughter of John and Elizabeth Walker. Children : 

Mary, b. Feb. 8, 1812, in. Miles Thompson of Standish, July, 1831 ; d. Mar. 23, 

1895. 
Rebecca A., b. June 4, 1813, m. Samuel Leavitt of Standish, June 19, 1S31 ; d. 

Feb. 2, 1882. 
Esther M., b. Aug. 7, 1818, m. Nathan Wood of Portland, May 3, 1838. 
Zachariah B., b. Dec. 11, 1821, d. unm., Apr. 26, 1841. 
Daniel D., b. Sept. 8, 1827, m. Frances P., dau. of Marrett Libby, Oct. 4, 1854. 

Ch : Clarence E., b. July 22, 1855, ^- Ada B. Smith, Apr. 3, 1878. Mr. 

Ward I'd on the old David Harding place, near Gambo. He now I's in 

Standish. He m. 2d, Elizabeth Cannell. 



GENEALOGY. 



799 



Ezekiel Ward died March 25, 1857 ; Mrs. Ward died Nov. i, 
1869, aged 80. 

Daniel Ward is said to have been a cousin to Nathan and Joseph 
Ward, Ir. He was a blacksmith, and lived near the Buxton line. 
In April, 1798, he purchased the hundred acre lot, 60, of Mrs. Mary 
Perkins of Boston. This lot was set off to Mrs. Perkins as an heir 
of George Hancock. Mr. Ward married Phebe, daughter of Dr. 
Clement Jordan of Cape Elizabeth (pub. Nov. 22, 1783). Children : 

Samuel, b. P^eb. 28, 1785, m. Hannah Davis of C. Cod; moved to Howland. 
Silas J., b. Dec. 15, 1786, m. Rachel Wood, Dec. 22, iSii ; no ch. 
Polly, b. Mar. 31, 1792, m. William McQuillan of Portland, Oct. 22, 1812. 
Daniel, b. Mar. 24. 1794, m. Eunice Spencer of Baldwin ; moved to Baldwin. 

After the death of Mr. Ward his widow married, Oct. 13, 181 1, 
Capt. Thomas Libby of Scarborough (Strip). She died March 26, 
1822, aged 60. 

WARREN. 

James and Samuel Warren, brothers, were probably sons of Sam- 
uel Warren who went from Berwick to Saco about 1740-45, and 
married in 1749 Sarah, daughter of Robert and Janet Gray of Saco. 
Robert Gray came from Ireland and first settled in Berwick. 

Samuel Warren in 1761 purchased of William Lakeman and 
Anthony Brackett the hundred acre lot, 66, in Gorham. It is not 
probable that he ever lived in town. His two sons, James and Sam- 
uel, came to Gorham from Saco about 1770. They settled in the 
westerly part of the town, near the Buxton line, on the Flaggy 
Meadow road, on the adjacent farms where their descendants now 
live. The land was then wild land, and the families found their way 
to the village by means of spotted trees. 

(i) James Warren at first built a log house on the southern side 

of the road, where he and his family lived until he built, opposite to 

this on the other side of the road, the large two-story house now 

occupied by his grandson James. He married, Dec. 30, 1773, 

Martha, daughter of Elder Hugh and Elizabeth McLellan. Children : 

Samuel, b. July 14, 1775, m. Anna Pinkerton of Derry, N. H., p. Nov. 28, 1798. 
Hugh, b. Aug. 18, 1777, m. Polly Foster of Buxton, Feb. 22, 1798. She m. 

2d, in 1805, Benjamin Mosher. 
James, b. Sept. 24, 1780, m. Patty Pinkerton, p. Apr. 3, 1805. She m. 2d, in 

1S21, Henry Whitney. 
Alexander, b. Dec. 24, 1783, d. young. 

Martha, b. Jan, 16, 1787, m. Nicholas Davis, Jr., Aug. 18, 1804. 
Alexander, b. May 30, 1789, d. young. 
Betsey, b. Dec. 2, 1791, m. Daniel Libby, Aug. 6, 1810. 



800 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Jane, b. 1793, d. young. 

William, b. Aug. 29, 1795, ■"• ^arah J. Googin.s, Feb. 28, 1822. 

Mary, b. Sept., 1798, d. young. 

James Warren died April 16, 182 1, aged 71. Mrs. Warren died 
March 17, 1837, aged 82. 

(i) Samuel Warren, Jr., settled on the hundred acre lot, 70, 

adjoining the farm of his brother James. On this lot he built, nearly 

a hundred and twenty-five years ago, the house now occupied by the 

family of his son David. This house is framed from the oak timber 

that grew upon the place. A cow was the price asked and received 

in payment for his work, by the man who framed the building. Mr. 

Warren married Sarah Gray of Saco. Children : 

James, b. Dec. 10, 1780, m. Olive Elden, Sept. 27, 1810. 

Sally, b. Feb. 4, 1784, m. Benjamin Richardson of Portland, Nov. 16, 1806; d. 

May 20, 1833. 
Polly, b. Apr. 19, 1787, d. unm. Mar. 10, 1858. 

Samuel, b. July 16, 1789, m. Mary Jewett; was a lawyer; d. in Portland. 
Sophia, b. Mar. 6, 1794, m. Elijah North of Stevens' Plains, Dec. 9, 1835. 
David, b. Apr. 22, 1796, m. Sabra Hill, Jan. 3, 1S40. 

Samuel Warren died Jan. 17, 1837, ^ged 81. Mrs. Warren died 
Mar. 18, 1840, aged 79. 

(2) William Warren, son of James, was a farmer and lived on the 
farm which his father had cleared and occupied. He was a soldier 
in the War of 18 12, serving in Dyer and Leighton's detachment of 
cavalry. He married Sarah J. Googins. Children : 

James, b. Dec. 24, 1S22, m. Mary Parington, July 12, 1846; no ch ; Mrs. W. d. 

Apr. 19, 1900. 
Rebecca, b. Dec. 12, 1824, I's in Gorham with her brother, unm. 
Mary A., b. May 15, 1827, m. Henry Jordan of Saco, Jan. 6, 1S46. 
Sarah Ayer. b. May 8, 1S30, m. John L. Higgins, June 15, 1851. 
Martha, b. July 23, 1S36, m. James Hargrave of Kansas City. 
Olive, b. Oct. 8, 1841, m. Robert L. Wilkinson of 111.; d. in Iowa in 1894. 

Major William Warren died March 9, 1879. Mrs. Warren died 
Aug. 5, 1873, aged 70 years. 

(2) James Warren, son of Samuel, lived near Dundy Falls. He 
served in Capt. Bettis's company in the War of 18 12. He married 
Olive, daughter of Nathan and Elizabeth (Roberts) Elden of Buxton. 
Children : 

John, b. June 25, 181 1, m. Mrs. Sophia Pray, Apr. 19, 1S35. 

Nathan E., b. Aug. 11, 1813, m. Mary P. Cash, Sept. 23, 1839; d. May 26, 1896. 

Eliza A., b. Jan. 5, 181 5, m. David Todd of Pownal, Mar., 1845. 

Sarah, b. May 2, 1817, m. George Shedd, Apr., 1846; d. June 3, 1850. 

William, b. Aug. 21, 1820, I'd in Oberlin, O. ; d. Aug. 22, 1896. 

Mary Jane, b. Aug. 16, 1822, d. Aug. 7, 1843. 

Martha A., b. Jan. 26, 1825, m. Caleb Elder, June (4, 1854 ; d. July 22, 1868. 

B. Franklin, b. Dec. 3, 1S26, d. in Portland, unm. Apr. 21, 1872. 

David, b. Mar. 27, 1832, d. young. 



GENEALOGY. 



801 



James Warren died Jan. 14, 1848, aged 68. Mrs. Olive Warren 
died Aug. 28, 1854, aged 64. 

(2) David Warren, son of Samuel, lived on his father's homestead. 
He was a soldier in the War of 181 2, being a member of Capt. 
Robie's company. He married Sabra Hill of Brownfleld. Children: 

Miranda M., d. May 11, 1896. 

Rhoda A., m. Henry Day of Brownfield ; d. Aug., 1S75. 

Sabra S., I'-s on the homestead. 

David, d. Sept. 8, 1894. 

Julia J., I's on the homestead. 

Sarah, I's on the homestead. 

David Warren died Oct. 10, 1866. Mrs. Sabra Warren died May 

9, 1899, aged 78. 

(3) John Warren, son of James and Olive, lived near Dundy Faljs. 
He married Mrs. Sophia (Crockett) Pray, daughter of Enoch and 
Drusilla Crockett of Gorham, and widow of Joseph Pray of Wind- 
ham. Children : 

Joseph B., b. June 13, 1S37, m. Susan E. Cloudman, Dec. 2, 1863; I'd in Port- 
land; d. Nov. 14, 1894. 

James E., b. June 24, J 841, m. Martha J. Godfrey of Hampton, N. H., July 
25, 1863. 

Harriet A., b. July 2, 1849. 

John Warren died March 16, 1873. Mrs. Warren died Dec. 9, 
1901, aged 95. 

Nathaniel Warren, son of Peter Warren, was born in Tuftonboro, 
N. H., from which place he came to Gorham. He lived near Mr. 
Nicholas Harding's farm. His wife was Margaret Haines. He had 
a son John, born Oct. 12, 1786, who married, Jan. 4, 1806, Sukey, 
daughter of William Adams; also a daughter Dolly who married 
Joseph Adams, son of William, and moved to Hiram. Nathaniel 
Warren also moved to Pliram, where he died Aug. 4, 1819. 

John Warren was born in Berwick, March 5, 1731, and moved 
from that town to Falmouth. He married Jane Johnson. Three of 
his children married and lived in Gorham, Polly, who married Peter 
Crockett in 1782, James who married Rebecca Huston, and Jane who 
married John Brackett. 

James Warren, Jr.. born near Stroudwater, Jan. 25, 1769, married 
in 1806 Rebecca, daughter of Simon and Elizabeth Huston, and lived 
in Gorham near Horse Beef, on the place where the late Richard 
Willis lived. He afterwards moved to the farm south of the David 
Harding place, and lived in the house still standing on the knoll. It 
is now in the field on the east of the road, since the straightening of 



802 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

the road which used to run past it. From this place Mr. Warren 
moved to Otisfield, where he died Jan. 6, 1831. Children of James 
and Rebecca : 

Elizabeth J., b. , m. David Purinton, Feb. 2, 1826. 

Rebecca A., b. May 13, 1810, m. Calvin Emery, Nov. 8, 1830. 

James Gardner, b. Jan. 28, 1S13, m. Edwards; 2d, Mrs. Waterhouse ; 

I'd in Otisfield ; was in the Civil War. 
Simon H., b. May 27, 1816, d. when about twenty-one years old. 

Mrs. Warren died in Gorham May 10, 1824, aged 50. 
WATERHOUSE. 

Joseph Waterhouse who came to Scarborough about 1733, was 
born in Portsmouth, N. H., in 17 11. He was the son of Timothy and 
Ruth (Moses) Waterhouse, and grandson of Richard Waterhouse 
who emigrated from England and was a tanner in Boston in 1671, 
and in 1672 settled in Portsmouth. The wife of Richard was Sarah 
Fernald, daughter of Reinald Fernald, the first surgeon that emigrated 
to New Hampshire. Joseph Waterhouse married ]\Iary Libby of 
Scarborough. 

George Waterhouse, the ninth child of Joseph and Mary (Libby) 
Waterhouse, was born in Scarborough, Jan. 21, 1750. His brother 
Enoch settled in Machias, to which place George accompanied him, 
and came thence to Gorham about 1773 or 1774 and bought the farm 
in the south part of the town since owned by his grandson Benjamin. 
This farm, which was then wild land, he purchased in 1775 of Stephen 
Sawyer. Mr. Waterhouse was a soldier of the Revolution. He mar- 
ried, Nov. 23, 1775, Dorcas, daughter of Joseph Libby, who lived 
near Horse Beef Falls. Children: 

Polly, b. Mar. 11, 1776, m. Capt. Thomas Libby of Scarboro, Sept. 6, 1825 ; d. 

Jan. 30, 1869. 
Joseph, b. Apr. i6, 1778, lost at sea in 1803. 

George, b. Nov. 3, 1780, m. Sukey Atkinson of Buxton, Mar. 3, 1805. 
Charlotte, b. Oct. 19, 17S3, m. Nahum Lord, July 11, 1802. 
Betsey, b. June 2, 1786, m. Levi Harris of Westbrook, July 27, 1817. 
Isaac, b. Nov. 9, 1789, I'd in Monmouth; d. at Sabattisville. 
David, b. June 6, 1793, m. Sophia Coolbroth, Mar. 15, 1817 ; 2d, Mary Roundy. 
Simon, b. Aug. 4, 1795, d. unm. Jan. 22, 1866. 
Sally, b. Jan. 12, 1799, "i- Meshach Rust, July 27, 1836. 
Sargent, b. , m. Sarah Graffam. 

George Waterhouse died Oct. 9, 1835, aged 87, and his wife. May 
6, 1836, aged 77. 

(2) David Waterhouse, son of George, was a farmer, and lived on 
the place cleared by his father. He married Sophia Coolbroth of 
Scarborough. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 803 

Benjamin C, b. Apr. 30, 1818, m. Martha A., dan. of Humphrey Pike. Ch : 

Clara, b. Sept. 21, 1S4S, m. Albert S. Riggs, June 12, 1879. Mr. 

Waterhouse d. Sept. i, 1893. 
George, b. July 20, 1821, m. Jane Jackson of Gorham ; 2d, Sarah Grant of Bid- 

deford ; I'd in [Portland. 
Sally, b. Feb. 20, 1824, m. Ale.xander Freeman, July g, 1843. 
Mehitable, b. Dec. 15, 1826, m. Leonard Roberts, 1845. 

Mary A., b. Sept. i, 1829, m. Chas. I. Moore, 1S51 ; I'd in Portland; d. in 1855. 
Thomas J., b. June 19, 1833, m. Ellen McNamara. 
Horace, b. May 15, 1835, m. Eudora Mann, June 3, 1865 ; I'd in Wales ; d. Dec. 

25, 1883. 
Elizabeth, b. June 15, 1S37, m. James A. Folsom. Sept. 4, 1856. 
Rosalia L., b. Feb. 27, 1840, m. Henry W. Folsom. 

Mrs. Sophia Waterhouse died July 3, 1853, aged 57, and Mr. 
Waterhouse married, Sept. 17, 1854, Mrs. Mary Roundy of Buxton. 
David Waterhouse died Nov. 29, 1867. 

Joseph Waterhouse, born in Scarborough, Feb. 9, 1766, was the 
son of Timothy and Sarah (Small) Waterhouse, and grandson of 
Joseph and Mary (Libby) Waterhouse. He was a farmer and settled 
first at Great Falls, Gorham, and about 1795 moved to the south part 
of the town on to the place where M. C. Burnell now lives, where the 
remains of his cellar are still to be seen a little south of the present 
house. He married, Dec. 30, 1791, Elizabeth, the daughter of 
William and Mary (Burns) Larrabee of Scarborough. Children : 

Olive, b. Jan. 11, 1793, "''■ ^i Waterhouse, Aug. 26, 1819. 

Zebulon, b. Sept. 14, 1794, m. Anna Dyer of Danville; 2d, Matilda Goss ; d. in 

Iowa, Feb. 26, 1879. 
Benjamin, b. Oct. 7, 1796, m. Betsey Dyer of Danville; d. in Iowa in 1873; no 

ch. 
Joseph, b. Aug. 6, 1800, m. Esther Penley of Danville ; d. at Cloverdale, Ind., 

Apr., 1863. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Waterhouse died Oct. 13, 1801, and Mr. Water- 
house married. May 2, 1802, Lydia Wescott, widow of Abner Wescott, 
and daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah (Roberts) Parker. Children : 

Abner, b. Aug. 20, 1804, m. Mary Robinson; I'd in Danville; d. Feb. i, 1895. 

Sally, b. May 16, 1811, m. Francis J. Knapp. 

Lydia, b. May i, 18 18, m. Nathaniel Sawyer of New Gloucester. 

In 1805 Joseph Waterhouse moved to Pejepscot, now Danville, 
where he died in April, 1844. 

Ai Waterhouse born in Scarborough, May 21, 1792, was the son 
of Theophilus and Hannah (Goodwin) Waterhouse, and grandson of 
Joseph and Mary (Libby) Waterhouse. He was a farmer, and lived 
in a part of Scarborough now Gorham, and known as the " Strip." 
He married, Aug. 26, 1819, Olive, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth 
Waterhouse. Children : 



804 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Eli Leland, b. July 7, 182 1, m. Martha J, Chapman. In 1864 he was largely 
instrumental in the passage of a bill setting off to Gorham a part of the 
town of Scarboro. He d. in E. Boston, Mass., Feb. 3, 1889. 

Ai, b. Oct. 26, 1825, m. Sarah A. Goodwin; served as surgeon in the Civil War ; 
removed to Jamestown, N. Y., where he died. 

Amos, b. Aug. 4, 1828, m. Frances A. Fickett ; was a carpenter; while at work 
in Portland, fell from a staging, and was killed Oct. 10, 1865. 

Ai Waterhouse died Sept. 19, 1867. His widow Olive died in 
Maiden, Mass., Aug. 8, 1892, aged 99. 

William H. Waterhouse, born in Scarborough, Oct. 14, 1779, was 
the son of Joseph, Jr., and Lydia (Harmon) Waterhouse, and grand- 
son of Joseph and Mary (Libby) Waterhouse. Joseph Waterhouse, 
Jr., was a Revolutionary pensioner. He died in Standish. William H. 
Waterhouse was a soldier in the War of 1812. He married, Jan. 
31, 1802, Sally B., daughter of Capt. Ephraim Smith. Mr. and Mrs. 
Waterhouse lived in Gorham in the house built and formerly occu- 
pied by Capt. Smith, about a mile west from Little Falls, and which 
is still standing near the Town Farm. Children of William H. and 
Sally B. Waterhouse : 

Thomas S., b. Apr. 5, 1803, m. Miriam Estes, June 28, 1827; I'd in Standish; d. 

in Gorham, May 9, 1888. 
Daniel, b. Sept. 25, 1805, d. Aug. 31, 1807. 
Freeman, b. July 25, 1807, d. Oct. 9, 1809. 
Levi H., b. Sept. 30, 1809, m. Elizabeth Watts of St. John, N. H. ; merchant in 

St. John. 
Samuel S., b. July 21, 181 1, m. Ann Bolton, June 3, 1838; 2d, Eleanor Small; 

3d, Priscilia Ward. 
Gardner, b. Jan. 22, 1814, m. Jane W. Babb of Westbrook, 1843; 2d, Sarah 

Mayberry of Standish; I'd in Standish ; d. Apr. 3. 18S4. 
Sumner, b. Oct. 31, 1S16, m. Lydia A. Cummings of Albany, Me.; d. at the house 

of his brother Samuel, Aug. 13, 1S68. 
Elizabeth J., b. May 29, 1818, d. in Portland, unm. Dec. 10, 1853. 
Prentiss M., b. Sept. 8, 1820, m. Sarah Rounds, Sept. 13, 1846; 2d, Sarah 

Libby. 

Mrs. Sally Waterhouse died Oct. 10, 1843, aged 63, and Mr. 
Waterhouse married, Sept. 21, 1846, Mrs. Sarah Donnell of Portland. 
He died Nov. 4, 1867, aged 88. 

(2) Samuel S. Waterhouse, son of William H., was a farmer, and 

lived on the farm that had belonged to his grandfather Smith. He 

was a captain in the militia ; and for four years one of the selectmen 

of the town. He married Ann, daughter of William and Eunice 

Bolton. Children : 

Julia A., b. Aug. 21, 1840, m. Capt. Joel Wilson; d. Nov. 28, 1874. 

Elbridge H., b. Nov. 24, 1842, d. June 17, 1862. 

Melvin C, b. Aug. 20, 1846, d. Dec. 19. 1864. 

Charles M., b. Aug. 19, 1849, "i- Emma S. Wescott, Dec. 22, 1872; is a tailor in 

Westbrook. 
Mary Etta, b. June 19, 1S54, m. Howard T. Small, Nov. 27, 187S; d. Nov. r3, 

1880. 



GENEALOGY. 805 

Mrs. Ann Waterhouse died Oct. 24, 1S59, aojed 49, and Mr. 
Waterhouse married, Nov. 22, 1861, Mrs. Eleanor B. (Patten) Small, 
widow of Geo. Small of Raymond, by whom he had one child, Hattie 
C, born Jan. 8, 1865, and died Aug. 11, 1867. Mrs. Eleanor 
Waterhouse died May 19, 1872, and Mr. Waterhouse married Mrs. 
Priscilla (Libby) Ward, daughter of Marrett Libby. Capt. Water- 
house died Aug. 15, 1887, aged 76. 

(2) Prentiss M. Waterhouse, son of William H., was a machinist 

by trade, and lived on a farm in Gorham. He married Sally Rounds 

of Buxton. Children : 

Mary M., b. June 20, 1S47, m. James IT. l.ibby, Nov. 26, 1868. 
Annie A., b. Jan. 11, 1850, m. Charles Cloudman. 
Albeit E., b. Nov. 4, 1853, I's in the West. 
Freddie P., b. Feb. 5, 1858, d. Sept. 29, i860. 

Mrs. Sally (Rounds) Waterhouse died Dec. 8, 1866, aged 42, and 
Mr. Waterhouse married, June 30, 1869, Sarah, daughter of Joseph 
Libby of Gorham. He died April 9, 187 1. 

WATERMAN. 

Malachi Waterman was a soldier in the Revolution, serving in 
Capt. Whitmore's company, Col. Fogg's regiment. He married 
Mary Darker (pub. Dec. 21, 1776) as both of Gorham. There is no 
record of their marriage in Gorham, and they probably resided else- 
where for a time. The children recorded here are : 

Sarah, b. July 22, 1785. 

Mary, b. Nov. 13, 1787. 

Statira, b. Sept. 25, 1791. 

Ebenezer, b. Sept. 15, 1795. 

John, b. June 19, 1797, m. Lydia Hamilton. Ch : Aaron, d. Oct.' 6, 1844, ag. 
23; Moses, I'd in Conn.; John, m. Mary E. Smith of Westbrook, Mar., 
1852; Reuben, I's in Conn.; Charles H., d. Oct. 9, 1837, ag. 9; Henry 
L., m. Martha Williams, d. Apr. 26, 1854, ag. 24; Mary Jane, d. Sept. 
14, 1862, ag. 31 ; Lydia A., m. Arthur M. Drown, July 4, 1859; Maria 
E. ; Emeline, m. Abraham Guptill ; Miranda, d., ag. 3 ; Charles F., k'd at 
Fort Pulaski, June 4, 1S62, ag. iS. Mr. Waterman I'd for many years on 
South St., in the old Cary McLellan house, which was torn down a few 
years since by Freeman Higgins. He d. at W. Gorham, Mar. 13, 1S70; 
his wife d. about 1872. 

Malachi Waterman died in Baldwin, Feb. 12, 1824. 

Dr. John Waterman came to Gorham from Windham. He was 
the son of John Waterman of New Gloucester, Me., in which town he 
was born in 1789. He practiced medicine here for many years, 
and was a wise and prudent practitioner. He was for some years 
Sec'y and Treasurer of the Maine Mutual Fire Ins. Co., and also of 



806 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Gorham Academy. July 21, 1822, he married Ann, daughter of 
Abraham and Lucy (Smith) Anderson, and granddaughter of Abra- 
ham Anderson and his wife Anna (Collins) (Cloudman), the widow 
of Edward Cloudman. Mrs. Waterman commanded the respect of 
all who knew her. Many persons, who were once members of her 
family in their school days, will remember her with love and grati- 
tude. The children of Dr. John and Ann Waterman, born in 
Windham were : 

Lucy E., b. May 5, 1823, m. Rev. Edward S. Dwight, Nov. 13, 1S49; d. Sept. 

II, 1S61. 
John A., b. June 24, 1827, m. Evelina L. Pierce, June 23, 1853 ; 2d, Mai-y E. 

Smith. 

Dr. Waterman died June 11, 1865; his wife died Sept. 7, 1871, 
aged 73. 

(2) John A. Waterman, son of Dr. John and Ann (Anderson) 
Waterman, came to Gorham with his parents. After his graduation 
at Bowdoin, he commenced the practice of law in this place, which 
he continued till his death. (See Chapter XIV.) He became 
one of our most prominent citizens, and held many offices of trust. 
He was noted for his unfailing courtesy and strict probity. He 
was Judge of Probate for Cumberland County from 1863 to 1876, 
filling the office to great acceptance. He was Treasurer of Gorham 
Savings Bank. He married Evelina L., daughter of Hon. Josiah 
Pierce, and their children were : Eva L., died Jan. 7, 1878, aged 20 ; 
Fanny A., died Nov. 28, 1862, aged 3 ; Margaret P. ; John A., m. 
Emma C. Shirley, Aug. 2, 1893 ; Lucy D. 

Mrs. Waterman died Aug. 17, 1881, aged 51. Judge Waterman 
married, second, Sept. 23, 1885, Mary E., daughter of Henry P. A. 
and Caroline (Fox) Smith. They have one child, Caroline Fox. 
Hon. John A. Waterman died March 6, 1893. 

WATERS. 

Cornelius and George W. Waters came from Ashby, Mass. They 
were brothers; sons of Rev. Cornelius and Sybil (Gardner) Waters. 
Cornelius, who was born Nov. 17, 1795, was a clothier by trade. He 
was a fine singer, a teacher of vocal music, and, with the exception 
of two brief periods, was for more than thirty-five years leader of the 
Congregational church choir in Gorham. For some years he was 
engaged in the carpet factory. He was appointed postmaster at 
Gorham village in 1863, and after his death in 1880 his daughter 
Anna received from the Government a commission to succeed him 




CORNELIUS WATERS. 




MRS. ABIGAIL (IRISH) WATERS. 



GENEALOGY. 807 

in the office. Mr. Waters was a man of strict integrity and honor. 

He married, Dec. 15, 1830, Abigail, daughter of Gen. James Irish. 

Children : 

Rebecca I., b. Sept. 23, 1S31, d. unm. Feb. i, 1S82. 

Mary L., b. Sept. lo, 1S33, m. Samuel VV. Thurston, June 15, 1858. 

Abby C, b. June 13, 1837, d. unm. Nov. 26, 1877. 

James C, b. May q, 1840, d. unm. June 30, 1870. 

Reuel W., b. Oct. 31, 1842, m. Emily A. Bently, June 24, 1S68. 

Anna G., b. Dec. 6, 1S51. 

Cornelius Waters died Jan. 26, iSSo. Mrs. Waters died June 22, 
1873, aged 67. 

George W. Waters, brother of Cornelius, lived for some years in 

Ashby, Mass., where he owned a farm and mills. He married Sarah 

Forbes of Deerfield, Mass. After coming to Gorham in 1834, Mr. 

Waters was employed in the carpet factory here. In 1839 he went 

to Enfield, Mass., to superintend the carding room in a factory there, 

but returned to Gorham after two years and carried on the business 

of carpet making here. Children : 

Edwin F., b. in Ashby, July 7, 1822, m., and d. in Cal., May, 1894. 
George F., b. in Ashby, Mar. 23, 1S24, m., and d. in Newton Center, Aug. 17, 
" 1896. 

John A., b. in Ashby, Mar. 26, 1825, m. •. 

Eliza, b. in Ashby, Apr. 29, 1S27, d. young. 

Maria C., b. in Ashby, Sept. 6, 182S, m. John L. Curtis, Sept. 9, 1845. 

Sarah E., b. in Gorham, Nov. 18, 1836, m. E. Noyes ; d. Apr. 14, 1873. 

William G., b. in Gorham, Aug. 14, 1838, lives in Cal. 

Harriet C, b. in Enfield, Aug., 1840, d. young. 

Charles H., b. in Gorham, May 14, 1843, ^1- ^I^-Y 12, 1S45. 

Mr. and Mrs. Waters left Gorham to make their home with their 

son Edwin in Newton, Mass. Col. Waters died in California, and 

his wife Sarah, in Newton, Mass. 

WATSON. 

The descendants of Eliphalet Watson claim that he was the fifth 
settler that moved into town. We have reason to think he came in 
before he was married. Of his ancestry we know but little. Some 
of the family claim that they are English ; some say that they are 
Irish. The first record we have of him is his joining the church in 
Falmouth under the Rev. Mr. Smith in the year 1739. It is probable 
that he was the son of Ebenezer and Martha (Rawlins) Watson of 
Newbury, Mass., and was born in Newbury, June i, 17 17. Ebenezer 
Watson was the son of John Watson and wife, Ruth Griffin, who were 
married in Amesbury, March 22, 1687. Eliphalet married Elizabeth 
Phinney, the eldest daughter of Capt. John and Martha (Colman) 



808 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Phinne}', the first settlers here. Their intention of marriage is dated 
at Fahiiouth, April 29, 1740, and they were married soon after. It 
is probable that this is near the date of his coming into town, as he 
came in after the McLellan family, who came in the winter of 
1738-9. After their marriage Mr. Watson and his wife settled 
on the thirty acre lots, 27 and 28. He built his log house on 27. 
After the war, he built a substantial one-story frame house and out- 
buildings. After the Watsons left the farm, somewhere about the 
year 1805, the buildings were occupied by a Mr. Sleeper, who was a 
nail maker. This house, built by Mr. Watson soon after the close 
of the Indian war, was purchased by Eben Cressey, about the year 
1809 or 18 10, and was hauled over to the Buxton, or Flaggy Meadow 
road as it was called, and placed on the northeast corner of the 
thirty acre lot. No. 44, near where Jonathan Davis then lived, where 
Mr. Cressey built a two-story front to it. This two-story part was 
afterwards sold to Jonathan Emery, the father of D. C. Emery, Esq., 
and moved on to his farm, and was the same house afterwards 
owned and occupied by James Brown. The old Watson house was 
afterwards occupied by several persons, lastly by Mrs. Elizabeth 
McGralh, and was finally torn down many years since. 

When the Watson family lived in their log house previous to the 
war, the Indians were quite numerous in the township, particularly 
in the summer ; roaming over the country, fishing and hunting for 
game. They often called on the family, much to the inconvenience 
and terror of the females and children. The first notice they would 
have of their presence would be the discovery of one of them stand- 
ing in the middle of the room, where he had placed himself with 
noiseless tread, or they would see an Indian's ugly head thrust 
through the little aperture made in the logs to admit light. They 
would handle everything, examine everything, and beg everything, 
and steal when they could not beg. They often told ]\Irs. Watson 
in broken English, " You make good squaw for Indian. Papoose 
got good scalp. War come by and by — Indian come and take 11711 
all." This was delightful news to the mother and children, and if 
none of the males of the family were about, the females were glad to 
give the Indians something, to be rid of their disagreeable company. 
It was said of Mr. Watson, whenever he traded with the Indians in 
their small way, or for labor, he always dealt on the square, honestly 
and straightforward. The Indians committed but small depredations 
on his property. They would sometimes appropriate some of his 
fruit, or produce of the garden or field. 



GENEALOGY. 809 

When, or of whom, Mr. Watson made his purchase of land we find 
no record. He owned a proprietor's right as early as 1742, when 
his name appears in a call for a proprietors' meeting. It is probable 
that he purchased of Anthony Brackett. His name often appears 
on committees as an active citizen, and working for the interest of the 
Proprietary. It is probable his name was entered on his lot, on 
the old Proprietors' plan, which by many of the settlers was thought 
to be sufficient record. 

The children of Eliphalet and Elizabeth Watson were : 

John, b. Sept. 23, 1741, m. Tabitha Whitney, Dec. 5, 1765. 

Martha, b. Dec. 4, 1743, no record of marriage or death. 

Susanna, b. Feb. i, 1746, m. Isaac Sl<il]ings, Jan. 8, 1766. 

Ebenezer, b. Sept. 28, 1748, m. Anna Whitney, p. Sept. 22, 1771. 

Colman P., b. Dec. 4, 1751, m. Mrs. Patience Thomes, Sept. 8, 1774. 

Elizabeth, b. Feb. 11, 1754, m. Jacob Hamblen, p. Oct. 4, 1777. 

Mary, b. July 12, 1756, no record of marriage or death. 

Eliphalet, b. Mar. 20, 1759, m. Zipporah Partridge, p. July 22, 17S0. 

James, b. Aug. 3, 1761, m. Mary Davis, June 30, 1785; 2d, Mary Carsley, Feb. 

23, 1792. 
Daniel, b. Oct. 11, 1763, m. Anna Maxfield, Nov. 25, 1789; 2d, Polly Hanscom. 

Eliphalet Watson with his family were amongst those w^ho remained 
in town during the Indian war of 1746, and lived in the fort about 
seven years, suffering great hardships from war, sickness, and scarcity 
of provision, which at times came near to a famine. Of their children, 
Ebenezer and Colman are said to have been born in the fort. He 
(Mr. Watson) was one of the most efficient men of the settlement ; 
one who did not strive for command but was always ready for action 
where duty called : then in the prime of life, consistent, brave, and a 
good scout ; qualifications not to be lightly prized in those days. 
Whether he was one of a small party who sallied to the rescue oE 
young Edmund Phinney, when he was attacked by the Indians, we 
are not informed, but he volunteered with Hugh McLellan to accom- 
pany Edmund to Falmouth the next day, in order to have Dr. Coffin 
set his arm, and dress his wounds ; a journey that was not without 
danger. 

Soon after the organization of the Congregational church in Gor- 
ham, about the year 1750, Mr. Watson was made a deacon, which 
office he filled for many years with much acceptance. He was highly 
respected by his fellow townsmen, and held several offices to which 
he was chosen. Of the time of the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Watson 
we have no record. No monument marks the resting place of this 
truly good woman, who was a good wife and a kind and loving 
mother, respected and beloved by all who knew her. Mr. Watson 
left Gorham with his son Daniel ; died and was buried in the town 
of Poland, about the year 18 14, aged 98. 



810 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) John Watson, son of Eliphalet, married Tabitha, daughter of 
Nathaniel and Hannah (Day) Whitney. After his marriage, he first 
settled in 1765 on the northern half of the hundred acre lot, 72, 
which he purchased of Stephen Phinney, Oct. 29, 1765, and where 
his old cellar, and rose bushes are still to be seen. This was before 
Queen street was fully located. After this was done, and the road 
leading northerly between 81 and 80 was laid out, he purchased 
twenty-five acres oft" the southeily end of 81, and in 1769 made his 
final settlement on the spot where the heirs of Capt. Greenlief C. 
Watson now live. Mr. Watson and his brother-in-law, Isaac Skillings, 
owned a right in a saw mill then standing on Little river, at the falls, 
near what has since been known as Stephenson's bridge. The swale 
from the bridge to Sturgis's hill was covered with a heavy growth of 
large hemlock trees, so close and dense that the road through them, 
even in the day time, was dark, so much so, that it was called and 
known as " the dark hole." 

Mr. Watson w-as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and during 

the latter part of his life received a pension from the Government. 

He and his wife were for many years members of the Congregational 

church in Gorham. His farm is still owned in the family. Children 

of John and Tabitha Watson : 

Mercy, b. Oct. 15, 1766, d. Oct. iS, 1769. 

Martha, b. Apr. 22, 1769. m. David Davis, June 12, 17SS. 

Edmund, b. Jan. 17, 1772, m. Betsey Cressey of Buxton, June 26, 1797. 

Colman P., b. Feb. 23, 1774, m. Elizabeth Frost, July 25, 1802. 

Miriam, b. Dec. 24, 1776, m. Stephen Miirch, Sept. 19, 1793. 

Tabitha, b. May 16, 1779, m. Josiah Shaw, Jan. 5. 1797. 

Molly, b. Apr. 9, 1781, find no record of marriage or death. 

Sally, b. Mar. 19, 17S4, m. David Cobb, Dec. 9, 1802. 

Greenhef C, b. Mar. 14, 17S6, m. Lydia S. Tompson, July i, 1812. 

Desire, b. Dec. 5, 178S, m. Nahum Chadbourn, May 30, 1806. 

John Watson died Oct. 26, 1834, aged 93. His wife died Sept. 
13, 1831, aged 86. 

(2) Ebenezer, the fourth child of Eliphalet Watson, after his mar- 
riage with Anna Whitney, purchased and occupied the sovitherly part 
of the hundred acre lot, No. 82, on the southerly side of the road, 
and joining his brother John's lot. His old cellar and orchard still 
remain. He had eight children born in Gorham : 

Stephen, b. Sept. 8, 1772. 
Joseph, b. July i, 1774. 
Samuel, b. Jan. 31. 1777. 
Elizabeth, b. Sept. 24, 1779. 
Stephen, b. May 25, 1782. 
William, b. Apr. 22, 1785. 
John, b. Jan. 4, 1789. 
Nathan, b. Sept. 5, 1791. 



GENEALOGY. 811 

The next child, ]:CUphalet, was born in Gray, June 14, 1797. After 
the birth of his son Nathan, Mr. Watson sold out and with his family- 
left Gorham. Their descendants are living in New Gloucester and 
Gray. 

(2) Colman P., son of Eliphalet Watson, married Mrs. Patience 

Thomes, widow of Edward Thomes, and daughter of Nathaniel and 

Hannah (Day) Whitney. They lived at what is now West Gorham, 

on three acres of land purchased of Jeremiah Hodgdon, where the 

old hotel now stands. They had three children born in Gorham : 

Mercy, b. Apr. 27, 1775. 
Stephen P., b. Dec. 19, 1776. 
Hannah, b. Sept. 28, 177S. 

The family moved to Waterford, where they had several other 
children born. 

(2) Eliphalet, Jr., was the eighth child of Eliphalet and Elizabeth 
Watson. He married Zipporah Partridge of Falmouth. They had 
two children born in Gorham : Ebenezer, born Sept. 20, 1782 ; 
Nathaniel P., born Aug. 21, 178S. This family settled in Waterford. 

(2) James Watson, son of Eliphalet, married Mary, daughter of 
Josiah and Thankful Davis, and second, Mary, daughter of John and 
Mercy Carsley. Mr. Watson was a soldier of the Revolution, in the 
Bagaduce expedition. He had a daughter Mehitable, born in Gor- 
ham, Aug. II, 1786. He moved to Harrison, where he was among 
the early settlers. 

(2) Daniel Watson, the tenth and last child of Eliphalet and 
Elizabeth, owned and occupied the old Watson homestead in Gorham 
until March 6, 1805, when he sold out to J. P. Little, Esq., and Maj. 
Ellis Standish, and moved with his family to Poland. He married 
Anna Maxtield, by whom he had four children, born in Gorham : 

Martha, b. Feb. 10, 1791. 
Josiah, b. Oct. 30, 1792. 
Hannah, b. Dec. 7, 1794. 
Daniel, b. Oct. 27, 1797. 

Mr. Watson married, June i, 1803, Polly Hanscom, by whom he 
had Joseph H., born June 30, 1S04. 

The old Watson farm was westerly one tier of lots from the Fort 
Hill road, and the road leading to it passed directly along the north- 
erly side of the old McLellan brick house. It was very productive, 
and had on it one of the best orchards in town, and about the house 
and garden an abundance of other fruit ; pears, plums, and the old- 



812 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

fashioned blue damson. As far back as 1810 some of the pear trees 
indicated by their size and appearance that they must have been set 
out at least fifty or sixty years ; which would show that pears were 
early brought into town. The year that the farm came into the 
hands of Mr. Little, he gathered fifteen bushels of blue damsons, a 
fruit most excellent for preserves, and now hardly known in town. 
The farm was watered by the Tommy brook, which ran but a 
few rods from the house, and which was an excellent trout stream. 
At this day we hardly know what a good trout brook is. If an 
angler works a day and captures two dozen fish he does a good 
business. A few years after the farm left Watson's hands, one of 
the new proprietors was at work near the brook, and discovered 
several nice fish in a deep hole, where it was not possible for them to 
go farther up stream. Not having hook- and line with which to take, 
them, he saw no other way than to dip off the water. If this had to 
be done, he thought he would try and make it pay. Consequently 
he went some way down stream, and with a stick drove all the fish up 
into his trap, then secured the outlet with brush, damming the brook 
above and turning off all the water. He had the thing all his own 
way, and the result was nearly a common water-pail full of nice 
brook trout, from six inches to a foot long. The writer of this article 
saw and helped eat the fish, or he would not have told this fish story. 
There can be no restocking this brook with trout, for the brook is 
hardly there. In olden times, it was fed by numerous springs its 
whole length, besides having a large boiling spring for its head, near 
the house of Mr. Alden. Most of these springs are now dry in con- 
sequence of clearing and cultivating the land. The old brook in 
summer has hardly enough water for the use of the frogs, who seem 
to have taken possession. The farm is still known to the old resi- 
dents as the Watson place. The old cellar, the old well, and a few 
old apple trees put there by Eliphalet Watson, probably more than 
one hundred and fifty years since, remain to mark the place. 

(3) Edmund Watson, son of John, lived at West Gorham. He 
married Betsey Cressey of Buxton. Children : 

Susanna, b. Apr. 18, 1799, d. unm. July 3, 1858. 

Polly, b. Dec. 3, iSoi, m. Daniel Kimljall of Buxton, p. July 19, 1840. 

John, b. Oct. 13, 1803, m. Dec. 2, 1840, Martha A., dau. of Richard, Jr., and 
Martha (Chadbourn) Edwards. Ch : Mary E., b. May 9, 1842, m. Daniel 
W. Davis, Oct. 22, 1S70; Ohver C, b. Apr. 7, 1844,01. Kate E. Lewis, 
June 12, 1867 ; Cornelia A., b. July 20, 1847, rn. F. Augustus Files, Mar. 
4. 1873; Luther D., b. Oct. 14, 1852, d. y.. Mr. John Watson d. at W. 
Gorham, Mar. 12, 1878; Mrs. Watson d. July 23, 1873, ag. 59. 

Naaman C, b. Dec. i, 1804, m. Ann Ilopkinson, May 12, 1833. 



GENEALOGY. 813 

Tabitha, b. July 23, 1S07, d. Oct. 28, 1829. 

George, b. Feb. 18, 1812, m. Mary R., dau. of Charles Clark, July 6. 1843. Ch : 
Charles E., b. Dec. 24, 1844. m. Sarah J. Rowe, Jan., 1871. Mr. Watson 
I'd at W. Gorham. He d. Dec. i, 1S89; Mrs. Watson d. Apr. 11, 1S82. 

Elizabeth, b. May 2, 1816, d. unm. Apr. 8, 1882. 

Edmund Watson died Dec. 13, 1847, ^g*^<^ 7^^ Mrs. Betsey, his 
wife, died Jan. i, 1838. 

(3) Colman P. Watson, son of Joim, married Elizabeth, daughter 

of Col. Nathaniel and Polly Frost. Children : 

Nathaniel F., b. Jan. 13, 1804, m. Bethiah Hamblen, Mar. 24, 1825. 
Miriam, b. Mar. 11, 1808, m. Daniel Billings, p. Mar. 29,, 1840. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Watson died July, 1808, aged 26. Mr. Watson 
died in Harrison in April, 1849, aged 75. 

(3) Greenlief C. Watson, son of John, married Lydia Sands Tomp- 
son of Buxton. Children : 

Major R., b. Dec. 6, 1814, m. Caroline McArthur of Limington ; d. Apr. i, 

1^45- 

Abigail, b. June 15, 1816, m. Reuben Lowell, in 1S40. 

Benjamin A., b. Apr. 25, 181S, m. Maria .Small of Limington, Nov. 25, 1841. 
Ch: Lydia, b. in Bridgton, Aug., 1842, I's on her father's place at W. 
Gorham ; Mary, b. in Gorham, Dec. 24, 1844, m. Geoige Adams of Bu.x- 
ton. Mr. Wat.son I'd at Bonny Eagle, then at Bridgton, and from that 
place came to Gorham. He d. Dec. 11, 1891 ; his wife d. Oct. 10, 1865, 

ag. 45- 
Sally, b. Mar. 3, 1820, m. Wm. Rowe of Saco, 1846; 2d, Peter Paine of Standish. 
Chandler, b. Sept. 7, 1822, m. Louisa Craig of Westbrook ; 2d, Eliza Leeds. 
Leonard, b. May 5, 1824, I's on the old place. 
Charles H., b. Dec. 2, 1826, m. Mary Small, who d. June 25, 1868 ; 2d, Mrs. 

Lydia E. (Gage) Rounds ; I's on the old place. 
Clark, b. Feb. 7, 1829, m Eliza Ingalls of Bridgton. 
Arthur, b. Oct. 17, 1832, nothing known of him. 

Capt. Greenlief C. Watson was in the War of 1812; after his 
decease, his widow obtained a pension for his services. He lived on 
the farm once owned by his father, John Watson, about a half mile 
from West Gorham village. He died Dec. 18, 1863; his wife died 
Jan. 22, 1884, aged 92. 

WATTS. 

David Watts was the son of Samuel Watts and Margaret Elder 
who were married in Falmouth in 1752. He had a brother Samuel, 
and a sister Rebecca. His mother, who was the daughter of 
Samuel Elder, married for her second husband, Nov. 9, 1759, James 
Gilkey of Gorham. In 1775 Mr. Watts enlisted as a sergeant in 
Capt. Williams' company. Col. Phinney's regiment, in which com- 
pany he was promoted, Aug. 3, 1776, from ensign to second lieuten- 
ant. He reenlisted, for three years, in Col. Brewer's 12th Mass., as 



814 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

first lieutenant in Capt. Jenkins's company, and in May, 1780 is 
reported as discharged. July 14, 1779 he petitioned the Board of 
War for clothing to replace that lost by him at the " retreat of Ticon- 
deroga." He passed the winter of 1777-78 in camp near A^alley 
Forge. His regiment at this time appears to have been under the 
command of Lieut. Col. E. Sprout. About the year 1783, he built 
and occupied the house on Main St., where the late Col. Hugh D. 
McLellan lived. He married, Dec. 9, 1779, Sarah daughter of Josiah 
Davis, by whom he had one child : 

Samuel, b. Feb. 3, 1782, m. Miriam Cressey of Buxton, July 31, 1S03. 

Mrs. Sarah Watts died in 1784, aged 20, and Mr. Watts married, 

Oct. 4, 1784, Mary, daughter of John and Deborah (Wadley) Cressey. 

After the birth of their first child, David, the family moved to Buxton. 

Their children were: 

David, b. Oct. 13, 1785, d. young. 

Betsey, b. Sept. 21, 1787, m. William Waterman of Mass. 

David, b. Nov. 28, 1790, d. in Bu.xton, unm. Jan. 13, 1877. 

Mary, b. Mar. 28, 1793, d. unm. 

Sarah, b. Mar. 29, 1795, m. Joseph Cressey, Jan. 21, 1817. 

Hannah, b. May 13, 1797, m. Noah Cressey, Feb. 22, 1820. 

Eunice, b, Apr. 6, 1799, m. George Carll of Buxton. 

Nancy, b» Apr. 24, 1801, d. unm. Aug. 26, 1852. 

Capt. Watts and his wife Mary, both died in Bu.xton, he, Aug. 30, 
1804, aged 52, and she, Dec. 18, 1834, aged 72. 

WAY. 

Christopher Way, son of George and Sarah (Douglas) Way, was 
born in Lempster, N. H., April 18, 1809. He came to Gorham about 
1830. He was a currier, and was employed in the tannery of his 
brother-in-law, Stephen Ilinkley. He married, June 5, 1836, Susan- 
nah Shedd of Chelmsford, Mass. Children : 

Frances Helen, b. May 31, 1837. 

George H., b. Sept. 3, 1839, m. Lucy A. Patrick, Feb. 23, 1870; one child, 

Susie G. 
Edward, b. Oct. 4, 1841, m. Kate Barbour, May 9, 1S72 ; d. in Washington, 

May 2, 1874; one son, Edward H. 
Albert S., b. Apr. 20, 1845, "^- Fannie B. Scott, June 27, 1867, d. in Portland, 

Apr. 22, 1877; three children. 

Mr. Way died Feb. 17, 1862, and his wife, Aug. 10, 1885, aged 86. 

Trueman Way, brother of Christopher, born Feb. 22, 181 1, came 
to Gorham in the summer of 1835. He was a cattle dealer. He 
married, March 26, 1837, Sarah L. Boynton of Cornish, Me. Chil- 
dren : 



GENEALOGY. 



815 



Emily A., b. June lo, 1S3S, m. George II. Johnson; d. in Indianapolis, Ind., 

Dec. 16, 1862. 
Oliver D., b. Dec. 17, 1839, m. Lucy E. Variiey, Mar. iS, 1869. 
Ellen, b. Apr. 6, 1843, ^- Thomas W. Stewart, in Indianapolis, Apr. 29, 1S63. 

William W., b. , m. Isabel R. Crawford, Sept. 4, 1872. 

Arthur T., b. in Salem, m. Sarah Nye, Oct. 12, 1886. 

Trueman Way died March 14, 1889, in Indianapolis, Ind. 

WEBB. 

Samuel Webb, the ancestor of the Windham and Gorham Webbs, 
was the son of Samuel and Susanna Webb, and was born in Redrift, 
England, Dec. 25, 1696. Tradition says that his father, who was 
the master of a ship, was poisoned in 1708 on the coast of Africa 
where he had gone for a cargo of slaves. His mother having died 
previous to the death of his father, the orphan boy when about seven- 
teen years of age ran away from home and made his way to this 
counti-y where he landed at Newport, R. I. He shortly after went 
to Tiverton, in the same State, where he learned the trade of a black- 
smith. We think that he settled in Windham as early as 1745. He 
had lived in Falmouth and Saccarappa before that date. Parson 
Smith says Webb's son was taken at Marblehead (now Windham) by 
the Indians, Sept. 22, 1750. This was Samuel's son, probably Seth. 
Several of Samuel's family resided at one time or another in Gorham, 
as David, John, Seth, and Eli paid poll taxes here. All accounts 
agree that Samuel Webb was twice married, but differ as to the name 
of his iirst wife. His grandson Seth said that he married, Dec. 25, 
17 18, Mary Mclntire of Tiverton, R. I. Others say that his wafe 
was the daughter of Capt. John Randall of Weymouth, Mass. By 
this first wife he had two sons, Samuel and Thomas, who remained in 
Massachusetts. After her death in 1722, he married, April 10, 1723, 
at Tiverton, Bethiah, the daughter of John and Persis Farrow (or 
Farrah), and widow of Capt. David Spear. She had one daughter by 
her first husband, named Bethiah, who married Thomas Mayberry. 
It is said that at the time of Samuel's second marriage he was twenty- 
seven, and the young widow but fifteen years of age. Samuel's chil- 
dren by his second wife, Bethiah, were : 

David, m. Dorothy Peabody, Nov. 16, 1749. 

Ezekiel, m. on Cape Cod ; was a sea captain. 

John, m. Elizabeth Larrabee of Falmouth, 1753. 

Seth, m. Hannah Winship, Dec, 1759- 

Susanna, m. William Maxfield of Windham, Dec, 1753. 

Eli, m. Sarah Cloudman, Apr. 20, 1760. 

James, m. Elizabeth Mayberry of Windham. 

Josiah, d. ag. 7 years. 



816 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Abigail, d. ag. 5 years. 

Elizabetli, m. Jonathan Roberts; I'd in Buckfield. 

Samuel Webb is said to have been the first school-teacher in Wind- 
ham. He moved with his son Seth in 1766 to Deer Isle, where he 
died Feb. 15, 1785. His wife Bethiah died at Deer Isle, Nov. 30, 
1770, aged 62. 

(2) David Webb, son of Samuel, born in Tiverton, July i, 1727, 
was a blacksmith. In 1756 he purchased of David Gorham a hun- 
dred acres of land, on which the deed says he then lived. This 
place was situated in Gorham on the old road to Saccarappa, close to 
the Westbrook town line. David Webb married Dorothy Peabody of 
Falmouth, born March 27, 1720, daughter of Francis Peabody, Esq., 
of Middleton, Mass. Children : 

Dorothy, b. . 

David, b. 



Jonathan, b. Nov. 25, 1756, m. Mary Coverley, Mar. 4, 1781 ; 2d, Susanna 

Smith; I'd in Saccarappa; d. Apr. 8, I810. 
Bethiah, b. about 1758, m. Prince Hamblen, Mar. 22, 1781. 

(2) Eli Webb, son of Samuel, born in Tiverton, Nov. 7, 1737, lived 
in Gorham at Gambo where he owned a large tract of land, including 
the water power on the Gorham side of the Presumpscot River. His 
house was on Pleasant Ridge, and is now owned and occupied by 
Alonzo Libby who has made many changes in the building. Eli 
Webb was a soldier in the French wars and also in the Revolution. 
He married Sarah, daughter of Edward and Ann Cloudman. Chil- 
dren : 

Edward, b. Dec. 24, 1760, m. Sarah Bolton, May 10, 1787. 

Sally, b. , m. Nathaniel Knight, Feb. 24, 1787. 

Ann, b. Mar. 10, 1763, m. William Bolton, Jan. 5, 1786; 2d, Wm. Libby, Mar. 
30, 1797. 

Lorana, b. , m. James Pray, Sept. 10, 1790. 

Mary, b. -, m. John Dam of Freeport, p. Apr. 16, 1792. 

James, b. , d. in the West Indies. 

Ezekiel, b. , m. Sarah McDonald, p. Mar. 17, 1797; I'd in Brownfield. 

Abraham, b. , m. Lydia Waterhouse of Standish, p. May 11, 1797. 

Seth, b. , m. Polly Clements, Feb. 15, 1801. 

Rachel, b. , m. James McDonald, Jan. 20, 1803. 

Eli Webb died Oct. 26, 1826, aged 89, and his wife, Feb. 28, 1826, 

aged 84. 

(3) Edward Webb, son of Eli, settled on a part of his fathers 

farm, and lived where Orin Leavitt now lives. He married Sarah, 

daughter of William and Rachel Bolton. Children : 

William, b. June 16, 1788, m. Ann Bolton, Apr. 29, 1821. 
Lydia, b. Jan. i, 1790, d. unm. in Portland, Aug. 11, 1877. 
Ann, b. Nov. 14, 1791, m. Livy Buker, p. Sept. 24, 1814. 



GENEALOGY. 817 

Eli, b. June 30, 1793, m. Mary Cobby, Jan. 30, 1S20; d. in Portland. Parents 

of Judge Nathan Webb. 
Mary, b. July"25, 1795, ™- Rufus Morrill, Dec. 24, 1S20. Parents of Ex-Gov. 

Morrill of Kansas. 
Rachel, b. Feb. 14, 1797, d. ag. 21. 

James, b. Mar. 7, 179S, m. Clarissa Kenney; I'd in Bridgton. 
Thomas, b. Jan. 14, 1800, m. Eliza Ann M ay berry ; d. m Casco. 
Solomon, b. Oct. 30, 1801, m. Mary W. Ryerson of Portland, Jan. 18, 1827. 
Sarah, b. Jan. 16, 1803, m. Rufus Morrill. (2d wife,) Feb. 21, 1836. 

Edward Webb was a Revolutionary pen.sioner. He died Nov. 18, 

1846, aged 86. His wife died Aug. 28, 1850, aged 89. 

(3) Seth, son of Eli Webb, was one of the selectmen of Gorham 

for two years. He married Polly Clements. Children : 

Child, b. 1S02, d. 1805. 

Samuel A., b. Sept. 22, 1803, d. in Knox. 

Mary, b. Dec. 12, 1806, m. Clement Wescott, 1S2S. 

Sophronia I., b. Sept. 29, 181 1, m. Emerson. 

Jeremiah, b. Dec. 31, 1816, went to Belfast; afterwards with Samuel to Cal. 
Amelia Ann, b. Apr. 28, 181 7. 
Horace, b. , d. Sept. 13, 1828. 

Seth Webb lived on the home place till 1826, then moved to Bel- 
fast. He died in Knox, at the age of 86. 

(4) William Webb, son of Edward, lived with his father till his 
death. He married Ann, daughter of Thomas and Hannah Bolton. 
Children : 

Emelinfe, b. Apr. 17, 1823, m. Daniel Woodbury of Westbrook. 

Sewall, b. Sept. 30, 1825, m. Adeline S. Cook, Sept. 30, 1850; d. Aug. 4, 1900. 

Lester, b. Oct. 11, 1828, m. Mrs. Mary Nason of Bangor. 

Mary W., b. July 9, 1834, d. Feb. 19, 1859. 

William Webb died Oct. 5, 1841, aged 53. After his death his 

widow moved to the old Eli Webb house where she died Jan. 29, 

187 1, aged 80. 

WEEKS. 

William Weeks probably came to Gorham from Cape Elizabeth. 
He owned and lived on a part of the hundred acre lot, 22. He mar- 
ried Dorcas, daughter of John Dyer, and their children were : 

Benjamin, b. in Cape Elizabeth, Mar. 17, 1771, m. Sarah Libby, June 20, 1790. 
Mary, b. in Gorham, Sept. 30, 1774, m. Jos. Burnell, Jan. 7, 1790. 

In 1790 Mr. Weeks was taxed for two polls (himself and son), 
which were charged to his widow in 1791, so it appears that be must 
have died about that time. His widow married George Meserve of 
Scarboro, Dec. 8, 1791. 

(2) Benjamin Weeks, son of W^illiam, married Sarah, daughter of 
Nathaniel and Mary Libby of Scarboro, and lived for some years in 
Gorham. Children : 



818 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

William, b. Oct. 25, 1790, m. Sophia Knight. 

Dorothy !>., b. Feb. 25, 1793, d- unm. 

Lavinia, b. June 27, 1797, m. John Nason of Windham, Dec. 3, 1817. 

Benjamin, b. Nov. i, 1799, m. Charlotte M. Knight of Westhrook. 

Joseph, b. , m. Esther Libby; 2d. Maria Plummer; 3d, Margaret 

Nichols. 

Louisa, b. , m. Elisha Turner. 

Howe, b. Apr. 28, 181 2, m. Sarah Daggett; 2d. Pamelia H. Stetson. 

This family moved in 1818 to Durham. The children were all 
born in Gorham, with the exception of the eldest, William, who was 
born in Scarboro. Lavinia is recorded as " Loving." 

Robert Weeks probably came from Massachusetts. He married, 
Dec. 13, 1808, Mrs. Bethiah (Smith) Lombard, daughter of Hezekiah 
Smith, and widow of James Lombard, and lived on the farm once 
owned by Mr. Lombard. This farm, the hundred acre lot, 19, is still 
in the possession of the ^Weeks family. Children of Robert and 
Bethiah Weeks : 

Bethiah, b. Sept. 12, 1809, m. William Hoyt, June 14, 1831 ; d. about 1896. 

Maria, b. Aug. 6, 181 1, m. Reuben Hoyt, Dec. r, 1837. 

Almedia, b. Dec. 4, 1813, m. Zelotes Moulton, Feb. 12, 1835. 

Sally S., b. Feb. 13, 1816, m. Alvin Plummer of Scarboro, Nov. 21, 1833. 

Robert, b. Mar. 13, 1818, m. Harriet S. (Huston) Lombard, widow of \Samuel 
Lombard, July 14, 1S44. Ch : Edward J., m. Marietta Plummer; Hen- 
rietta, m. William Plummer; Irving, m. Mary Dunham. Mr. Weeks d. 
Mar. 27, 1897; Mrs. W. d. June i, 1S85, ag. 73. 

Hannah L., b. July 20, 1820, m. Thomas Skillings of Standish, Nov. 25, 1841. 

Randall C, b. Dec. 23, 1823, m. Julia (Edwards) Alden ; she d. June 30, 1868. 

Mrs. Bethiah Weeks died April 11, 1842, aged 66. Mr. Weeks 
married, July 10, 1843, Polly, daughter of Samuel, Jr., and Molly 
Hamblen, and moved to the Hamblen place on South St., where he 
died, Aug, 25, 1857. Mrs. Weeks died Feb. 22, 1870, aged 78. 

WENTWORTH. 

Thomas E. Wentworth, son of Thomas and Rachel (Humphrey) 

Wentworth, was born in No. Yarmouth, Me., Sept. 13, 18 14. He 

was a painter by trade. He served in the war of the Rebellion, 

and was captain of Co. K, 9th Me. Vols., assisting in the capture 

and occupation of Hilton Head, So. Carolina. He was afterwards 

captain of Co. F, i6th Me. Vols. During the war he was taken 

prisoner, and confined in Libby prison. He married, Apr. 28, 1840, 

Martha C, only child of James Phinney, Esq., and granddaughter of 

Capt. John Phinney. Children : 

Lucy E., b. Feb. 10, 1842, d. Oct. 2, 1S59. 

James P., b. Aug. 17, 1843, m. Nellie Newhall of Portland; 2d, Virginia Tom- 
linson of Watertown, Mass. 



GENEALOGY. 819 

Martha R., b. June 24. 1845, m. Charles I'laton ; d. June 24, 1S98. 
George H., b. May, 1847, m. Mary L. Wilson of Conn. 
Thomas E., b. June 3. 1850, d. Feb. 14, 1S60. 
Amy A. S., b. Apr. 9, 1852, d. Jan. 29, 1854. 
John R.. ) 1 T7 1 Or ( m- Annie Childs. 

Charles R., r" ^"^- -^' '^54,]^. Apr. 11, 1S54. 

Capt. Wentworth died Nov. 3, 1882, and his wife Martha, Oct. 

29, 1898, aged 77. 

WESCOTT. 

The Wescotts, so some of the family say, are descended from one 
William Wescott who came from England, married a Skillings of Fal- 
mouth, and settled on " Skillings' Hill," which was then in P'almouth. 
He had two sons : Richard who settled in the town of Cornish, and 
William who married in February, 1757, Margaret, daughter of Clem- 
ent and Sarah Meserve. This William and Margaret Wescott settled 
in Scarborough on the farm since known as the Theodore Libby 
farm. They were the ancestors of the Gorham Wescotts. . 

Mr. Wescott was the famous " Post Wescott " of olden times, and 
during the Revolution was known to eveiy man, woman and child, 
on the road from Boston to Portland, and in all the region about the 
County of Cumberland. It is said he carried the first mail between 
Boston and Portland, was employed by U'ashington during the war in 
carrying dispatches, and in carrying letters to and from the soldiers 
in the army and their friends and families in New Hampshire and 
Maine. The writer of this notice has in his possession a letter writ- 
ten by his grandfather while in the army at Cambridge, and brought 
home to Gorham by Post Wescott in 1775. Some of his descendants 
now have in their possession a cane given him by General Washing- 
ton in the time of the Revolution. When about to start with 
dispatches in which the General took much interest, he was looking 
for a stick with which to urge forward his horse, when Washington 
told him to take his cane, which was more substantial than a switch, 
and hurry off. This cane he religiously preserved till his death and 
it is now an heirloom highly prized. 

There are some of us yet alive who can remember the old gentle- 
man. On all great days, more particularly general muster day, 
(militaiy display being one of his hobbies) he usually made his 
appearance at Gorham village, it being in his way to visit his two 
sons, Reuben and Edmund, who were settled in the north part of the 
town. He was the wonder of the young, always polite and courteous, 
and always with something pleasant to say to all. He always 



820 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

attracted attention, with his erect, stately figure, and fine horseman- 
ship ; his long cane or staff, which he grasped in the old-fashioned 
style a few inches below the top; dressed in the old continental style, 
with cocked hat, single-breasted coat with large brass buttons and 
standing collar, with long waist and wide skirts ; short breeches, high- 
quartered shoes with silver buckles four inches square, long stock- 
ings fastened to his breeches at the knee with large silver buckles, — 
this was his go-out dress, and he never abandoned it during his life. 
Children of William and Margaret Wescott : 

Joseph, was a soldier of the Revolution ; killed in battle in Rhode Island. 

Reuben, ni. Abigail Dam, Dec. 4, 1783. 

Isaac, settled in Kiitery. 

Sally, m. Mr. Small of Limington ; was the ancestor of Erving Small, Esq., and 

Mrs. Ichabod Leighton, both living in Gorham. (1S73.) 
Edmund, m. Hannah Morton, May 15, 1794. 

Charlotte, m. Barstow. 

Hannah, m. Thomas Morton, Nov. 15, 1802. 

Clement, m. Sally Marr, Mar. 6, 1804; settled in N. Yarmouth. 

Dorcas, m. Samuel Whitney, Oct. 23, 1800; moved to Cumberland. 

William, m. Lydia Marr (sister of Sally), Oct. 23, 1806 ; settled in Scarborough. 

I do not know when or where Mrs. Margaret Wescott died, but am 
told that Mr. Wescott lived during the latter part of his life with his 
son Clement Wescott in No. Yarmouth, where he died at a good old 
age. 

(i) Reuben Wescott, son of William, born Dec. 10, 1761, married 
Abigail Dam of Scarboro, who was born Nov. 10, 1766. Soon after 
their marriage in 1783, they moved to Gorham and settled on the 
seventy acre lot, in the north part of the town, which was afterwards 
occupied by their youngest son William. Their children* were : 

Joseph, b. Sept. 16, 1784, m. Wealthy iMorton, Oct. 9, 1S17; moved to Ray- 
mond. 
John, b. Apr. 25, 1786, m. Martha Whitney, Nov, 29, 1809 ; moved to Standish. 
Reuben, b. July 18, 1788, m. Maria Gurney, July 28, 1813. 
Peggy, b. July 13, 1790, m. Joseph Files, Jr., Jan. 22, 1810. 
Sally, b. Feb. 12, 1793, ™- Solomon Stone, July 29, 1813. 
Eleanor, b. Mar. 21, 1795, m. Isaac Sawyer, Feb. 19, 1817. 
Polly, b. Jan. 12, 1797, m. Major Morton, Feb. 8, 1819. 
Betsey, b. Oct. 5, 1798, m. Benjamin Libby, Jr., June 8, 1823. 
William, b. Apr. 4, 1802, m. Mary Ann Skillings, Mar. 4, 1824. 

Reuben Wescott died on his farm Dec. 9, 1840, and his wife Abi- 
gail, June 5, 1843. 

(i) Edmund, son of William Wescott, born March 7, 1769, also 
settled in the north part of this town, at White Rock, on a seventy 
acre lot, which is now owned by Wiley Davis. He married Hannah, 
daughter of James Morton of Gorham. Children : 



GENEALOGY. 821 

James, I). Sept. 12, 1795, m. Dorcas Libby, Apr. 30, 1S15; 2d, Hannah Han- 
son. 

Almira, h. Oct. 7, 1796, m. Jeremiah Bullock, June 25, 1817 ; I'd in Limington. 
He died Dec. 16, 1849, ^"^ she ni. 2d, Dea. Andrew Cobb of Bridgton, 
and d. Apr. 25, 1S57. 

Edmund, b. Oct. 13, 1798, d. young. 

Anna, b. Nov. 15, 1799, d. Aug. 15, (Soo. 

Anna, b. July 4, 1800, m. Benjamin Libby, Jr., Mar. i, 182 1. 

Charlotte, b. May" 2, 1802, m. Joshua Chadbourne of Baldwin, Nov. 5, 1826. 

Clement, b. Apr. 4, 1804, m. Mary Webb; I'd in Knox; d. Dec. 14, 1853. 

Harvey, b. Apr. 7, 1806, m. Caroline Sturgis, Dec. 5, 1829. 

Elliot, b. Mar. 7, 1808, d. June 19, 1811. 

Harriet, b. Sept. i, iSio, m. Daniel Murch, June 8, 1829. 

Martha, b. Nov. 26, 1812, d. Nov. 15. 1813. 

Martha, b. July 15, 1814, d. May, 5, 1815. 

Major M., b. May 15, 1816, m. Harriet Whitmore of Paris, Dec. 15, 1849. 

Elizabeth, b. Mar. 23, 1820, m. William Chadbourne; 2d, Capt. J. I. Stevens. 

Emily, b. July 15, 1823, m. Henry Chadbourne of Standish. 

Edmund Wescott died Jan. 14, 1836, and his wife, Dec. 11, i335, 
aged 56. 

(2) John Wescott, son of Reuben, married Martha A., daughter of 
Stephen Whitney of Standish, and moved to Standish, where all their 
children were born, except Seward, who was born in Gorham. Chil- 
dren : 

Sarah, b. , m. Asa Maberry of Windham, 1S38. 

Ansel, b. , ni. Elvira H., dan. of Sewall and Achsah Libby, Nov. 28, 1841. 

Ch, all b. in Ciorham : Harriet C, b. Oct. 18, 1843, d. ag. 18 ; Achsah A., 
b. Feb. 26, r846, m. Oilman Parker of Durham; Mary F., b. June 20, 
1847, m. George H. Marston of Durham; Lewis A., b. Apr. iS, 1S51, d. 
unm. in Cal., 1875. Ansel Wescott moved to Pownal. 
' WilUam, b. 1818, m. Mar. 21, 1847, Martha A., dau. of Benjamin and Betsey 
(Wescott) Libby. Ch: Jordan P., b. Aug. iS, 1848, m. Clara J. Sawyer; 
C. Morse, b. Oct. 25, 1856, m. Sadie Hanavin. William Wescott was 
for many years a practicing physician in Standish and Kennebunkport ; 
he also served as Assistant Surgeon in the Rebellion, at which time he 
lost his health. He d. May 18, 1877. 

Joseph, b. , m. Lydia L"). Binford, 1S48; served in the Civil War; d. in 

Windham. 

Stephen, b. 1822, m. Emeline C, dau. of Charles and Rebecca Jordan, 1S47. 
Ch : Emma, b. Feb. 19, 1850, m. Charles M. Waterhouse of Saccarappa, 
Dec. 22, 1872; Calvin, b. Aug. 20, 1S54, m. Addie Moulton, 2d, Lucilla 
Shaw, 3d, Mary Dole. Stephen Wescott I'd in the north part of the 
town ; he d. in 1886, and his wife, in 1900. 

Martha Ann, b. , m. Eben W. Nevens, formerly postmaster at Gorham; 

2d, Rev. Peletiah Hobson. 

Abigail, b. , m. Marshall Morton, 1844. 

Henry, b. 1829, m. Jane White of Sebago. 

Seward, b. June 9, 1833, m. Dec. 12, 1858, Elizabeth F.,dau. of John and Mary 
J. Sanborn. Ch: John J., b. Oct. 29, 1859, m. Christie Emery of Port- 
land, (one son Seward) ; Annie S., b. Jan. 10, 1865, m. Walter Mayberry 
of Windham ; Alice L., b. Jan. 7, 1868, m. Howard C. Walker of Wind- 
ham, Nov. 29, 1894. Mr. Wescott I's at Winship's Corner. 

John Wescott died in Gorham, at the North Branch, Oct. 31, 187 i, 
and Mrs. Wescott, Dec. 16, 1865, aged 76. 



822 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

(2) Reuben Wescott, Jr., son of Reuben, married Maria Gurney. 
Children : 

Alexander G., b. Dec. 2, 1813, m. Sarah Strout, Oct. 4, 1837 ; I'd in Portland. 

John, b. Oct. 18, 1816, m. Eliza N., dau, of William and Polly (Parker) Kiggs, 
Apr. 12, 1842. Ch : Leonard; Eliza R. ; John K. ; Emoli.s J., d. y. ; 
Reuben; Jennie L., d. y. ; William, d. Jan. 31, 1S81, ag. 20. Mrs, Wes- 
cott d. Jan. 30, 1886, ag. 71, and Mr. W. m. Frances E., dau. of Ira and 
Cynthia Baker. He d. Nov. 14, 1892, and his widow m. Charles Galli.son. 

Reuben, 3d, b. Jan. 7, 1819, m. Nov. 14, 1847, Martha A., dau. of Samuel Lom- 
bard. Ch : Frances A., b. Sept. 25, 1848, d. Mar. 29, 1858; Elizabeth, 
b. June 25, 1851, d. y. ; Reuben, b. Oct. 6, 1853, m. Estelle W. Mosher, 
Nov., 1876 ; Adrianah, b. Nov. 8, 1855, m. Samuel B. Knight ; Emma C. ; 
Fannie, m. Rev. Mr. Pettingill. Mr. Wescott I'd on his father's place. 
He d. July 9, 1890. 

Hannah, b. Feb. 5, 1821, m. Jesse Partridge, 1841. 

Samuel, b. Dec. 22, 1822, d. at sea — 22 years old. 

Lucinda, b. Jan. 6, 1825, m. William Riggs, June 5, 1S45. 

Emolis, b. July 17, 1827, d. Dec. 13, 1835. 

Lendall J., b. Jan. lo, 1829. 

Margaret A., b. July 31, i83i,m. Frederick Gilkey, 1856. 

Maria E., b. July 9, 1833, d. young. 

Reuben Wescott, Jr., died at his home in the south part of the 
town, Aug. 2, 1838; his wife died April 18, i860, aged 68. 

(2) William Wescott, youngest son of Reuben the first, lived on 
the old place where his father settled. He married Mary Ann, 
daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Hamblen) Skillings. Children : 

Orin, b. Nov. 12, 1826, m. Margaret H. Paine of Standish, p. Apr. 21, 1859. 

Ch : Joseph, m. Lida Libby; A. Lincoln, a lawyer in New York City; 

Alvin, in the Electric Light business in New York City; Peter W., m. 

Annie B. Colesworthy, June 5, 1895; George H., d. Jan. 2, 1880. Orin 

Wescott d. on his farm in 1891. 
Harriet, b. Jan. 10, 1829, d. Mar. 10, 1854. 
William, 3d, b. Nov. 10, 1833, m. Sarah, dau. of Hanson and Delilah Newcomb, 

1851. Ch: Norris N., d. Feb. 21, 1854; Norris N., m. Sadie Sawyer. 

William Wescott, 3d, I's on Mighty St., in the north part of the town. 

Mrs. Sarah N. W'escott d. Dec. 20, 1900, ag. 72. 
Alvin S., b. Mar. 24, 1835, d. Oct. 4, 1857. 

Mary Ellen, b. Sept. 3, 1837, m. John Nelson Newcomb, Mar. 23, 1857. 
Reuben, b. Dec. 3, 1839, m. Anna, dau. of Isaac and Ellen W. Perley. Ch : 

Clarence W., m. Mabel Libby, d. Sept. 26, 1S98 ; Frank, a graduate of 

Harvard College. Mrs. Wescott d. Dec. 25, 1875, and Mr. W. m. Lizzie, 

dau. of Wm. and Rebecca Davis. Ch : Anna. 
Emily, b. Jan. 4, 1841, m. Wiley Davis of Sebago ; d. June 26, 1871. 
Melinda, b. , d. young. 

William Wescott died May 24, 1875, and his wife, Oct. 10, 1884, 
aged 78. 

(2) James Wescott, son of Edmund, lived on the David Swett 

farm, near Little Falls. He married Dorcas, daughter of William 

and Mrs. Ann (Bolton) Libby. Children: 

Willis, b. Apr. 17, 1816, m. Julia Mitton, 1840. 

Everett, b. Apr. i, 1S19, m. lunily ; d. Aug. iS, 1851. 

Charlotte, b. May 27, 1821, m. Dennis Hatch of Conway, N. H., June 10, 1849. 

James, b. Oct. 22, 1823. 

Wells L., b. Sept. 4, 1826, m. Amanda Hale of Windham, Feb. 26, 1849. 



GENEALOGY. 823 

William, b. June iS, 182S, m. Maria Elder of Westbrook. 

Daniel M., ( 1 t- 1 c j m- Louisa Ingersoll. 

Elliot, S ^- -' ^^"' 1 m. Huldah A. Wescott, 1850. 

Mrs. Dorcas Wescott died Feb. 8, 1849, aged 51, and Mr. Wescott 
married Hannah, daughter of Timothy Hanson. James Wescott 
died April 3, 1870, and his wife Hannah, in 1886. 

(2 ) Harvey Wescott, son of Edmund, Hved at Great Falls. He 
married Caroline P., daughter of Joseph and Hannah Sturgis. Chil- 
dren : 

Clement, d. young. 

Ann Maria, m. Benjamin Wescott of Standish. 

William C, m. Flora Hilt of China. 

George W. T., a merchant in Bangor. 

Harvey Wescott died in 1890, and Mrs. Caroline Wescott, his 
wife, in 1887, aged 80. 

Nehemiah Wescott came to Gorham about the year 1795. April 

10, 1796, he married Mrs. Eleanor (Dam) Nason, widow of Ephraim 

Nason, by whom he had the following children : 

John, b. June 19, 1797, d. Apr. 10, 1801. 

Betty, b. Jan. 19, 1799, m. Randall Morton, Nov. 18, 182 1. 

Abner, b. 1803, m. Hannah Frost, 1836. 

John, b. , m. Charity M. Humphrey, 1S32. 

Esther, b. , m. Levi Jordan of Raymond, 1849. 

Nehemiah Wescott lived on the old John Wescott farm near White 
Rock. The buildings on the place were burned when occupied by 
Henry Carll. Mr. Wescott died April 10, 1846, aged 74. Mrs. 
Wescott died June 4, 1835, aged 71. 

(2) Abner Wescott, son of Nehemiah, lived on his father's place. 
He married Hannah, daughter of Jeremiah Frost. Children : 

Daniel, b. Sept. 14, 1837, m. Ellen Libby, Dec. 31, 1863, who d. Oct. 31, 1877 ; 

m. 2d, Belle Purinton ; d. Feb. 21, 1901. 
Charles E., b. Feb. 13, 1841, m. Mary J. (Fogg) Cole. 

Lizzie, b. — '■ , m. George Leavitte. 

Mary P., b. Mar. 20, 1856, m. A. Achorn. 

Abner Wescott died at White Rock, Oct. 9, 1877. 

(2) John Wescott, son of Nehemiah, lived on his father's old place. 

He married Charity M. Humphrey of Gray. Children : 

Huldah A.', b. Oct. 13, 1832, m. Elliot Wescott, 1850; 2d, Ball. 

Juliette, b. Feb. 20, 1835, m. Frank Nash of Raymond. 

Charles E., b. Feb., 1836, m. Lizzie White; was in the Civil War; I'd in 
Standish. 

Enoch, b. , d. unm. in the Army. 

James B., b. May 22, 1841, is a physician. 

Laura J., b. , d. unm. at Old Orchard. 

Lizzie, b. May 30, 1847, d. June 22, 1S87. 

John Wescott died in April, 1847. Mrs. Wescott died about 1888. 



824 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

WESTON. 

Thomas and Joseph Weston were brothers. They were citizens 
of Gorham as early as 1749. Their house was on the thirty acre lot, 
49, on the back side of the John Harding (Dolley's) hill, where signs 
of the old cellar are still to be seen. Thomas Weston married, Feb. 
3, 1750, Patience, daughter of Capt. John and Martha Phinney. She 
died in 1751, leaving one child : 

Patience, b. Oct. 3, 1751, m. Asa Whitney, p. Apr. 15, 1775. 

Mr. Weston married second, Abigail . Children : 

Anna, b. Oct. 24, 1756, m. Amos Whitney, Jr. (?), p. Oct. 5, 1776. 
Abigail, b. Apr. 14, 1760, m. Joseph Thomes of Gorham, July 12, 1781. 

We do not know where or when Thomas Weston and his wife died, 

but he is said to have been an old man at the time of his death. 

In 1749 we find Joseph Weston one of a committee to run out the 

line between Gorham and Narragansett No. i (Buxton)., In 1757 

he .sold one-half of the hundred acre lot, 20, to Stephen Sawyer ; the 

other half he sold in 1769 to Hugh McLellan. Joseph Weston was 

a prominent man in town. He married, Sept. 3, 1755, Katherine, 

the daughter of Daniel and Jane Mosher. Children : 

James, b. Feb. 22, 175S. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 22, 1760, m. Molly Rolfe, p. Oct. 28, 1786; went to Otisfieki. 

Zachariah, b. June 27, 1762, m. Anna Silla, p. Dec. 9, 1786. 

Thomas, b. Dec. 4,1764, — a Thomas Weston of Otisfield was p. to Esther 

Turner of Oiisfield, Mar. 5, 1794. 
Sarah, b. June 14, 1767. 

Mr. Weston died July 10, 1770, and his widow married, Feb. 11, 

1773. William Haskell. 

A Miss Weston taught school in the village, early in the history of 
the town. 

Edward P. Weston was the son of Rev. Isaac and Mary (Emmons) 
Weston and was a graduate of Bowdoin College, class of 1839. He 
came to Gorham in 1847 ^s Principal of the Seminary, which insti- 
tution he brought to a high state of prosperity, and in charge of 
which he continued till i860, when he was appointed State Superintend- 
ent of Schools, which office he held several years. In 1865 he took 
charge of the Abbott Family School at Farmington for a few years; 
then moved to Illinois, where for seven years he was the Principal of 
the Seminary for young ladies at Lake Forest, after which he opened 
a school for young ladies at Highland Park. Mr. Weston was at one 
time editor of the " Portland Eclectic," and also of the " Northern 
xMonlhly,'' a magazine of much merit, though of short life. He was a 



GENEALOGY. 825 

poet of no mean repute ; a man of much genius and versatility of 
talent, and greatly beloved by a large circle of pupils and friends. 
He built on High St. in Gorham village, the house now owned and 
occupied by Mr. Guptill. His wife was Mary E. Burbank. Their 
children were Martha E., Edward B. who is a physician in Chicago, 
and Mary E. who was born in Gorham and married Charles Soule of 
Highland Park, 111., in which latter place she died. Mr. Weston died 
at Highland Park, Oct. 13, 1879, aged 60, and his wife died at Farm- 
ington, Me., September, 1868, aged 50. 

WHITMORE. 

Francis Whitmore, the emigrant, was of Cambridge, Mass., in 1649. 
From him, through his second son, Samuel of Lexington, all' the 
branches of the Whitmore family, who have lived in Gorham, are 
descended. 

SamueH Whitmore, born July 4, 1744, was the grandson of Samuel', 
and the son of John^ Whitmore of Cambridge and his first wife, who 
was Mrs. Lydia Cutter, and whom he married June 24, 1735. July 
30, 1764, Samuel Whitmore bought in Gorham of Alexander Ross 
the thirty acre lot, 78. This land Mr. Ross had purchased of Hon. 
Wm. Shirley, Governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Whitmore also owned 
that part of the " Bryant Morton strip" that lay south of his lot, and 
on this latter piece of land he built his house. This house, though it 
has undergone many changes and alterations, is probably the same 
now standing on the lot, and occupied by Willis I. Bickford. Mr. 
Whitmore was a blacksmith by trade, and a man of worth and promi- 
nence. He was one of the selectmen of Gorham in 1773-4, and 
town treasurer from 1779 to 1803. In 1782 he was a member of the 
Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety of this town. 
He was an ardent and zealous patriot, and served honorably in the 
war of the Revolution. May 10, 1776, he was appointed by the Gov- 
ernor and Council, captain of one of the Gorham companies of the 
3d Cumberland Co. regiment. Dec. 9, 1776, his name appears among 
a list of officers of the Mass. Militia, chosen by field officers, as cap- 
tain of the Gorham and Pearsonstown company of Col. Reuben 
Fogg's Cumberland Co. regiment. In 1781 he was commissioned 
captain of the Gorham company belonging to Col. Phinney's 3d 
Cumberland Co. regiment of Militia. Capt. Whitmore married, 
Oct. 24, 1764, Mary, daughter of Abel and Mary Whitney. Children : 

Lydia, b. Aug. 5, 1765, m. Uriel Whitney, Dec. 16, 17S4. 
Mary, b. Aug. i, 1767, m. Jacob Haskell, Dec. 29, 1785. 



826 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Dorcas, b. Mar. 7, 1770, m. James H. Chadboume, Jan. 4, 1789. 

John, b. Veb. 21, 1773, m. Jane Roberts, Oct. 4, 1792; I'd in Standish. 

Patience, b. Sept. 8, 1775, m. Lemuel Libby, June ii, 1795. 

Elizabeth R., b. May 2, 1777, m. Simon Huston, Mar. 22, 1801. 

Samuel, b. Apr. 25, 1779, d. young. 

Samuel, b. Mar. 26, 1780, d. unm. Aug. 27, 1808; Col. in the militia; lawyer. 

Joel, b. Dec. 15, 17S1, moved to Harrison. 

Sally, b. Oct. 31, 1783, m. prob., John Woodruff, p. Sept. 26, 1812. 

Joanna, b. Sept. 10, 1785, went to Tinmouth, Vt. 

Eunice, b. June 25, 1788. 

Capt. Whilmore died Dec. 21, 1808. 

William4 Whitmore was the son of John3 \Miitmore and his second 

wife, Mary Burnell, and consequently a half brother to Capt. Samuel 

above. He was born May 31, 1752, and as early as 1772 came to 

Gorham where he lived some years. His wife was Amy, daughter of 

William and Hannah Knight of Windham, and their children were: 

Anna, b. Nov. 5, 1775, m. Joseph Norton of Gorham, May 13, 1804. 

Simon, b. Jan. 12, 1777, m. Susan Atv\ood. 

Joseph, b. Mar. 4, 1779, ^- Elizabeth Martin. 

Mary, b. June 17, 1781, d. aged 18. 

Hannah, b. Dec. 6, 1784, m. Samuel Hamlin of Gorham. 

Amey, b. June 4, 17S6, m. John Newbegin ; 2d, Henry Crockett, 1S18. 

Sarah, b. Jan. 18, 1789, m. Abner Martin. 

William, b. 1791. m. Betsey Heath ; I'd in Standish. 

Jane, b. 1794, d. in 1797. 

Jane, b 1797, m. Reuben Whitney. 

Daniel-* Whitmore was the son of John^ \\'hitmore and his wife 
Mary. He was born in Baldwin, Oct. 6, 1758. Mr. Whitmore was a 
blacksmith by trade. In 1782 he purchased of Gary McLellan a lot 
of land on the north side of Main St. Here he lived till 1784, when 
he sold his house and land to Maj. Simeon Farnham. This house 
was a part of the old Jacob Hamblen house, which coming into the 
possession of Gary McLellan was moved to this lot about 1779 and 
with some additions was used as a dwelling house by Daniel Whit- 
more, and afterwards by Maj. Farnham. Daniel Whitmore married, 
April 16, 1782, Anna T. Hill of Buxton, probably daughter of 
Jeremiah and Mary Hill. Children on Gorham records : 

Rebecca, b. Dec. 12, 1783. 
Joseph, b. Mar. 12, 1787. 
Simon, b. Aug. 12, 1789. 
Mary, b Mar. 17, 1792. 
Hill, b. Aug. 3, 1794. 

Daniel Whilmore moved to Unity. Five other children were born 

to this family after removitig from Gorham. 

Elishas Whitmore was the son of John-* Whitmore of Newton and 
his wife Beulah Gregory, and was born Feb. 17, 1763. John^ 
Whitmore of Newton was a cousin to Capt. Samuel. Elisha Whitmore 



GENEALOGY. 827 

was a joiner. We have no record of his family other than that he 
had a son Joseph, who died Dec. 21, 1797. EUsha Whitmore died 
in Gorham, Nov. 27, 1800. 

Elisha A. Whitmore married, Jan. 28, 182 1, Keziah, daughter of 

James and Mary Smith, and Hved at Gorham village. Children : 

Edward, b. Feb. 10, 1822. 

Mary Jane, b. Dec. 6, 1826, m. a Mr. Newbegin ; I'd in Ikildwin. 

Francis, b. , d. Oct. iS, 1832. 

Elisha A. Whitmore died in Gorham Dec. 12, 183 i. Mrs. Whitmore 

died suddenly, July 8, 1834, aged 38. 

WHITNEY. 

The family of Whitney trace their descent from Turstin de Wige- 
more, a Fleming, who came over to England with W^illiam the 
Conqueror and participated in the battle of Hastings. The family 
took their name from their residence, called Whitney Court, at Whit- 
ney-on-the-Wye. Each succeeding generation of the family married 
into the best families of England, and held prominent positions at the 
court of the king. The estate not being entailed and the last Whit- 
ney of Whitney Court having only daughters it was sold, but is still 
called Whitney Court. 

Thomas Whitney and wife Mary belonging to a younger branch of 
the family moved to Westminster, where their son John, born in 1589, 

was apprenticed to a tailor. John Whitney married Elinor , 

and in May, 1635, emigrated to America, and lived in Watertown, 
Mass. He had nine children, from the youngest of whom, Benjamin, 
the Gorham Whitneys are descended. 

Nathaniel Whitney was born in York, Me., April 14, 1680. He 

was the son of Benjamin, and grandson of John Whitney above. He 

was a weaver. He married Sarah, daughter of John Ford of Kittery. 

Children : 

Nathan, b. Jan. 10, 1706/7, m. Lydia Young, Nov. 12, 1730; 2d, Elizabeth 

Melcher. 
Nathaniel, b. Dec. 12, 1709, m. Hannah Day, Jan. 3, 1733/4- 
Abel, b. July 23, 1712, m. Mary Cane, Nov. 12, 1735. 
Sarah, b. Nov. 8, 1714, m. Jeremiah Simpson, July 13, 1736; 2d, John Larrabee. 

John, b. , m. Margaret Coffin; 2d, Hephzibah Adams; was a physician. 

Lydia, b. , d. Jan. 14, 1720. 

Isaac, b. Mar. 9, 1720/1, m. Sarah Crosby, Sept. 5, 1743. 
Amos, b. Mar. 5, 1723/4, m. Sarah Payne, Sept. 5, 1748. 
Lydia, b. July 22, 1726, d. Mar. 23, 1727/8. 
Joanna, b. Mar. 13, 1729/30. 

Nathaniel Whitney was living in York as late as 1760. His estate 
was settled in 1768, by his son Amos. 



828 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

(2) Nathan Whitney, son of Nathaniel, was one of the early settlers 
in Gorham. He came to this town from Biddeford, where his chil- 
dren were born. In 1752 he purchased of Enoch Freeman of 
Falmouth the thirty acre lot, 26, with the dwelling house and barn 
thereon. He was a prominent and influential citizen of Gorham, and 
served on many important town committees. He was also active in 
religious matters. We find him recorded as an early elder in the 
church. He married Lydia, daughter of Matthias Young of York, 
Me. Children : 

David, b. Apr. 8, 1732, m. Hannah Brown, Feb. i, 1754; 2d, Abigail Knight ; 

3d, Rebecca Edgeconib. 
Abel, b. Aug. 20, 1734, m. Thankful Morton, Dec. 16, 1758. 
Lydia, b. Dec. 11, 1736. 

Sarah, b. Aug. 15, 1739, m. Ebenezer Morton, Dec. 27, 1758. 
Nathan, b. Apr. 30, 1742. 
Matthias, b. Mar. 8, 1743/4. 
John, b. Apr. 4, 1747, m. Elizabeth . One child, b. in Gorham : Mary, b. 

Jan. 18, 1776. John Whitney d. in the Army, May 5, 1776. 

Nathan Whitney married second, Oct. 20, 1748, Elizabeth Melcher 

of Biddeford. Children : 

Anna, b. Sept. 5, 1749, m. Ebenezer Watson, p. Sept. 22, 1771. 

Ebenezer, b. July 30, 1751. 

Asa, b. Dec. 17, 1754, m. Patience Weston, p. Apr. 15, 1775; 2d, Mrs. Davis. 

Elder Nathan Whitney died in Gorham in 1804. 

(2) Nathaniel Whitney, son of Nathaniel, came to Gorham from 
Falmouth. At the time of his marriage he lived in Biddeford, and 
there most of his children's births were recorded. His homestead 
farm in Gorham, which he purchased in 1769 of Benjamin Winslow, 
consisted of the two thirty acre lots, 51 and 52, and the south half 
of the hundred acre lot, 76. His house stood on 51. The hill on 
which he and some of his brothers made their settlement is still 
known as Whitney's hill. He married Hannah Day of Wells. Chil- 
dren : 

Nathaniel, b. Mar. 22, 1735, m. Susanna Whitney of Brunswick, Sept. 15, 1757. 

Hannah, b. Nov. 16, 1736, m. Joseph Hamblen, Oct., 1755. 

Moses, b. Mar. 17, 1739, m. Susanna Crockett, Dec. 27, 1760; 2d, Mary Page; 
3d, Mrs. Kimball. 

Aaron, b. June 7, 1741, m. Jenny McLellan, Sept. 19, 1765. 

Miriam, b. Jan. 15, 1743. 

Tabitha, b. Mar. 16, 1745/6, m. John Watson, Dec. 5, 1765. (She was b. in 
Kittery.) 

Patience, b. May 11, T748, m. Edward Thomes, Oct. 9, 1766; 2d, Colman Wat- 
son. 

Hepsibah, b. Aug. 29, 1750, m. Nathan Freeman, Oct. 15, 1766. 

Josiah, b. 1752, m. Hannah Barstow; 2d, Elizabeth Harding, Sept. 16, 1775; 
joined the Shakers; d. at Alfred, P'eb. 24, 1837, aged 86. 

(2) Abel Whitney, son of Nathaniel, lived in York, Gorham, and 



GENEALOGY. 829 

Stan dish. He was a weaver by trade. He married Mary, daughter 
of Micah Cane, of York. Children : 

Joanna, b. in York, Oct. lo, 1736. 

Moses, b. in Wiscasset, Feb. 17, 1737/8, m. Aug. 28, 1761, Lois Crediford of 
Falmouth. We have no record of any family, or of the death of Lois, 
but Moses Whitney was married in Falmouth, Jan. 15, 1 766, by Rev. 
Dr. Deane, to Priscilla Burnell. Ch: Zebulon, b. in Falmouth, Dec. 7, 
1766; Nabby, b. in Gorham, Apr. 12, 1777. 

Joseph, b. in Wiscasset, Mar. i, 1739/40, m. Mehitable Stevens, Oct. 3, 1765 ; 
2d, Betty Phinney. 

Daniel, b. in York, Sept. 17, 1741, d. young. 

Joel, b. in York, May 21, 1743, m. Mary Weston of Falmouth, .Sept. 26, 1765; 
went to Jonesboro, 1767 ; d. there, 1789. 

Mary, b. in York, Oct. 5, 1744, m. Capt. Samuel Whitmore, Oct. 24, 1764. 

Lydia, b. in York, July 31, 1746, m. John Burnell, July 3, 1766. 

Zebulon, b. in York, Nov. 27, 1747, m. Hannah Stone, Nov. 10, 1774. 

Joanna, b. in York, Sept. 27, 1749, m. Caleb Chase, Dec. 31, 1769. 

Naphtali, b. in York, Feb. 10, 1750/1, m. Mary Stone, p. Mar. 22, 1777. . 

Micah, b. in York, Dec. i [, 1752, m. Hannah Cobb, Nov. 29, 1779. 

Daniel, b. in York, Sept. 26, 1754, m. Abigail Stone, Dec. 7, 1780. 

Paul, b. in York, June 30, 1756, enlisted in the Revolutionary army from Gor- 
ham, and was killed in battle in R. I., 1778. 

Deborah, b. Feb., 1759, m. Jeremiah Williams, p. May 17, 1777. 

Abel Whitney died before September, 1762, for at that time his 
widow^ Mary received a deed from Barnabas Bangs of a part of the 
thirty acre lot, 81. Mrs. Mary Whitney married second. June 10, 
1763, Samuel Crockett. 

(2) Isaac Whitney, son of Nathaniel, lived in York, Saco and 

Gorham. He married Sarah, daughter of Dr. Crosby of York. 

Children : 

Lucy, b. in York, July 31, 1745, m. Jabez Morton. Oct. 11, 1764. 

Phineas, b. in York, June 5, 1747, m. Oct. 19, 1769, Anna, dau of Bryant and 

Thankful Morton. Ch. b. in Gorham: Stephen, b. Sept. 23, 1771; 

Crosby, b. Sept. 20, 1773; Aftia, b. Jan. 12, 1776; Jonathan, b. Feb. 8, 

1778. 
Isaac, b. in York, Dec. 28, 1748, m. Mary Crockett, p. Apr. 7, 1772. 
Hannah, b. in York, Nov. 28, 1750, m. Joseph Brown, Oct. 19, 1769; 2d, Joshua 

Adams. 
Stephen, b. in Saco, Mar. 19, 1755, m. Patty Irish, p. Oct. 28, 1780. 
Jonathan, b. in Saco, Feb. 9, 1757, m. Mary Blake, p. Nov. 24, 1781; I'd in 

Bu.xton, and d. Sept., 1819. 

Mrs. Sarah Whitney died in Gorham June 23, 1765, and Mr. Whit- 
ney married, Aug. 29, 1765, Mrs. Hannah Payne. Children, born in 
Gorham : 

Barnabas, b. Aug. 18, 1766, m. Sarah Walker, Jan. i, 1789. 

Henry, b. July 24, 1767, m. Abigail Walker, Nov. 7, 1793; ^'<^ i" Pownal and 

Freeport. 
Timothy, b. Oct. 10, 1768, d. Sept. 22, 1769. 
Sarah, b. Dec. 27, 1769, d. Jan. 17, 1770. 

Timothy, b. Aug. i, 1771, m. Hannah . 

James, b. -. 

Mary, b. , m. Mr. Thompson of Saco or Biddeford ; d. 1S32. 



830 HISTORY OF GOKHAM. 

Mr. Whitney married. Jan. i, 1784, Mrs. Mary Walker. He died 
at the house of his son Henry in Freeport. 

(2) Amos Whitney, son of Nathaniel, was an early settler in 
Gorham. He is said to have first built a log house in what is now 
Melville Cressey's field. His homestead farm in Gorham was the 
two thirty acre lots, 40 and 42, which he sold in 1798 to Joseph 
Crocker Snow of Falmouth, Mass. Mr. Whitney was the first town 
clerk of Gorham, from 1764 to 1769, and was one of the first select- 
men ; a man highly respected and of great integrity. He married 
Sarah, the daughter of Thomas Payne of York. Children, the three 
oldest born in York : 

Ebenezer, b. Dec. 30, 1749. 

Amos, b. Apr. 22, 1752, m. Anna Weston, p. Oct. 5, 1776. 

Mary G., b. Oct. 25, 1754, m. Thomas Paine of Standish, Apr. 26, 1792. 

Elias, b. Apr. 12, 1763, m. Polly Fowler, Dec. 14, 1788. 

Jotham, b. Apr. 2, 1766, m. Elizabeth Ross, Apr. i, 1792. 

Ruth, b. June 25, 1769. 

Mr. Whitney married second (pub. Aug. 14, 1773), Hannah John- 
son of Falmouth. 

(3) David Whitney, son of Nathan, came to town when a young 
man. He married, Feb. i, 1754, Hannah Brown of Gorham. 
Children : 

Susanna, b. June 25, 1756, m. Owen Runnells, Aug. 25, 1774. He d. in the 
Army, Feb. 29, 1776, and she m. 2d, Dearborn of Buxton. 

Jesse, b. Mar. 18, 1758, m. Mary, daughter of David and Hepzibah Sawyer of 
Saco; enlisted from Gorham, and served in the Continental army; d. 
Jan. 18, 1S32. 

David Whitney married second, Oct. 11, 1760, Abigail Knight of 
Falmouth. Child : 

Joshua, b. Aug. 17, 1761, I'd in Buxton. 

David Whitney married third, Nov. 26, 1761, Rebecca Edgecomb 

of Falmouth. Children : 

Daniel, b. Nov. 18, 1762. 

Hannah, b. June 12, 1764, m. John Rogers, Nov. 12, 1786. (?) 

Thomas, b. Oct. 5, 1765. 

Nathan, b. Sept. 10, 1769. 

A David Whitney of Gorham was published to Lydia Moore of 
Buxton, June 29, 1785. 

(3) Abel Whitney, son of Nathan, purchased in 1767 thirty acres 
of common land, on which he made his home. This land, which is 
situated about a half mile west of where the Methodist church is now 
located on North St., he conveyed, April, 1791, to his son Nathaniel, 
Jr. The following year Nathaniel, Jr., sold to John Akers this farm 



GENEALOGY. 881 

which he says, " I and my father now occupy." Abel Whitney was 
a Revolutionary soldier in Capt. Josiah Jenkins's company, Col. 
Brewer's 12th Mass. He married Thankful, daughter of Capt. Bry- 
ant and Thankful Morton. Children : 

Joseph, b. May i, 1760, d. in Alfred with the Shalcers, Sept. 19, 1847. 

Lydia, b. July 28, 1763, d. July, 1767. 

Hetty, b. July 22, 1765, m. a Mr. Boynton. 

Sarah, li t -> r S "'• Kobert Iliggins, p. vSept. 19, 1789. 

Nathaniel, 5 ' J"'^^ - ' ' 9' ) m. Zilpha Martin, Mar. 16, 1794 ; I'd in Standish. 

Reuben, b. July 21, 1771, ni. Mercy 15akev; d. in Litchfield. 

Simeon, b. Feb. 9, 1774, went to eastern Maine. 

Susanna, b. Apr. 2, 1776, m. ■ Hale. 

Levi, b. May 18, 1770, m. Happy Higgins, about 1800; I'd in Standish. 
Lydia, b. Apr. 30, 1782, m. Starbird ; d. in Standish. 

Abel Whitney died in Standish. 

(3) Asa Whitney, son of Nathan, married Patience, daughter of 
Thomas and Patience (Phinney) Weston of Gorham. Children : 

Samuel, b. Aug. 28, 1777, m. Hannah, dau. of Capt. Snow of Barnstable, Aug. 

24, 1798; 2d, Mary Rich; 3d, Mrs. Mary (Piper) Ring; was a F. Bapt. 

preacher; was a member of the convention to organize the State of Me., 

in 1820; d. at Jackson, Oct. 18, 1859. 
Benjamin, b. Aug. 19, 1779, I'd in Kingston, Canada ; was twice sent to England 

as delegate to Parliament ; d. at sea, 1S35, on passage home from 

England. 
Abigail, b. Mar. 10, 1781, m. Joseph Davis, Sept. 29, 1799. 
John, b. Apr. 17, 17S3, m. Rich; was a Methodist preacher; d. in 

Thorndike. 
Patience, b. Dec. 7, 1784, m. Floyd; d. in Ira, N. Y. 

Mrs. Patience Whitney died Dec. 23, 1784, aged t^T)'^ ^^''^ Mr. 

Whitney married, July 14, 1785, Mrs. Phebe (Hopkins) Davis, widow 

of Elijah Davis of Gorham, and daughter of Constant and Phebe 

Hopkins of Truro, Mass. Children : 

Anna, b. Jan. 25, 1786, m. Nicholas Dennett of .Saco, May 17, 1806. 

Elsie, b. Apr. 9, 1788, m. Nicholas Dennett (2d wife) ; 2d, Scamman of 

Saco. 
Mary, b. Aug, .10, 1790, m. Edward P. Barnard of Bridgton; d. at Lynn, Mass. 
George W., b. June 14, 1792, m. Mary, dau. of Jonathan Whitney of Buxton, 

Mar. 7, 1817; 2d, Mrs. Angelina (Phinney) Magrath ; was a F. Bapt. 

preacher in Bridgton and in Rochester, N. LL ; d. in Rochester, Sept. 

18, 1878. 
Hannah, b. Aug. 21, 1794, m. Seth Brown. 

Eunice, b. Apr. 30, 1796, m. Emery; 'I'd in Ripley, Me. 

Roxanna, b. , m. Davis of Buxton ; d. in Buxton. 

Asa Whitney died in Gorham, Dec. 17, 1806. His widow Phebe 
died in Bridgton, April 17, 1853. 

(3) Moses Whitney, son of Nathaniel and Plannah, was born in 
Biddeford. He was remarkable for his strength and courage. He 
served in the French and Indian wars, and also in the Revolution. 
He married Susanna, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Crockett. On 



832 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

the old family IMble of the Crocketts I find, " Susanna, daughter of 
Sus;inna Crockett Whitney, born June 29, 1762." Dea. Alden 
of (iorham in his diary says, under date of July 1, 1762, "Moses 
Whitney's wife died." Again, Mr. Alden says, "Sept. 7, 1763, 
Moses Whitney married last night. Tall wedding." This latter must 
have been the marriage of Moses Whitney to Molly Page of England. 
His children by her were : 

Mary, b. Aug. 17, 1764, m. Lemuel Rounds, p. July 14, 17S1 ; moved to Ohio. 
Lucy, b. Sept. 30, 1768, m. John Greenlaw of Brownfield, Mar. 27, 1788. 
Enoch, b. Apr. 8, 1773, "^- Hannah Nevvcomb, p. June 2, 1792; 2d, Mrs. 

Kendall; 3d, Mrs. Dennett. 
Moses, b. Aug. 30, 1776. 
Betsey, b. Nov. i, 1777, m. James Cates, Dec. 10, 1797; moved to N. Y. State. 

Richard, b. July 20, 1780, m. ; I'd in Belfast. 

Susanna, b. Apr. 9, 1783, m. Seth Carsley of Harrison, Jan. 22, 1809. 

Samuel, b. Feb. 2, 1785, m. Margaret Darrow ; I'd in Di.xmont ; d. Mar. 27, 

1S74. 

Moses Whitney married, Jan. 22, 1792, Mrs. Abigail (Skillings) 
Kimball, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Skillings, and widow of 
Caleb Kimball. Child : 

Sally, b. Oct. 22, 1793, m. Rev. Jos. H. Phinney of Harrison, Sept. 26, 181 2. 

On June 10, 1785, Moses Whitney received from his father Nathan- 
iel all the land and buildings "called the homestead of Nathaniel," 
sixty acres, being the two thirty acre lots, 51 and 52, and also thirty- 
one and a half acres, the south end of the hundred acre lot, No. 76. 
This latter is bounded on the north by the road to Harding's grist 
mill. Moses to have all the buildings on 76. In 18 13, Moses 
Whitney with wife Abigail, then of Harrison, and son-in-law Phinney 
and wife Sally sell No. 51 and one-half of the barn on 52 to Seth 
Hersey, and in 18 16 the same parties sell No. 52 with the house and 
one-half of the barn to Joseph Cressey, Jr. The property is still in 
the hands of Cressey's descendants. 

Moses Whitney died about 1820, and his wife, Oct. 8, 1844. 

(3) Aaron Whitney, son of Nathaniel, married Jenny, daughter of 
Alexander and Anna McLellan of Falmouth. Children : 

Hannah, b. July 20, 1766, d. in Alfred, June 4, 1835. 

Annah, b. Oct. iS, 1767, d. in Alfred, Nov. 30, 1837. 

Samuel, b. May 22, 1769, d. Aug. 11, 1773. 

Jenny, b. May 10, 177 i, m. David Johnson, June 16, 1785. 

Sarah, b. June 8, 1773, d. in Alfred, Mar. 4, 181 7. 

Susanna, b. Feb. 16, 1775, ^- James Merrill of Bu.xton, May r, 1804. 

Tabitha, ) ^ ^ ^ \ d. in Alfred, Oct. 25, 1828. 

Miriam, i "' '"^^ '"' ^777. j j. in Alfred, Apr. 5, 1850. 

Betsey, b. May 7, 1780, d. in Alfred, Nov. 15, 1845. 

Silas, b. , left the Shakers when young. 



GENEALOGY. 833 

Mr. and Mrs. Whitney, with most of their family, joined the Shaker 
Family at Alfred, where they died, he, June 19, 1S15, aged 74, and 
she, April 2, 1833, aged 88. 

(3) Joseph Whitney, son of Abel, married Mehitable, daughter of 
Benjamin and Sarah Stevens. Children : 

Abel, b. July 21, 1767, m. . He and bis wife d. in Gorham from the 

effects of charcoal fumes. 
Mary, b. July 27, 1769, m. Abial Rounds, p. Mar. 12, 1791. 
Anna, b. Mar. 17, 1774, m. Isaac Hall, May 19, 1793. 
Mercy, b. Oct. 31, 1776, m. Joseph Libby, June 24, 1801. 
Solomon, b. June 23, 1780, m. Phebe Gilkey, Feb. 13, 180S; I'd in Troy. 

Mrs. Whitney died soon after the birth of Solomon, and Mr. 

Whitney married, in 1781, Betty, daughter of Col. Edmund Phinney. 

Children : 

Stephen, b. July 28, 1782, m. Hannah Freeman, p. Nov. 24, 18 to. 

Joseph, b. Oct. iS. 17S4, m. Mary Hunter of Topsham. 

Patience, b. Sept. 25, 1786, m. Capt. Silas C. Elden of Buxton, Nov. 16, 1809. 

Sarah, b. Dec. 3, 178S. m. Edmund Gammon, Dec. 24, 1809. 

Hannah, b. Oct. 6, 1791, m. Clark Dyer, Jan. 10, 1812. 

Betty, b. Apr. i, 1794, m. Samuel Gilkey, May 7, 1S17. 

Peggy, b. Nov. 10, 1796, d. young. 

Edmund, b. Dec. 7, 1799. m. McLean; d. in Jacksonville, Fla. 

James, b. July 3, 1803, m. Mary Earrabee, Dec. 25, 1825. 

Joseph Whitney died March 13, 18 19, and his wife, Feb. 14, 1828, 
aged 69. 

(3) Zebulon Whitney, son of Abel, was born in York. He lived 

for a time in Gorham, then moved to Standish. While in Gorham 

he lived in the north part of the town, in the lirst house on the old 

road to Standish after passing the North church. Mr. Whitney was 

a soldier in the Revolution, and received a pension for his services. 

He married Hannah Stone of Cape Elizabeth. Children : 

Abigail, b. Jan. 23, 1776, m. Caleb Shaw, Mar. 10, 1796. 
Happy, b. Aug. 11, 177S, m. Enoch Hamblen, June 6, 1802. 
Mattie, b. Feb. 14, 1781, d. unm. Apr. 14, 1865. 
Rufus, b. Apr. 5, 17S4, d. unm. Feb. 24, 1817. 
Eli, b. Aug. 16, 17S6, m. Damaris Stone, Apr. 19, iSii. 
Eunice, b. Aug. 30, 1789, m. Peter Whitney, June 13, 1S16. 
Hannah, b. Apr. 21, 1791, d. unm. Aug. 28, 1833. 
Tabitha, b. Aug. 30, 1795, d. unm. Aug. 15, i860. 
Almira, b. July 14, 1798, m. George Whitmore. 

Zebulon Whitney died on the " Shaw place " in Gorham, Sept. 1 1 , 

1833, and his wife, Dec. 10, 1824, aged 69. 

(3) Micah Whitney, son of Abel, was a blacksmith. He served 
in the war of the Revolution, and was a sergeant in the War of 18 12. 
He married Hannah, daughter of Andrew and Hannah Cobb. 
Children : 



834 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Sally, b. Jan. ir, 17S1, m. James Humphrey. 

William P., b. May 3, 1783, m. Nancy I. Carlton. 

Lydia, b. Feb 8, 1785. 

Joel, b. May 7, 17S7, m. Sally Dyer; 2d, Sarah Crompton ; 3d, Betsey Chase. 

Ebenezer, b. , m. Dorcas Farlin ; I'd in Freeman, Me. 

Joanna, b. , m. Caleb Sylvester. 

Andrew, b. May 5, 1795, "^- Huldah Sweetsir, 18 16; I'd in Phillips. 

Charlotte, b. . 

Mary, b. , m. Reuben Smith. 

liappy, b. — , m. Samuel W. Phoenix of Phillips. 

Benjamin, b. 1S06, m. Susan Wells. 
Nahum, b. , I'd down east; unm. 

Micah Whitney died June 19, 1829, and his wife, in 1834. 

(3) Daniel Whitney, son of Abel, lived in the north part of the 

town, where Edward Files now lives. He married Abigail, daughter 

of Archelaus Stone of Cape Elizabeth, sister to his brother Zebulon's 

wife. Children : 

Reuben, b. July 20, 1781, d. young. 

Betsey, b. Nov. 10, 17S3, d. unm. Jan. 23, 1853. 

Nabby, b. May 16, 1785, d. unm. 

Peter, b. Aug. 14, 17S8, m. Eunice Whitney, June 13, 1816. 

Olive, b. Jan. 8, 1791, m. Josiah Murch ; I'd in Unity. 

Mary, b. Dec. 31, 1792, m. Dea. Enoch Moody of Standrsh (2d wife), Feb. 7, 

1830. 
Luther, b. May 6, 1795, moved to Thorndike. 

Damaris, b. July 31, 1797, m. Dea. Enoch Moody (ist wife). (See above.) 
Miriam, b. Nov. 14, 1799, m. George Hunt. 
Happy, b. JnTov. 16, 1802, m. James Kelly of Unity. 
Louisa, b. 1S06, d. unm. Sept. 3, 1834. 

Daniel Whitney died Dec. 13, 1834, aged 80, and his wife, June i, 
1841, aged 79. 

(3) Isaac Whitney, son of Isaac, born in York, lived for a time in 
Buxton. About 1770 he came to Gorhani village, and soon after 
married Mary Crockett. In 1775 he bought of Samuel Crockett the 
seventy acre lot, 17, on which he made his home. This farm is now 
in the possession of his great-grandson Frank L. Whitney. Mr. 
Whitney served in the Revolutionary war, and received a pension 
from Government. Children, all born in Gorham : 

Sarah, b. 1772, m. vSolomon Newcomb, Feb, 26, 1798. 

Edmund } { "^- '^^'"'^^^ Meserve, Mar. 3, 1803. 

c 1 ' > May 4, 1774, ? m. Dorcas Wescott, Oct. 23, iSoo; d in Farmington, 



' ) ( Me., Sept. 9, 1 864, and his wife, May 30, 1863, aged 84. 

Joseph, b. Aug. 26, 1776, m. Mary Freeman, Aug. 2, 1801 ; d. in Standish, May 

3, 1870. 
Dorcas, b. 1778, d. unm. Oct. 21, 1815. 

Isaac L., b. May 29, 1781, m. Margaret Leach; I'd in Raymond; d. Oct., 1856. 
Adams, b. 1784, m. Lydia, dau. of Ebenezer Lombard, June 3, 1816; d. in 

Standish. 
Polly, b. 1786, d. unm. Apr. 16, 1850. 
Sophy, b. 1795, d. unm. Mar. 25, 1847. 
William, b. , d. young. 



GENEALOGY. 885 

Isaac Whitney died in Gorham, Oct. 21, 1837, and his wife, July 
29, 1S32, aged So. 

(3) Stephen Whitney, son of Isaac, was in the Revolution, serving 

in the Rhode Island line, and received a pension for his services. 

He married Martha, daughter of James, Jr., and Mary Gorham Irish. 

Children : 

Mary, b. Sept. 14, 1781, m. Freeman Blake, p. Aug. 12, 1803. 
Sarah, b. Nov. 4, 1783, m. Jonathan Elwell, June 5, 1S02. 

Ebenezer, b. , d. in the West Indies in 1801. 

Patience, bapt. Mar. 4, iSoo, m. Robert Nevens. 

William, bapt. Mar. 4, 1800. 

Stephen, b. May 5, 1799, m. Abigail, dau. of Wm. Mayberry of Windham; 2d, 

Ebenezer, b. Alar. 22, 1S03, I'd in Bridgton. 

Patty, b. . 

Miriam, b. . 

Stephen Whitney died Feb. i, 1848, aged 93, and his wife, Nov. 

10, 1836. 

(4) James Whitney, son of Joseph, lived on what is now called 
Raggett's hill, about a mile below the village on the new road to 
Saccarappa. Mr. Whitney held many offices in the State militia. 
He married Mary A., daughter of William and Hadassah Larrabee 
of Scarborough. Children : 

Hadassah L., b. Tan. 29, 1S27, m. Elias Milliken of Burnham, 1848 ; d. Mar. 18, 

1864. 
Joseph, b. Mar. 15, 1829, m. Helen Call of Bradford, 1S5S; d. 1862. 
James Louville, b. May 30, 1831, m. Elvira Whitten of Buinham, 1 S62 ; d. 

1 886. 
Sarah Jane, b. Nov. 2, 1832, m. Nahum E. Murray, 1859. 
William Warren, b. July 11, 1835, d. 1S47. 
Edwin, b. Nov. 5, 1840, m. Martha Vickery of Unity; d. 1875. 

Capt. Whitney died in Waterford in 1842, and after his death the 

family moved to Burnham. Mrs. Whitney died in 1895, aged 90. 

(4) Eli Whitney, son of Zebulon, lived in the Whitney neighbor- 
hood. He married Damaris, daughter of Jonathan Stone. Children 

Zebulon, b. Apr. 24, 1812, m. Susan, dau. of Major Morton, Apr. 24, 1839. Ch 
Mary Susan, b. Feb. 2, 1S40, m. Wesley Files; Emily F., b. Apr. 20 
1841, d. Apr. 5, 1844; Ai E., b. Apr. 24, 1844; Thaddeus P., b. Sept 
26, 1847, I"- limma Marean ; Frances E., b. Oct. 31, 1849, m. Geo 
Freeman of Portland; Willie P., b. 1857, d. June i6, 1863. Mr. Whitney 
was one of the selectmen in 1857 and 185S. He d. at the Shaw place, 
Sept. 24, 1877 ; his wife d. Apr. 16, 1S78, aged 57. 

William S., b. Oct. 17, 18 14, m. Abigail Morton, sister to the wife of his brother 
Zebulon, in 1840. Ch : William E., b. June 14, 1841, d. 1844; Emily 
C, b. Oct. 22, 1845, m. Charles F. Merrill ; Herman S., b. July 27, 1847, 
m. Flavilla Berry of Standish ; she d. 1873, and he m. June 16, 1875, 
Helen A. Piaisted ; Charlotte, b. 1850, d. young; Harriet E., b. Apr. 28, 
1854, d. 1872; Cora Belle, b. Aug. 28, 1862, m. Frank L. Whitney. 
William S. Whitney d. June 27, 1900, and his wife, May 8, 1895, aged 71. 



836 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Rufus, b. Aug. 17, 1817, m. Esther, dau. of Benjamin vSkillings. Ch : Helen 
M., b. Aug. 3, 1840, m. Albion F. Johnson ; Gershom S., b. Dec. i, 1844, 
was in Co. 1, 12th Me. Vols, d. in Post Hospital, Savannah, Ga., May 
II, 1865. Rufus Whitney I'd in the Whitney neighborhood most of his 
life. He d. at his house on High St., Gorham village, Apr. 24, 1897; his 
wife d. in Deering, Jan. 6, 1901, ag. 81. 

Mary Ann, b. Sept. 29, 1822, m. Moses Butterfield, Oct. 3, 1850. 

Jonathan S., b. Mar. 11, 1825, m. Amanda Hopkinson, Mar. 31. 185S. Ch : 
Frank I., b. Dec. 13, 1859; Sadie, b. Nov., 1862, m. Everett Files; Lulie, 
b. Aug. 7, 1865. Mr. Whitney lives on the old Davis place in the north 
part of the town. 

Caroline, b. July 6, 1827, d. unm. 1S67. 

Eli Whitney died on the Davis place in 1865. Mrs. Whitney died 
July 19, 1872, aged 84. 

(4) Peter Whitney, son of Daniel, lived on the Fort Hill road, just 
beyond Little river, which place together with the mill near the 
bridge he bought of Willard Buttrick. Mr. Whitney was the last 
person that carried on the fulling and dyeing business at these Gor- 
ham falls, and probably the last that carried it on in Gorham. Mr. 
\N'hitney married his cousin Eunice, daughter of Zebulon Whitney 
Children : 

Abigail S., b. Sept. 14, 1820, m. Samuel Moody of Standish, Oct. 27, 1840. 
Hannah .S., b. Feb. 12, 1822, m. Samuel Moody of Standish. 
Luther, b. June 21, 1824, m. Phrbe Horton, 1S48; d. in Canada. 
Eli, b. June 26, 1826, m. Sarah E. Brown of Windham, 1856. 
Damaris, b. July 20, 1828, d. unm. Nov. 11, 1848. 

Peter Whitney died March 15, 1842, and his wife, Dec. 25, 1869. 

(4) Edmund Whitney, son of Isaac, lived in the north part of the 
town. He married Martha Meserve of Scarborough. Children : 

Susan, b. Jan. 23, 1804, m. Lewis Higgins of Standish, Mar. 25, 1828; d. in 
Manchester, N. H., Mar. 9, 1879. 

Freeman, b. May 21, 1806, m. Lydia A. Meserve, 1834. One child: Anna 
Maria, b. Mar. 21, 1837, m. Daniel Johnson, Feb. 2, 1854. Freeman 
Whitney d. July 19, 1S55, and his wife. Aug. 20, 1869. 

Levisa A., b. Aug. 15, 1810, m. Jonathan S. Files, p. Feb. 15, 1835. 

Merrill, b. Feb. 25, 1816, m. Zebia A. Kollock. One son, Alonzo M., b. in Low- 
ell, Mass., July 18, 1845, enlisted from Gorham in 1862, in i6th Me. Vols., 
and was killed at Fredericksburg, Va. Mr. Whitney d. in Saco, Jan. 24, 
1888. 

Robie, b. Feb. 16, 1818, m. Mary J. Hall, Sept. i, 1844. Ch: Eugene S., b. 
Feb. 2, 1852, m. Nellie Stearns of Amoskeag, N. H.; Adelaide J., b. 
Sept. 28, 1855, m Albert Merrill of Manchester, N. H., Jan. 13. 1883; 
Frank L., b. Apr. 11, 1858, m. Cora Belle Whitney; Katie C, b. Feb. 17, 
1867, d. Aug. 28, 1886. Mr. Whitney I'd in the north part of the town 
where his son Frank now I's. He d. at the house of his son in Man- 
che.>>ter, N. H., Dec. 28, 1898; his wife d. Oct. 7, 1891. 

Marshall, b. July 11, 1821, m. Sarah Gorden of Wayne. Ch: Ladora E., b. 
Sept. 16, 1853, m. Frederick E. Smith of Atileborough, Mass., June 29, 
1882; Alston v., b. Oct. 2, 1858; Mary J., b. Jan. 20, 1862. Marshall 
Whitney d. July 18, 1884; Mrs. Whitney I's with her son. 

Major M., b. Apr. 13, 1823, d. July 31, 1834. 

Edmund Whitney died May 25, 1853, and his wife, June 21, 1853. 




MERRILL WHITNEY. 




kOBlE WHITNEY. 



GENEALOGY. 837 

James Whitney of Gorham married Deborah Murch Aug. 15, 17S5. 
The birth of one child is recorded: Humphrey, born April 26, 1786. 

Uriel Whitney was the son of Abner Whitney of Lunenburg, Mass. 
He was born in Shirley, Mass., Sept. 11, 1757. At the beginning of 
the Revolution he enlisted in Col. Prescott's regiment. He married, 
Dec. 16, 1784, Lydia, daughter of Capt. Samuel Whitmore of Gor- 
ham. At the time of his marriage Mr. Whitney is recorded as of 
Gorham. In the year 1798 he purchased land in North Yarmouth, and 
soon after moved to that place. He was a noted school-teacher, 
and was called " Master " Whitney. He was held in high esteem as 
a citizen and Christian. Children of Uriel and Mary Whitney : 

Statira, b. Dec. 24, 17S5, d. young. 

Mary, b. Jan. 21, 1787, m. R. Drinkwater of Durham; d. May 2, 1S24. 

Statira, b. Dec. i, 1789, d. Aug 11, 1792. 

Joel, b. Aug. 7, 1791, lost at sea about 1812. 

Beulah B., b. June 3, 1793, '^i. Enos .Small, Nov. 2, 1817; d. Apr. 21, 1879. 

Betsey, b. May 27, 1795, ™- James Mitchell of P'reeport. 

Sally, b. Dec. 16. 1796. m. Danitl Soule, of Pownal. 

Harriet, b. Apr 28, 179S, m. Darnel Soule of Pownal (2d wife). 

Charlotte, b. May 12, 1800, m. Levi Davis of No. Yarmouth. 

Statira, b. Apr. 26, 1802, m. N. Merrill of Pownal. 

Uriel, b. July 4. 1804, m. Mary Hoyt. 

Lewis, b. Sept. 21, 1S06, m. Mary Sniall. 

Mrs. Mary Whitney died March 6, 18 18, and Mr. Whitney married, 

Aug. 7, 1S19, Mrs. Betsey (Mosher) Lothrop, daughter of James 

Mosher of Gorham, and widow of Thomas Lothrop of Gorham. 

Uriel Whitney died Nov. 10, 1835. 

Sewall Whitney, son of Jacob and Abigail (Moses) Whitney of 

Buxton and grandson of Ebenezer Whitney, was born in Buxton 

April 8, 1 8 19. He came to Gorham when he was eighteen years of 

age. He married Elizabeth Fly of Gorham. Children: 

Francis B., b. Jan. 11, 1845, m. Fannie Corrigan. 

Eunice, b. Feb. 17, 1847, m. James Lombard. 

Martha R., b. July 1 1, 1852, d. young. 

James C.,b. Aug. ir. 1857, m. Hattie R. Whittier. 

Emily R., b. May 11, 1S59, m. Horace Hill of Buxton; d. in 1893. 

WILLIAMS. 

John and Hart Williams were probably brothers. They were in 
Gorham as early as 1757. In 1759 John Williams and his wife 
Eleanor sold to George Hanscom of Scarborough the thirty acre lot, 
109, which he had purchased of David Gorham in 1757. In 1760, 
he bought of Benjamin Stevens one-half of the hundred acre lot, 115. 
He was married by the Rev. Jeremiah Wise of S. Berwick, Oct. 31, 



838 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

1746, to Eleanor Jones. There are two children of this couple 
recorded on the old Berwick church records as being baptized Sept. 
22, 1747, Daniel and Hannah. Daniel's name appears on the Gor- 
ham tax list for 1763. We know that John and Eleanor had also a 
son Jeremiah. 

(2) Jeremiah Williams, son of John, purchased in 1785, of George 
and William Knight, a part of the hundred acre lot, 109. This land, 
fifty acres, and the buildings thereon where Williams lived, he sold 
to Micah Whitney of Gray, in September, 1802. This place is at 
Little Falls, near the cemetery on the hill, and is where Peter Smith 
now lives. Mr. Williams married (pub. May 17, 1777), Deborah, 
daughter of Abel Whitney. Children : 

Martha, b. Mar. 9, 1778, m. James Ridlon of Saco. 

Mary, b. May 24, 1782, m. James Ridlon of Saco; d. Nov. 29, 1873. 

Peter, b. Oct. 29, 1784, m. in Standish, Feb. 19, 181 7, Salome Ehvell of Buxton. 
Ch : Mary Ann, b. Oct. 15, 1S18, d. unm. Jan. 15, 1856; Charles, b. Jan. 
II, 1820, m. Lydia Withmgton of Portland, d. Apr. to, 1862; Martha, 
b. Apr. 2, 1822, m. Henry Waterman, d. Sept. 27, 1899; Daniel, b. Dec. 
2, 1825, I'd and d. in Mass.; Harriet, b. Jan. 28, 1829, d. unm. in Lewis- 
ton, Apr. 12, 1869; John J., b. June 30, 1831, m. Sarah Graffam ; James 
R., b. July 16, 1834, m. Mrs. Delia Heme; Sarah, b. June 15, 1836, d. 
Apr. 22, 1837. Mr. Williams taught school for some years in Baldwin ; 
returning to Gorham, he I'd in the village of Little Falls, where he d. 
Jan. 23, 1856; his wife survived him some ten years. 

Susanna, b. Feb. 15, 1786, d. unm. May 7, 1863. 

Lydia, b. Aug. 5, 1787, d. unm. Apr. 19, 1865. 

Daniel, b. Aug. 2, 17S9, d. July 30, 1823. 

Joseph, b. Apr. 14, 1791. d. unm. Oct. 7, 1869. 

Hannah, b. Mar. 26, 1793, d. Jan. 26, 1853. 

Jeremiah Williams died May 3, 1823, aged 68, and his wife 
Deborah, Oct. 27, 185 i, aged 93. 

Hart Williams was one of the most prominent men of his day, in 
the town of Gorham. In 1764, in consideration of his having per- 
formed the duties enjoined by the General Court's Act in clearing 
and settling land, he received from Moses Pearson a deed of the 
right. No. III. On the thirty acre lot, iii, belonging to this right, 
he made his home till his death. The house in which he lived is 
still standing, opposite to the Byron Coburn place. He was a cor- 
poral in 1757 in Capt. Joseph Woodman's company, in the Northern 
Army, during one of the French wars. At the breaking out of the 
Revolution he was in command of a company of Gorham militia, and 
when the news of the battle of Lexington reached Falmouth, April 
2 1, 1775, started to march his company to Boston, but after reaching 
Wells, received orders to return home. On the 24th of April, Capt. 
Williams and his entire company enlisted in Col. Phinney's 31st 




JOHN \vin(;ate. 



GENEALOGY. 839 

Mass. regiment of foot. Jan. i, 1776, he was commissioned captain 
in Col. Phinney's i8th Continental regiment, and participated in 
the siege of Boston, and the Ticonderoga campaign of 1776. From 
May 15, 1778 to Feb. 17, 1779, he served as first lieutenant in Capt. 
Abraham Tyler's company. Col. Thomas Poor's militia regiment, in 
the eastern part of New York. 

He married in Falmouth, Feb. 18, 1750, Martha Phinney, daughter 
of Capt. John, and sister of Col. Edmund Phinney. They had no 
children, and adopted John Butler Ryan. After Capt. Willianis' 
decease, his place was owned and occupied by this adopted son, and 
the hill by the house, over which the old road to Portland passes, 
has been known for many years as Ryan's hill. Capt. Williams died 
Dec. 4, 1797 ; Mrs. Williams died Sept. 11, 1800. 

WILSON. 

Hubbard Wilson was born in Falmouth, Feb. 6, 1809. He mar- 
ried, June 9, 1836, Elizabeth Allen, who was born in Falmouth, May 
6, 1817. Children : 

Leonora, b. Sept. i, 1837, m. May i, 1866, Dr. N. B. Colman. 

Joel, b. Sept. 21, 1839, m. Adeline Waterhouse ; 2d, Sarah J. Hall of Bruns- 
wick ; was a captain in the Civil War. 

Harriet A., b. Apr. 22, 1841, d. Feb. 14, 1851. 

Horace, b. Feb. 10, 1843, m. Mary A. Lord of Bangor, Feb. 6, 1868 ; was in the 
Civil War. 

J ^ m. Hattie A. Brown of Baldwin, June 29, 

James K F ( ^ .^ ^g ) ^3^3 ^.^^ j^^ ^j^^ ^..^jj ^^^^ 

George M.D.,^ \ ? d. Apr. 15, 1S46. 

Sarah M., b. , is a teacher in California. 

Ella F., b. July 22, 1850, m. Rev. Roscoe L. Green, July 25, 1S76. 

Elbridge M., b. May 17, 1S54, m. Annie Sawyer of Westbrook, Apr. 15, 18S2 ; 

was on the board of selectmen for 1891-2-3-4, and has also represented 

the town in the State Legislature. 
Eva, b. Dec. 18, 1855, d. Dec. 30, 1874. 

Mr. Wilson was a farmer, and lived on the farm now owned by 
his son Elbridge. He died May 15, 1883; his wife died Nov. 15, 
1888. 

WING ATE. 

Capt. John Wingate was the son of Snell Wingate and Mrs. Mehit- 

able (Davis) Crocker, who were married June 15, 1788. He was 

born in Buxton, April 27, 1799, and there married Salome Small. 

Their children, born in Buxton, were : 

Ansel D., b. May 31, 1822, m. Elmira Scamman ; d. Nov. 6, 1853. 
Sarah P., b. Nov. 26, 1823, m. Edward D. Scammon, Oct. 12, 1847. 
Maria, b. Nov. 7, 1825, m. Leander Stevens of Standish, Oct. 15, 1848. 



840 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

Mrs. Salome Wingate dying, Aug. i, 1827, Mr. Wingate married, 

Sept. 23, 1829, Mrs. Sophronia (Irish) Frost, daughter of Gen. James 

Irish of Gorham. Capt. Wingate came to Gorham to live about the 

year 1835. He was one of the selectmen in 1846 and 1847, ^^^d town 

clerk in 1849, 1850 and 185 1. His children by his second wife were : 

Rebecca I., b. Oct. 30, 1830, d. unm. Aug. 14, 1853. 

Salome, b. Mar. 4, 1833. m. Geo. J. Prentiss, July i, 1852; 2d, Geo. W. New- 

begin, Jan. 3, 1S78. 
Henry F., "I , ^ , „ c - ( d. in Nevada, Nov. 28, 1861;. 
James I., ) ' jo' ^ d Peb ig^ 1836. 

James I.,b. June 4, 1837, m. H. Frances Edgecomb, May 18, 1870. 
Mary G., b. Mar. 13, 1840. 
Ellen S., b. Apr. 2, 1843. 
John P., b. Mar. 7, 1846, d. Aug. 15, 1849. 

Capt. Wingate died Sept. 21, 1858. Mrs. Sophronia Wingate died 
March 31, 1886, aged 86. 

WINSHIP. 

Oliver Winship, son of Isaac and Eunice Winship, was born in 
Portland, Me., Aug. 23, 1809. He came to Gorham and settled at 
Winship's Corner about 1826. In November, 1835, ^^ married 
Clementine, daughter of John and Rachel Morton. Mr. Winship 
was a blacksmith by trade, and succeeded his father-in-law in this 
business. For many years he was a deacon in the F. W. Baptist 
church at White Rock, a sincere and earnest Christian, and a man 
greatly respected and esteemed by all. Children of Oliver and 
Clementine Winship : 

John M., b. Oct. 23, 1836, d. Dec. 27, 1837. 

John O., b. Sept. 9, 1S38, m. Addie E. Elder; 2d, Helen M. Patrick ; teacher 
and lawyer, first in S. Windham and Portland, now in Cleveland, O. 

William E., b. Sept. 8, 1840, d. July 7, 1859. 

Annette T., b. Mar. 8, 1844, m. Orin D. Patch ; teacher and physician, practic- 
ing from 1882 to 1899. 

Martha H., b. Oct. 22, 1847, d. May 12, 1S96. 

Frank E., b. Oct. 2, 1850, m. Ida, dau. of Frank Irish. 

Deacon Winship died May 13, 1886. His wife Clementine died 
Dec. II, 1874, aged 61. 

Mrs. Eunice Winship, mother of Dea. Winship, died at the house 
of her son, in Gorham, Nov. 17, 1861, aged 87. 

WOOD. 

William Wood is thought to have come from Falmouth. He was 
a soldier in Capt. McLellan's company in the Bagaduce expedition of 
1779. His home was in the north part of the town, on the farm 
since known as the Peter Blair place. His wife was Hannah Hicks. 
Children : 







OLIVER WINSHIP. 




MRS. CLEMENTINE (MORTON) WINSHIP. 



GENEALOGY. 841 

Molly, b. about 1745, m. Heman Bangs, Jan. i, 1770. 

Sarah, b. , m. Ebenezer Shaw, p. Sept. 22, 1771 ; d. July 8, 1792. 

Anna, b. July 20, 1751, m. Thomas Shaw of Standish, Nov. 20, 1777 ; d. May 
18, 180S. 

Hannah, b. about 1759, m. Nathaniel Blake (2d wife). Mar. 7, 1793. 

Charles, b. May 31, 1767, m. Sarah Uavis, Sept. 17, 17S6. 

William, b. , m. Polly Dyer, Nov. 25, 1790; 2d, Mercy Bean; 3d, Han- 
nah Hicks. 

William Wood married, March 4, 1779, Susanna (Lombard) 
Stuart, widow of Capt. Wentworth Stuart. Mr. Wood died about 
1794. His wife Susanna died Aug. 7, 1803, in Standish. 

(2) Charles Wood, son of William, married Sarah, daughter of 
Joshua and Sarah Uavis. He lived for some years in Gorham, 
where his children were born, and then moved to Buckfield. Chil- 
dren : 

Heman, b. Dec. 23, 17S6, I'd in Hartford. 

Polly, b. Feb. 28, 17S9, m. Samuel Butterfield of Buxton, Jan. 19, 1809. 

Relief, b. Nov. 20, 1791, m. Isaac Emery of Buxton, Feb. 22, 1812. 

Mehitable, b. Feb. 10, 1794, m. William Baird of Hartford, Jan. 19, 1S15. 

Hannah, b. July 15, 1796. 

Charles, b. Nov. 6, 1798. 

Eliza, b. Nov. 18, 1802. 

(2) William Wood, Jr., son of William, married Polly Dyer. Chil- 
dren : 

Levi, b. July 26, 1791, d. xmm. in Gorham, aged 80. 
William, b. Dec. 16, 1792, d. unm. in Eastern Maine. 
Rachel, b. Oct. 27, 1794, m. Silas Ward, Dec. 22, iSii. 

William Wood married, Dec. 15, 1796, Mercy Bean of Hiram. 
Children : 

Anna, b. Aug. i6, 1797, m. Peter Blair, p. Feb. 16, 1813. 

Olive, b. Aug. 6, 1801, m. Abram Bickford of Scarboro, Nov. 17, 1825. 

Stephen, b. Feb. 10, 1803, m. Pamelia Stanton; d. in Baldwin, aged about 50. 

Jan. 28, 1807, Mr. Wood married a third wife, Hannah, daughter 
of Lemuel and Susanna Hicks, by whom he had : 

Asenath, m. Calvin Rowe of Baldwin. 

Ulitta, m. Richard Bean of Brownfield; d. in Gorham. 

Isaac, m. Mary Moody of Standish; d. in Standish, aged 80. 

Luman, d. in 1837 — a young man. 

Albion P., b. in Baldwin, Nov. 17, 1820; came from Baldwin to Gorham, and 
I'd on the old Watd place, near the Buxton hne ; m. Aug. 22, 1853, Jane 
B. Wales of Hiram. Ch: Emily, b. 1854, m. Timothy W. Burbank; Olive 
J., b. Oct. 19, 1856, d. Mar. 21, 1866 ; Mary J., b. May 16, 1859, d. Mar. 
26, 1866; George W., b. May 16, 1859, d. Oct. 23, i860. Mr. Wood d. 
Feb. 4, 1883. 

William Wood and his wife Hannah both died in Baldwin. 

Eli Wood, who was born in Standish, May 28, 1804, was the son 
of Benoni and Eunice (Decker) Wood, who were married, Aug. 24, 
1797. Eli Wood married Mary A., daughter of John Dunn of Gor- 



842 HISTORY OF GORHAM. 

ham, and lived on his father-in-law's place, in what is called the Blake 

neighborhood. Children : 

Warren, b. Aug. 14, 1826, d. Sept. 7, 1829. 
Lydia A., b. Mar. 9, 1S28, d. Oct. 3, 1832. 
Warren H., b. Apr. 20, 1831, m. Margaret Witherell, May 15, 1858 ; 2d, Mrs. 

Mary J. Ingalls. 
Zebulon D., b. July 17, 1833, I's in Buxton. 
Mary, b. Nov. 20, 1835, d. Dec. 20, 1853. 
Alonzo, b. Dec. 20, 1839, I's at Cape Elizabeth. 
Eliza A., b. Jan. 13, 1844, m. John Berry. 

Eli Wood died at West Gorham, May 27, 1874. 

WORCESTER. 

Thomas Worcester, who was in Gorham about 1800, was the son 

of George and Margaret (Clements) Worcester, who lived in Berwick, 

Me., and Somersworth, N. H. Thomas Worcester after coming to 

Gorham, married Susanna, daughter of Richard and Hannah 

( Lothrop) Edwards. Mr. Worcester owned and occupied the place 

on the west side of South St., lately owned by Samuel Carruthers. A 

famous place for blueberrying in the years gone by was " Worcester's 

pasture." Children of Thomas and Susanna Worcester : 

Betsey, b. Oct. 20, 1800, m. William Blanchard of Gardiner, Jan. 14, 1819. 

George, b. Oct. 30, 1802, m. Patience Penfield, Nov. 15, 1826 ; I'd in Portland. 

Louisa, b. Nov. 20, 1804, m. John M. Parker, June 3, 1825. 

James L., b. Aug. 22, 1807, drowned in the Morris mill pond, July 31, 1825. 

Thomas, b. Oct. 22, 1809. 

Lothrop, b. Apr. 15, 18 12. 

Martha Ann, b. Sept. 9, 1819, m. John H. Roberts, Dec. 8, 1850. 

Thomas Worcester died March 19, 1845, aged 72. Mrs. Worcester 

died Sept. 15, 1874, aged 92. 

YOUNG. 

In 1779 we find on the tax list in Gorham the names of Joshua 
Young, Joshua Young, Jr., and Joseph Young. These were probably 
father and sons. They came from Wellfieet, Mass. Of the elder we 

know nothing. Joshua Young, Jr., married in Wellfleet, Sarah . 

They have one child recorded : Joshua, born in Wellfleet, Nov. 13, 
1775. Mr. Young married second, June 13, 1779, Sarah, daughter of 
John and Sarah Irish of Gorham. Child on record: Benjamin, born 
in Gorham, July 21, 1780. William who was born in 1785, and mar- 
ried Abigail Read, was probably of this family. 

Joseph Young, 3d, lived in the Nason district in the north part of^ 
the town. He had a sister Deborah who married, Feb. 27, 1789, 



GENEALOGY. 843 

Daniel Marston of Pownal. Joseph Young married, Nov. 7, 1793, 

Lydia, daughter of Thomas and Jane Snow. Children : 

Sally, b. Mar. 15, 1794, m. Enos Humphrey; I'd in Livermore. 

Enos, b. July 20, 1795, m. ; left two children. 

Affia, b. July 17, 1797, m. Cyrus Blanchard of Cumberland, May 12, 18 16. 
Anna, b. Apr. 7, 1800, m. William Clay, Apr. 7, 1822. 

Joseph, b. , m. Mary Green of Standish, Mar. 21, 1824 ; d. in Springfield, 

Mass. 
Jane, b. about iSio, m. Jonathan Clay, Apr. 23, 1829. 

Both Joseph Young and his wife died in Gorham, he about 181 o, 

and she July 9, 1850, aged 74. 

Solomon Young married, Dec. 4, 1796, Polly, daughter of Caleb 
and Abigail Kimball. Children: Katherine, born Nov. 21, 1797; 
Jesse, born June 27, 1800. 



INDEX. 



THE GENEALOGY IS NOT INDEXED. 



Academy, Gorhani, Act to incorporate, 




227 


list of first trustees of. 


227 


laws and regulations of, 


231 


first examination, 


237 


Hall, 


240> 3^3 


list of first pupils. 


235-6 


seal. 


240 


present board of trustees, 


243 


Act of Incorporation of Town, 


100 


Adams, Aaron C, 


195 


Albert Egerton, 


197. 349 


Dr., 


282 


John McGregor, 


197,322 


John R , 196, 


349. 355 


Joseph, 160, 168, 


, 286, 378 


Samuel, 


107 


Additional names on tax bills, 


104, 105 


Akers, John, 


147 


Moses, 


79.99 


Alden, Austin, 65, 94, 122, 


124, 126, 


132, 225,373, 374 




house, 


315 


Josiah, 


373. 374 


Allen, Alexander M., 


35O' 351 


John M., 


350 


Levi D., 


346 


Anderson, Abram, 


246 


Dr., 


283 


Stephen, 


311 


Andrew, Jonathan. 


279 


Andrews, Abram S., 


345. 353 


J>hn, 


351 


Anecdote of young lawyer. 


203 


Annis, Eli, 


319 


Jesse, 


319 


Apple tree. 


291, 790 


Apprenticeship, 


335 


Ashley, William, 


226, 308 


Attic Fraternity, 


321 


Ayer, John, 47, 


48, 78, 93 


Bacon, Isaac E., 


346, 351 


Nathaniel, 


147, 271 


Samuel F., 


373' 375 


Timothy, 


132 


Bagaduce Expedition, 


106, 145 


Bailey, John, 


460 


John P., 


345. 347 


Samuel, 


356 



Baker, Andrew, 

Daniel, 

Jacob C, 

Samuel, 

S. \V., Dr., 
Baldwin, Dr., 
Bangs, Barnabas, 

Charles C, 

Charles E., 

Edwin G., 

Joshua, 

Nathan, 

Thomas, 
Baptists, Calvanist, 

Free, 
Barker, Jeremiah, 

Peleg, 

Mary, 

Thomas A., 
Barnes, Harris, 
Bartlett, George E., 

William, 
Baston, Sally, (see Boston) 
Baxter, EUhu, 

Joseph B., 
Bean, Daniel, 

Richard, 
Beane, John V., 
Beck, Charles L., 

George D., 
Bells, 
Bell tavern, 

William, 
Berry, Hiram, 

Walter, 

shoe shop, 
Bettis, Jacob P., 
Bickford, Willis I., 
Billings, Daniel, 

Horatio S., 

John, 
Black, Alvah, 

J cab, 

Josiah, 
Black Brook road. 
Black Tongue, 
Blair, Samuel E., 
Blake, Charles H., 

Frank H., 

Horace P., 



346 

373 
3". 373.378 

272 

283 

283 

121, 218, 373 

, 373 

349. 350. 351 

345 

83 

124, 126, 132 

121, 131, 307 

210 

204, 280, 311 

28 1, 306 

272 

221 

3" 

366 



2»2 

345 

122, 132 

602 

240 

350 

312, 343 

236, 301-2 

318 

344, 351 
366 

279 

309 

159 

319 

58. 506 

346, 365. 366 

495 

287 

129, 132 

130, 132 

262 

60 

345 

346 

349. 354 

348, 351 



846 



INDEX. 



Blake (continued). 

Ithiel, 

John, 

Joseph, 

Samuel E., 
Blanchard, John, 

Miss, 
Blenham, Mr., 
Bodge, George M., 
Bolton, Peter, 

Ralph, 

William, 
Bond, Benjamin F., 
Boody, Robert, 
Boothby, Alpheus, 

Benjamin, 
Borough Mill, 
Bose, 

Boston, Sally, 
Boston Tea Party, Resolutions on, 
Boundary lines run in 1762, 



74: 



271 
127 
124, 127 
345 
147 
241 

254 
243 
273 
355 
273 
345 
204 

379 
94 

289 
62 

616 



174. 



91 

282 



343 

256 



147. 



Bowman. Nathaniel, 

Boyd, William H., 

Brackett, Anthony, 

Clement, 

Hiram E., 

Joseph, 

Mr., 

Thomas, 
Bradbury, Charles H., 

A. G., 
Brad -making machine, 
Bragdon, F. A., 

Mr., 

William H., 
Bragdon's Mill, 
Brandy Brook Hill, 
Bridge across the Presumpscot at Horse 

Beef Falls, 276, 290 

Brimhall, Cornelius, 44 



348 
207 
272 
276 
343' 349 
375 
357 
371 

318 

346, 349, ^52 
289 
:56, 291 



Sylvan us. 
Broad, Daniel, 

Henry, 
Brown, Amos, 122, 124, 126, 
242 

Barbara, 

Charles, 

Edward, 

Freeman, 

Hezekiah, 

James B., 

James M., 

John, 

Joseph, 

Joseph M., 

Lendall, 

Llewellyn W., 

Mrs., 

Samuel, 

Simeon, 

Solomon, 



129 132 

308, 593 

191. 593 

131. 132, 



217 
348 
357 
344, 346, 354 
361 

346, 353 

350 

343. 351 

95 



92, 



560, 

13O' 
130, 



346 
279 

577 

225 



Brown (continued). 

Sylvanus, 

William S., 
Bryant, James, 

Mrs., 

William, 
Buck, Clarence E., 

Theodore E., 343, 

Buker, Livy, 257, 

Bullock, Jeremiah, 
Bumpus, Morris ¥., 343, 

Bunker, Burton, 
Burke, Joseph W., 
Burnell, James B., 

John, 69, 124, 132, 

M. C, 

N. A., 

Rose B., 
Burnes, John, 

Burning of Falmouth by Mowatt, 
Burton, William, 

Burying grounds, 257- 

Business at the Village, 
Butler, Justus, 
Button -hole Machine, 
Butts, Samuel, 299, 

Buttrick, Willard, 254, 256, 

Buxton, William, 
Buzzell, Elder John, 

James M., 280, 284, 

Mrs. Rebecca, 



121 

539 
418 

52 
51 

351 
347 
273 
210 

353 
348 
349 
343 
419 
366 

365 
367 
351 
119 

375 
261 
263 
279 
357 
318 
307 
375 
216 

379 
284 



124 



Cannell, Albert, 

Barnabas, 

Heman, 

John J., 

Lot, 

Marshall, 

Samuel A., 

William, 

Wyer, 
Capture of Quebec, 
Card, John C., 
Carll, Henry L., 

Stephen W., 

Van W., 
Carpet weaving, 
Carsley, John, 
Carter, Dennis F., 
Gary, Nelson H., 

Samuel E., 

William H., 
Gates, John, 

Joseph, 
Cato, 

Caveno, Charles, 
Ceasor, 

Centennial celebrations, 
Chadbourne, George, 

H. A., Jr., 



344, 352 
311,346 

344, 346, 352 

346, 348, 352 

344 

349 

.346, 352 

345, 353 
269 

68 

373 
316, 402 

373 
797 

358, 657 
99 

347, 352 
282 

349 

349 
132 

99, 373 
299 

334, 577 
297 

368, 370 
375 
347 



INDEX. 



847 



Chadbouvne (continued). 

Nahum, 

Silas, 121, 

Chamberlain, Benjamin, 
Change of boundary lines, 
Chapels, 
Chapman, Henry L., 

Rufus G., 
Chase, Albion K. P., 

Caleb, 140, 225, 

Isaac, 

Salmon, 
Chellis, E. D., 
Cheney, Dr., 
Chester, John, 
Chloe, 

Cilley, Oliver, 
Cincinnati Society, 
Clark, Aaron, 

Charles, 

Henry, 

John, 

Morris, 
Clay, Cyrus B., 

John, 

William, 
Clement, Daniel B., 

George T., 

Jacob H., 

J. Hanson, 

-Samuel R., 

Simeon C, 

William F., 
Clement's Corner, 
Cleveland, N., Jr., 
Clocks, 174, 

Cloudman, Edward, 

Edwin H., 

Horace A., 

Solomon B., 

William, 
Clough, Henry, 
Cobb, Andrew, 

Daniel, 

David, 

Elisha, 

Jedediah, 

Samuel, 

William, 
Coburn, Edwin, 

Jacob, 
Cochran, James, 
Codman, James, 
Coffin, Charles, 
Colby, Joseph, 

Joseph, Jr., 
Cole, Charles, 

George, 

Grandmother, 

William H., 



158, 263, 309 

128, 129, 132 

681 

301 

175, 269, 273 
372 
345 
351 

3'''^' 373. 377 
147 
225 

285 
2S4 
350 
297 

343 
153 
309 
602 

343. 351 
343. 35' 
130 
351 
343' 351 
159. 261 

271 
272 
330 
375 
272,308, 311 

375 
349 
271 
230 
303. 330, 356 



272, 318, 



348, 



13- 



52 
552 
350 
375 
278 
217 
307 
158 
158 
121, 306 

314 

256 

374 

270. 375 

278, 279 

212 

37& 

239 

344 

345 

343' 351 

279 

413 
346, 352 



CoUey, John, 268 

William W., 346 

Committees of Correspondence, 109, 141, 

156 
Conant and Chase's fulling mill, 
Conley, James B., 
Connelly, Thomas, 
Conscription in Gorham in 1863, 
Constitution of Mass. accepted, 

of Maine accepted, 

of U. S. accepted. 
Cook, Saul, 
Coolbroth, James, 

Dennis, 
Coonley, George W., 
Coopering, 
Copp, John F., 
Cornish, John, 
Corn packing house, 
Corthell, W. J., 
Cotton, Charles B., 

John, 

William, 44, 151, 30I 
County rate bill for 1763, 
Court of Sessions, Associate Justices of, 

376 
Cousins, Humphrey, 
Craige, 

Cram (or Grain) Charles G., 
Cram, Daniel, 
Crediford, Nathaniel, 
Cressey, Charles H., 



256 
349 
348 

350 
151 



151 
794 
127 

159 

349' 352, 354 

263, 361 

346 

130 

' 312 

244 

3"' 350 

360 

310, 360, 374 

98 



547' 



3". 



295 

404 

352 
132 

94 
312 

371 
262 



121, 307, 309, 



322 

^60 



Charles R., 

Daniel, 

John R., 

Joseph, 
Croak, John, 
• Crocker, Benjamin, 

Timothy, 
Crockett, Andrew, 

Edmund (or Edward), 

Frank, 

houses at Village, 

John, 

Jonathan, 

Joshua. 

Nathaniel, 

Peter, 

Samuel, 
Cross, Enoch, 

William, 
Crowell, Caleb, 
Crystal Spring House, 
Cumberland Cotton Manufacturing Co 

278,310 
Cumberland County Regt., 70, 118, 131 
Cumberland and Oxford Canal, 266 

Curtis, John, 86, 156 



345 

176 

69, 419 

225,374 

350 

350- 351 

453. 459 

122, 159 

95 
13O' 131 

94 
129 
160 
283 
157 

93 
319 



13I' 



Dame, Moses B., 
Theophilus, 



350 

272,375 



848 


INDEX. 






Dana, John W., 


287 


Drowning of Mayberry an 


d Eldi 


er, 221 


Danforth, Charles, 


287 


Mrs. Knight, 




213 


Darling, George L., 


343' 349 


Duffy, Peter, 




343, 354 


John, 


131 


Dunham, Eliph, 




69, 419 


Davenport, John, 


'95 


Dunlevy, Eugene, 




343, 351 


Davis, Allen, 


318 


Dunn, Alpha T., 




346, 352 


Charles, 


343-351 


Christopher, 


128. 


129, 132 


Daniel, 


3" 


William F., 


346, 


352, 354 


Daniel W., 346, 


349> 366 


Dunnell, Mark H., 




341 


Elijah, 123, 124, 


125, 132 


Dupee, Dr. Henry, 




276 


Gershom, 


132, 147 


Dyer, Bickford, 121 


[, 124, 


127, 132 


James W., 


373 


Charles F., 




349 


John, 


124, 127 


Clark, 




378 


Joshua, 


126, 147 


Ephraim, 




129 


Josiah, 


130. 132 


Isaac W., 




52, 284 


Prince, 


373. 374 


Timothy, 


128, 


130, 132 


Samuel, 


72, 133 








Sylvanus, 


225 








Day, Albert F., 


347 


Early dwellings in C.orham, 


323 


George L., 


347, 365 


Early society in Gorham, 




323 


James H., 


349 


Eastern Star, Society of, 




367 


Jennie L., 


367 


Eastman, Frank H., 




348 


Deacons of the Cong'l Church, 


199 


Jonathan, 




271 


Dean, Charles, 


344 


Kimball, 271 


',350, 


375, 379 


Deane, John G., 


349 


Eaton, Charles P., 




345 


Samuel, 


120 


Stephen M., 




345 


Decker, George W., 


400 


Eayer, (Ayer) John, 




93 


Joshua, 


132,616 


Edwards, Calvin, 




357 


Dedication of Seminary buildin 


g, 242 


Charles M., 




343 


Deering, Charles W., 


301,375 


George W\, 




345-353 


Deguio, Joseph, 


278 


Richmond, 




343 


Delano, Daniel D., 


347 


Samuel, 




158,356 


Delegates to Provincial Congress, 376 


Theodore B., 




294 


Demerritt, Frank E., 


365 


Elden, John M., 




350 


Deposition of Benj. Haskell, 


80 


Elder, Alonzo S., 




343, 354 


Thomas Haskell, 


80 


David, 




315 


Daniel Mosher, 


81 


George A., 




347 


Wentworth Stuart, 


81 


John, 




130, 221 


Devine, Alphonso, 


344,351 


Randall J., 




351 


Dickey, John, 


361 


Samuel, 


159- 


307, 374 


Dingley, Samuel, 


346 


Simon, 


309, 


374, 375 


Dirigo Lodge, K. of P., 


364 


Eldridge, Ebenezer, 




159 


Dix, John, 


15S 


Daniel, 




132, 306 


Dodge, John, 


348 


Electric roads. 




295 


Donahue, Jeremiah, 


347 


Elwell, Charles H., 




343, 350 


Donnell, William, 


347 


John, 
Jonathan, 




147 
317, 318 


Douglass, Edvsard K., 


346 




Elisha, 


346 


William, 




268 


Orman L., 


349, 354 






153, 156 


Seth, 


273 


Embargoes, 




Dow, Mr., 


319 


Emery, Alvan F., 




350 


Draft in Gorham, 


350-1 


Daniel, 




130 


Drake, Mr., 


^i8 


Daniel C, 359, 373, 3 


74,375,370,37s 


Drawing by Proprietors for second 

division, 84 


George B., 
John, 


130, 


267 
. 131, 147 


for third division, 


87 


Lucy, 




311 


Dresser, Edward E., 


34S, 352 


& Jameson, 




359 


Drown, Alonzo L., 


582 


Estes, Albert S., 




349, 354 


Arthur M., 


272, 309 


Joseph, 




318 


James L., 


272 


Oliver Dana, 




321,349 



INDEX. 



849 



Fabyan, George, 




284 


Folsom, Dudley, 154, 


158,282, 


308, 378 


Fadden, James L., 




343' 351 


Footstoves, 




331 


Fairbanks, Freeman, 




3'5 


Forest, Charles, 


_ 


35' 


Families living in town prior to 


1745. 93 


Forest tire. 




265 


Famine and sickness, 




60 


Fort, 




44, 170 


Farmers and Mechanics Fire Ins. Co., 


Plill, 




44 






362 


Hill graveyard. 




257 


Famham, John, 




294' 373 


in Pearsonstown, 




69 


Farr, Tellis, 




349 


William Henry, 




65 


Farwell, Walter H., 




343 


Foster, Charles F., 


343. 


346, 351 


Ferris, Leonard Z., 




198 


William II., 




373 


Pickett house. 




307 


Fowler, Edmund, 




273 


Fifield, Claud, 




355 


Foy, John, 


122, 124, 


, 126,132 


Files, Albion P., 




346, 379 


Francis, Joseph, 




349. 351 


Almon L., 




351 


Thomas, 




299 


bridge. 




57 


Frederick Robie Hall, 




244 


David, 




350 


School, 




280 


Ebenezer, 




125 


Free High Schools, 




226, 269 


Edward, 3d, 




375 


Masons, 




240, 362 


John W., 




350 


Meeting House, 


175. 


194, 216 


Joseph, 




346, 353 


Freeman, Bethiah, 




86, 225 


Lewis L., 




375 


Enoch, 




256 


Lorenzo D., 




351 


James E., 




348, 352 


Merrill T., 




375. 379 


John, 




86 


Samuel, 




125, 147 


Jonathan, 




133 


William, 


66, 


147' 551 


Joshua, 




44- 46 


William E., 




375.378 


William B., 




309-312 


William H. P., 


342, 


347' 350 


Friends, 




219 


Fire engines. 




305 


Frink, Isaac N., 




343 


Fires at Village, 




309-315 


John, 




280 


Morris house. 




679 


Frost, Benjamin, 




65 


First chaise owned in town, 




338 


Elizabeth, 




99 


children born in town. 




78 


Enoch, 




121, 146 


crops raised in town. 




76, 245 


Frank P., 




350 


framed house in Great 


Fall: 


3, 268 


Mason, 




356 


meeting of the Grantees, 


28 


Nathaniel, 




127, 374 


meeting of the Proprietors, 


l2 


Fruit Preserving Co., 




312 


move toward Incorporation 


98 


Fryeburg Meadows, 




250-1 


newspaper in Maine, 




160 


Fuller, Fred A., 




348 


post office in town, 




293 


Funerals, 




332 


pupils at Academy, 




235-6 








roads in town, with the 


ir names, 












288-9 


Gambo, 




273 


schoolhouse. 




224 


Gammon, Daniel, 




132 


settler in town. 




74 


David, 




132 


stock owned in town. 




246 


Edmund, 




262, 357 


surveys of Gorhamtow 


n, 


79 


Elden, 




357- 359 


plastered room in towr 


1, 


662 


John, 




147 


town meeting. 




lOI 


Joseph, 




142, 147 


Fish, 


248, 


268,812 


Moses, 




132 


wardens, 




249 


Philip, 


121, 


125- 132 


Fisher, William, 




348 


Samuel, 




121 


Fitch, Albert, 




344. 351 


G. A. R., John R. Adams Post, 


365 


Floyd, George M., 




366 


General Baptists, 




21C 


Fogg, Almon L., 




345. 353 


General Muster, 




71 


Charles B., 




350-351 


Gerrish, Joseph M., 


294, 


, 368, 686 


Daniel, 3d, 




301 


Gibbons, Patrick, 




345. 352 


John H., 




344. 350 


Giddings, Fred A., 




376 


Mark F., 




350. 351 


Gilbert, Albert, 




343. 349 


Moses, 




375 


Emery, 




348 


Rufus A., 


350, 


-351.375 


Lafayette, 




345 



850 


INDEX. 








(lilkey, James, 47, 48,69, 125, 


^3^^373^ 


Green, Benjamin, 




122, 132 


374 






Daniel W., 




35° 


Joseph, 


262 




Edmund, 




350 


Oilman, Edward S., 


343 




John, 


126, 129, 


, 132, 225 


Fairfield J., 


348, 352 




Joseph, 




125 


John F., 


340 




Solomon, 




121, 124 


Gilpatrick, William, 


347 




William F., 




345 


Gilroy, Hugh, 


358 


Gregory, James C, 




198 


Glass, window. 


325 


Grouard, Leonard C, 




569, 584 


Goff, Elias S., 


379 


Gil 


iptill, William, 




379 


& Plummer, 


312, 315 


Gu 


istin, David, 




129, 132 


Goodwin, Thomas II., 


287 




George B., 




366 


Gordon, Seth €., 283, 


345' 349 




Thomas, 


121, 


, 125, 129 


Gorham, Daniel, 


86, 252 


Gu 


ithrie, Simon B, 




294 


David, 


255 










John, 


47. 255 


lie 


iggett heirs, 




315 


Shubael, 


47 


He 


lie, Enos B., 




346 


William, 163, 166, 227, 373 


,374,376 




Henry W., 




283, 366 


Farmers Club, 


362 




Washington, 




346, 347 


Grange, 


364 


Hall, Cyrus, 




345. 353 


House, 312, 


317,368 




Daniel, 




375 


Light Guards, 


73 




Ebenezer, 




47,3'8 


men in Revolution under Capt. 




James L., 




350 


Nicholas IJlaisdell, 


131 




Joshua E., 




375. 378 


Silas Burbank, 


127 




Levi, 




343. 374 


Paul Ellis, 


130 




Stillman, 




366 


Tobias Fernald, 


124 




Winslow, 




301 


Josiah Jenkins, 


125 


Hallett, Andrew, 




607 


Jabez Lane, 


131 


Hamblen, Almery, 




328 


Isaac Martin, 


131 




Archeiaus L., 




350.351 


Richard Mayberry, 127, 


129, 130 




Arthur M., 




343 


Alexander McLellan, 


147 




Daniel, 




300, 317 


Daniel Merrill, 


127 




Elijah, 


128, 


130, 132 


John Rice, 


124 




Frank, 




272 


Wentworth Stuart, 


122, 123 




Jacob, 




258,317 


Abraham Tyler, 


125 




John, Jr., 




300 


Nathan Walkins, 


127 




Joseph, 3d, 




374. 378 


John Wentworth, 


130 




Levi, 




350 


Hart Williams, 


120 




Prince, 


121, 


125. 147 


Samuel Whitmore, 


131 




Timothy, 




254 


men in Col. Burbank's ] 


regiment. 


Hamlet, F. S., 




285 


War of 181 2, 


158, 160 


Ha 


imilton, Joshua, 




121 


Seminary, 


3H. 315 


Hanscom, George, 




99, 150 


Village Corporation, 


264 




Nathan, 




122, 132 


Gorman, Thomas, 


346, 352 




Walter G., 




355 


Gould, Edward, 


372 


Ha 


mson, Fred, 




272 


Nathaniel, 


262 




Jonathan, 


276, 


375.378 


Grace, Master, 


225 




Joseph B., 




366 


Graffam, Albert, 


344 




Oliver, 




3" 


Caleb, 


482 




Theodore H., 




346 


Jedediah, 


272 




William, 




346 


Graham, James, 


351 


Harding, Charles, 




369 


Grammar school. 


225 




Colman, 


3^7' 


342, 344 


Grant, Freeman, 


343-35' 




David, 142, 


227,373. 


374. 378 


Graveyard at " the North," 


260 




Edward, 294, 


346, 365- 


377. 379 


Gray, Harrison, 


"5 




Edwin S., 




346. 352 


Jonathan, 


94 




Frank C, 




346, 352 


Great Falls graveyard. 


261 




Freeman, 




278, 375 


Village, 


266 




George, 




355 


Great Meadows, 


250 




George B., 


345. 


346, 352 


Greeley, John, 122, 


126, 132 




John, 


65. 


132, 269 



INDEX. 



851 



Harding, (continued). 








John F., 




345. 


353 


Josiah, 






349 


Martlia, 






257 


Roscoe G., 


375- 376, 


377> 


379 


Samuel, 


206, 


257. 


374 


Seth, 






147 


Simon, 






257 


Walter, 


346, 


352. 


365 


William, 






132 


William B., 






37 3 


Zephaniah, 


66, 


267, 


490 


Harmon, Benjamin L., 






350 


Israel, 






309 


James F., 




343. 


349 


John, 






147 


Joseph A., 






344 


Joseph D., 




343' 


354 


Mrs., 






319 


Phineas, 






263 


Shirley, Jr., 




348, 


353 


Harmony Lodge, 






362 


Harrington, Martin, 




343> 


35' 


Harris, Charles S., 




346, 


351 


Thomas W., 






346 


Harvey, (see Meserve) 








Haskell, Benjamin, 






147 


James E., 




346, 


354 


John, 




130, 


132 


John L., 






343 


Nathaniel B., 






348 


Hasty, Thomas J., 




271, 


344 


William 


342 


,361, 


366 


Hatch, Asa, 






124 


David, 






132 


Ebenezer, 






263 


Ezekiel, 


121, 


124, 


132 


Joseph, 




65' 


, 105 


Nathaniel, 




13'. 


262 


Hats, 




361, 


462 


Hayden, Michael G.. 




351. 


373 


Haydn and Handel Societies, 




216 


Hayes, Elijah, 






2S7 


Heald, Josiah, 




34I' 


.343 


Hearn, Mr., 






225 


Heath, Asa, 






213 


George W., 






279 


Henderson, William, 




343' 


-351 


Hennessey, John, 




343. 


.351 


Hersey, Seth, 






359 


Hicks, Ebenezer, 






279 


Ephraim, 




346, 


354 


Lemuel, 






268 


Higgins, Barnabas, 






160 


Seth, 






273 


High Schools, 






226 


Hight, George, 




175' 


,361 


Hinkley, Charles K., 






35' 


& Co., 






312 


Stephen, 


351.371 


.373 


.379 


Hitchcock, Dr., 






284 



Hivert, William A., 
Hodgdon, Caleb, 

Jeremiah, 58, 

Holbrook, Margaret, 
Holden, Sarah E., 
Holmes, William, 
Horr, Philip, 
Horse Beef, 

Meadow road, 
Horton, John, 
Houghton, Lewis W., 
Houston, John, 
Howard, Elias R., 
Howe, Warren, 
Hoyt, Samuel C, 
Hughes, John, 
Hunt, Charles, 

Charles O., 

Daniel, 

Ephraim, 

George, 

George A., 

Henry H., 

Ichabod, 

Joseph, 

Oliver, 

William, 
Huntington, Henry S., 
Huntress, James, 
Hurricanes, 
Huston Fund, 

Simon, 



346, 352 

368, 378 

121, 129, 131, 147 

104 

366 

334 
140 
275 
290 
262 
283 
365 
346 
350 
366 

343. 346 

373. 377- 378 

349 

124, 317 
132 

121, 125 

346 

2S4, 349' 350 

121, 125, 126, 132 

262 

360 

129, 132 
198 

147 

264, 265 

301 

300 



Ilsley, Daniel, 69 

Enoch, 275 

Jonathan, 69 

Inauguration of Gorham Academy, 230 

Incorporation of Baptists in Gorham, 208 

Indian attacks on Gorhamtown, 46, 58, 61 

clearings, 39 

trails, 35 

Ingalls, Phineas, 283 

Ingersoll, Jane, 242 

I. O. O. F., 365 

Irish, Francis O., 369 

Isaac C, 294 

James, 121, 122, 123, 131, 158, 168, 

294' 374. 376, 377. 378 

John, 48, 122 

Joseph, 128, 147 

Marshall, 359, 375 

Melville, 346 

Stephen, 12S 
Thomas, 121, 147, 350, 351 

William, 121, 147 

Jackson, Eliphalet W., 350 

Zebediah, 515 

James, Joseph, 366 

Jameson, Thomas, 242 



852 




INDEX. 




Jenkins, Joseph, 




132 


Knight (continued). 




Josidh, 122, 123, 


125, 


132, 159 


S. B., 


289 


Samuel, 


125, 


127, 132 


William, 


246, 277 


Jewett, Caleb, 




189, 191 


Knowlton, Charles T., 


342 


Robert P., 




350 


Knox, John H., 


347 


Johnson, Albert, 




350,351 






Albert 11., 




34S, 350 


Lacasse, Charles J., 


344. 349 


Albion, 




345 


Ladd, Noah, 


343 


Augustus, 




319 


Laflin, Lester, 


273 


Charles, 




351,375 


Lakeman, Josiah, 


147 


Daniel, 




346 


Lancaster, Sewall, 


263 


Edwin S., 




348 


Land Grant to Academy, 


228 


George, 




159, 276 


Lane, Nathan, Jr., 


366 


George W., 




344 


Larrabee, Col. James, 


3" 


Henry B., 


39, 


312,319 


John R., 


278 


Isaac L., 


220, 


351,375 


William L., 


375 


Jennie Bodge, 




371 


Larry, Daniel P., 


343 


John, 




350, 351 


James, 


125, 127 


Matthew, 


350. 


351, 374 


Lawyers, 


285 


Robert, Jr., 




37S 


Laying of corner stone of S 


eminary, 241 


Robert, 3d, 




374, 375 


Leavitt, John S., 


375 


William, 




3", 536 


Samuel, 


207 


William H., 


344, 


35', 3S3 


Lee, Jesse, 


213 


Jones, Ephraim, 




130 


Joseph W., 


348 


Henry, 




130 


" Mother" Ann, 


217 


Jeremiah, i2[. 


124, 


127, 132 


Leighton, Ichabod W., 


278,3". 575 


Joseph, 




131, 147 


"Melville C, 


350 


Jordan, Abner, 




147 


Lewis, Abijah P., 


121,257 


Benjamin Allen, 




•30 


George, 166, 


207, 372, 376 


Charles E., 




375 


James, 


213 


Dominicus, 




376 


Lothrop, 167, 168, 228, 


374,376,377, 


Granville B., 




345 


37» 




James, 




121 


Philip P., 


285 


John P., 




34S 


Lexington and Concord Al; 


irm, 117 


Moses, 




147 


Libby, Albion P., 


350,351 


Jose House, 




319 


Alfred, 


3" 


Journal of Austin Alden, 




94, 127 


Alphonso E., 


346 


Silas Chadbourn, 




1 28 


Andrew, 


279 


Capt. Cobb, 




66 


Asa, 


315,346 


William Pote, 




727 


Benjamin F., 


347 


Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, 


Benjamin L, 


351 






376 


Charles O., 


375 


of the Court of Probate, 


.376 


Cyrus L., 


344 


Justices of the Court of G 


eneral Ses- 


Daniel C, 


375 


sions of the Peace, 




376 


Frank B., 

Henry, 

Isaac, 


344 
355 
368 


Kane, Henry, 




343, 351 


Ivory, 


350,351 


Keen, Alden T., 




283 


James W., 


771 


Kellogg, Charles F., 




348, 350 


Joab, 


122, 129, 132 


Elijah, 


230 


, 372, 664 


John, 


275 


Kelloran, William, 




157 


Joseph, 


122, 275 


Kelly, William, 




347 


Lendall A., 


366 


Kemp, Charles E., 




346 


Lewis, 346, 347, 


352, 354, 375 


Kennard, Thomas, 




225 


Reuben, 


132 


King, James, 




262 


Silas, 


308 


Susan, 




362 


Solomon, 


308 


Kittredge, Dr., 




282 


Stephen P., 


346, 352 


Knap, James, 




246 


Tyng S., 


344, 349 


Knight, John, 




126, 132 


William F., 


345. 347 


Joseph, 




147, 277 


Winfield S., 


350 



INDEX. 



853 



Libraries, 


270, 321 


Limbo, 


250, 2q8 


Lincoln, Albert W., 


285, 365 


Samuel, 


272 


Lindsay, John, 269, 


3'-. r^^j 


Lindsey, Charles A., 


348 


Linnell, Russell, 


373 


List of Baptists, 17S1, 


206 


grantees of Narragansett, N 


0. 7, 28 


lots drawn to each right, 


88 


Litchfield, Joseph, 


1 89 


Little Falls graveyard, 


261 


mill privilege, 


2 78 


Village, 


276 


Little, John P., 154, 22S, 


238, 285 


Logging, _ 


246 


Log meeting house. 


170, 306 


Lombard, Blanchard M., 


345 


Butler, 121, 


129, 132 


Caleb, 127, 


129, 132 


Calvin, 


iiS 


James, 


346, 352 


Jedediah, 127, 129, 


13O' 135 


Jedediah, Jr., 


•32 


John, 


5'o 


Lewis, 


350 


Nathaniel, 121, 125, i 2S, 


129, 132 


Richard, 


147 


Simon, 


1-4 



Solomon, 107, 114, 141, 258, 373, 376, 

377 

Solomon, Jr., 65, 132 

Thomas, 1 3 1 
Longfellow, Stephen, 154, 163, 227, 374, 

. 376, 377 

store, 309 

Lord, Frank, 344 

John A., 348, 352 

Jeremiah, 30S 

Laura E., 242 

Samuel W., 294, TiJ;^ 

William G., 243 

Louisburg expeditions, 46, 68 

Loveitt, Jonathan, 273, 279 

Lowe, John, 346, 352 

William W., 344 

Lowell, George W., 375 

Lendall B., 350 

Oliver H., 345, 353 

Reuben, 273, 318 

Lowrey, Robert, 308, 359 

Lyman, Hannah, 242 

Lyon, Hugh, 347 

Mabry, Jefferson, 269 

Mails, 292 

Maine Female Seminary established, 242 

Maine Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 362 

Maine, N. H. and Mass. R. R., 294 

Mains, David, 307 

Nicholas, 268 



Mains (continued). 








■ Solomon, 




267, 


344. 354 


Mallison, Joseph, 






274 


Mallison's Grant, 






274 


Manchester, Eben, 






269 


Mann, Edmund, 




374, 


376, 378 


James, 




350. 


377, 378 


March, Charles F., 






369 


James, 






318 


Samuel, 






118 


Marr, William W., 






347 


Marshall, B. F., 






28s 


N. M., 






285 


Marston, A. K. P., 






365 


Martin, John, 






351 


Joseph P., 






345 


Marshall, 






344, 347 


Masonic block, 






363 


Mast business, 






' 247 


roads. 






267, 289 


Maxwell, Daniel, 






121, 125 


Mayberry, Enoch, 






3^3 


Henry, 






375 


Randall F., 






345 


Stephen P., 






221 


Mayo, Ebenezer, 






257 


Robert, 






547 


McCarty, Thomas, 






348,351 


McCorrison, James, 






270 


McCully, Walter, 






274 


McDaniel (see McDonald). 






McDonald, Abner, 






125, 132 


Charles, 






147 


James G., 






346, 352 


John, 






48,65 


Joseph, 121, 


130, 


147, 


261, 268 


Joshua, 






130 


Peletiah, 


121, 


124, 


, 127, 132 


"Widow," 






105 


McDonough, Thomas 


M., 




365 


McDugle (McDougall) 


, David, 


72, 335 


McFarland, Robert, 




128, 


129, 132 


McKenney, David H., 






359 


McLellan, Abigail, 






54 


Actor P., 






350. 366 


Alexander, 


131. 


147, 


263, 293 


Cary, 120, 124, i 


33^ 


151. 


166, 257, 


262, 317 








David, 






308 


Elizabeth, 






62 


Hugh, 


49. 


142, 


150.373 


Hugh D., 


340, 


34=> 


375. 378 


Isaac, 




350, 


351,375 


Joseph, 95, 119, 


121, 


125, 


126, 132 


Josiah T.. 




243. 


350, 365 


Lewis, 350, 


351. 


375. 


376, 377 


Robert, Capt., 






'58 


Samuel, 






158- 3°7 


Simon E., 






171,303 


Thomas, 


157, 


159. 


175.374 



854 



INDEX. 



McLellan (continued). 

William, 37, 65, 120, 124, 128,^33, 

135' '47. 150. 257' 35O' 374 
William H., 



279 
352 
350 



350, 
35°' 



McMann, Michael, 347. 

Mcl'hee, Francis, 344. 

John, 
Meeting house, first, 
at White Rock, 
Melcher, Edward, 

Melvin, John, 121, 124, 132 

Merrill, John S., 

Seward, 

William, 

William, Jr., 

Merritt, George H., 344. 

Meserve, Clement, Jr., 

Horace, 

John, 

Joseph, 

William, 

Meservey, John, 343- 

Metcalf, Benjamin F., 345, 

Methodists, 

Michel, Ebenezer, 

Military matters, 

Militia enlisting into Revolutionary Army, 

132 

officers, 7°. 73 

Millett, Henry R., 294, 341, 343, 3^'5' 379 

M. Antoinette, 3^6 

Thomas, i3- 

Milliken, Augustus, 35° 

Octavius F., 35' 

Mills, 249, 252, 274, 276, 278, 306 

Isaac, 348 

Ministers, 176, 210 

Mitchell, E. F., 283 

Money raised for town schools 

Monument, old red stone. 

Moody, Samuel, 

Moose, 

Morrissey, Francis, 
Morrison, Ellis, 
Morse, Edward S., 
Fred A., 



345. 353 
169 
210 
616 
384 
343 
159.374 
343' 366 
375 

350. 354 
69 

577 

69, 147 

69 

147 

351 
353 
212 
121 
70 



Joseph, 

Josiah, 
Morton, Bryant, 

David, 

Ebenezer, 

James, 

John, 

Joseph, 

Thomas, 
Mosher, Daniel, 

Mark, 

Marshall M., 
Motley, George H., 

Robert, 



226 

303 

44 

38' 324 

225 

348 
350 
350 
130 
256, 706 

115. 317, 373. 376, 377 

132 

126, 132 

124, 131 

273 

258 

69, 132 

52, 69, 78, 350 

375 
342 
366 

378 



•25' 

121, 



Moulton, Charles, 

Charles J., 

Matthias, 
Mower, Albion P., 

Josiah H., 
Mowing machine, 
Munson, William, 
Murch, Ebenezer, 

Harvey W., 

James, 

John, 

Matthias, 125, 126, 127, 

Samuel, 

William, 
Murray, Anthony, 

Patrick, 



375 

349. 352 

344. 347 

347 

347 

357 

131 

130. 147 

375 

147 

130, 132 

132.275 
147 
147 
576 
348 

356 

330 
16 

319 
269 

. 308 
234 
264 

296 
294. 373 



^31. 



Nail making. 

Naming frame of buildings, 

Narragansett battle. 

House, 
Nason District, 

Martha, 

Reuben, 

Uriah, 

Uriah S., 
Nedd, 

Nevens, Eben W., 

Newcomb, Solomon, 257 

Newell, Henry H., 353 

New Lights, 187 

Newman, Edward, 351 

New road to Saccarappa, 292 

New burying yard at Village, 260 

Niall, Wilham T., 343.35' 

Nimes, Edward A., 349' 35^ 

Normal school, 243, 315 

Nowell, Zachariah, 158 

Noyes, Jeremiah, ordination of, 192 

Joseph, 87 

Number of inhabitants in 1763, 99 

O'Brian, Frank, 344, 35' 

Old Oak Meeting House, 280 

hay scales, 314 

Phinney plan of Gorham, So-83 

schoolmasters, 225 

Yellow Shop, 262, 310 

One hundred and fiftieth anniversary, 

celebration of, 370 

Ordination dinner, bills for, 180 

of Mr. Jewett, 191 

Organs, 174- 216, 357 

Oriental Powder Co., 274, 314 

Osborne, Charles, 312 

Oxford and Cumberland Canal, 266 



Paine, Charles, 
Charles H., 
Francis, 
William, 



269, 375. 378 

342, 355. 373 

350.351 

130 



INDEX. 



855 



Palmer, Asa, 

Asa C, 
Parington, John, 
Parker, Charles C, 

Elizabeth, 

H. G., 

Jeremiah, 375, 

John, 121 

John M., Jr., 347 

Joseph W., 

Mahlon H., 

Nathaniel, 

Rhoda, 

W. H., 

Winfield S., 
Parkhurst, Alpheus C, 

John T., 

Leonard W., 
Parmenter, Orrin, 
Patrick, Albert, 

Charles H., 

Charles P., 

David, 

George, 

Henry C, 

Thomas, 
Patten, Alphonso, 
Pattingill, George M., 
Paul, Frank, 
Peabody, Josiah, 123, 

William H., 
Peach yard. 
Peacock, Edward, Jr., 
Pearson, Moses, 44 

Pearsonstown, 
Pendleton's lane, 
Pendleton, Lewis W., 
Penfield, Charles, 
Pensioners, Revolutionary, 
Pepperell, Col. William, 
Perkins, James, 120, 

John, 
Perry, S. E., Miss, 
Phillips, Daniel M., 

Edward T., 

Ivory, 

James L., 
Phinney, Clement, 

Decker, 

Ebenezer, 

Edmund, 57, 74, 115,1 17-8, 

163. 373' 374. 376, 377 
Edward B., 341, 

Frank, 
George F., 
Isaac, 
James, 
James, 2d, 
John, 
Joseph, 
Nathaniel, 
Thomas, 



207, 318' 374. 375. 
44, 74, 120, 132, 

373. 



226, 



44 
346 
359 
198 

334 

316 

376, 378 

125, 147 

■ 349> 353 

375. 379 

345' 353 

132 

239 
316 

349 

345' 350 

74 

351 

347 

35O' 366 

343' 353 

346, 352 

350 

350 

346, 352 

157' 368 

348 

348 

345. 348 

124, 132 

283 
83 

348 

47-8, 87 

48 

271 

346 

350 
149 

46, 47 

124. 355 

120, 124 

372 

344. 353 

343. 351 

346 

350 

205, 262 

374 
126, 132 
123. 147, 



343 

347 

350 
36S 

379 
346 
147 
129 

374 
309 



Phipps, Joshua B., 
Pierce, Edwin D., 

John, 

Josiah, 286, 368, 373, 375, 

378 
Levi S., 

Pike, Humphrey, 

William Q., 
Pilkinton, Joseph, 
Pillsbury, George W., 
Plaisted, George P., 
Plans of town, 80, 8: 

Plato, 
Plummer, Christopher C, 

Daniel D., 

Joseph M., 279, 

Robert, 

Russell C, 



Poland, Moses, 
Pomeroy, Thaddeus, 
Po])ulation of Gorham, 93, 99, 

339 
Poor, Daniel J., 
Portland and Ogdensburg R. R. 

and Rochester R. R., 
Postage, 
Postmasters at North Gorham, 

the Village, 

West Gorham, 
Post offices in Gorham, 
" Post" W^escott, 128, 

Pote, Elisha, 

Gamaliel, 

Jeremiah, 

Thomas, 121, 

William, 
Potter, Barrett, 

George F., 
Pottery, 
Pound, 
Powder house, 

mills, 
Powell, Stephen, 
Powers, William, 
Preble, Eben, 

Jedediah, 
Prentiss, George L., 

Samuel, 293, 

Prescott, Marv Jackson, 

Mr, 
Presentation of banner. 
President of the Senate, 
Primrose, John, 

Prince, 119. 

Privateers, 
Profanity, 

Proprietor's purchase of a right, 
Proprietors' plan, 
Purinton, Charles S., 

Moses D., 

Otis, 



294 

347. 352 
132, 283 

376, 377 

366 

361 

344 

65 

366 

375' 37(> 
I, 91, 676 

'33' 298 
350 
350. 35r 
313. 375 
344. 345 

348, 352 

126, 132 

193' 369 
116,336, 

242 
295 
295 
293 
269 

293-4 

271 

294 

292,819 

48 

47. 48 

48 

125, 132 

86, 277 

286 
350. 352 
3^3^ 764 

304 • 
73 

274 

147 
346. 354 

373 
118 

242, 372 

3'8, 374 

286 

310 

70, 366 

377 

343. 351 

133. 297 

156. 555 

332 

650 

676 

37^^- 379 

35O' 351 

371 



856 



INDEX. 



Quigley, Michael, 
Quinby, Joseph, 
Quincy, Dana, 



347> 352 
103, 256 

15S 



Raising of troops for the Union Army, 341 

Raising the frame of the meeting 

house, 174 

l-land, Asa, I75' '93 

Freedom D., 346, 354 

Lazarus, 125, 147 

Mrs. Samuel, 221 

Rechabites, 3-° 

Redington, Asa, 239 

Red Men, 270 

Reed, George S., 343' 353 

Jacob, 51-93 

Reeves, George M., 348 

Reform Club, 320 

Representatives at the General Court 

of Mass., 377 

Representatives to the Legislature 



of Maine, 
Reynolds, George W., 
Rice, Arthur, 

William A., 
Rich, Amos, 

Barnabas, 

Joel, 

Lemuel, 

Thomas H., 
Richardson, Amos, 

Isaac, 

Isaac, Jr., 

Joseph, 

William A., 
Ricker, George, 

Samuel F., 
Ridlon, Charles H., 

Frank A., 

Joseph, 

Lorenzo E., 
Riggs, Charles F., 
Right, No. 123, 
Roberts, Benjamin, 

Daniel L., 

John H., 
Robie, Edward, 



37S 
19S 

345 
267,318 

130 
123 
122 
256 

345 

34S, 352 

308, 346 

348, 350 

345 

348, 352 

343. 351 

344 

284 

373 

375 

366 

354 



373: 

349. 
90, 

345' 
346, 



147 
353 
354 
372 



Frederick, 284, 313, 350, 366, 371 

376,377. 379 
Lincoln, 
Thomas S., 
Toppan, 1 59' 303' 373.374 

378 
Toppan, Jr., 
Robinson, Benjamin F., 
George, 
George D., 



I,evi, 
Otis S., 
Rolfe, Benjamin, 
Daniel P., . 



342 

175. 373 
375.376. 

350.351 

343 

I, 124, 129 

350 

347 

346, 352 

126, 132 

345 



Rolfe (continued). 






Emery, 




344. 354 


James and Lucy, 




257 


Moses, 




65 


Roll of Capt. Bettis' company. 


159 


Higgins' company. 




160 


Jefferd's company. 




94 


Jenkins' company, 




125 


Mayberry's company. 




127 


McLellan's company. 




158 


Robie's company, 




•59 


Stuart's company. 




122 


Williams' company, 




1 20-1 


Roll of Lieut. Leighton's C 


avalry, 160 


South company of Mill 


:tia, 


71-2 


Capt. Jos. Woodman's 


company, 65 


Rooney, Michael, 




343. 351 


Ropewalk, 




515 


Ross, Alexander, 




747 


James, 




132, 225 


Madam, 




307 


Rounds, Joseph, 




127, 130 


Robert B., 


346, 


350. 352 


Silas, 




315 


Theodore, 




121 


William H., 




347 



Rule of settlement for the Narragan- 

sett townships, 26 

Ruling Elders, 199 

Runnells, Owen, 121 

Perley, 351 

Rural Free Delivery, 294 



346, 



350. 



Sabbath, 

Sale of land granted to Academy, 

Sanborn, Henry, 

John, 

John W., 

Josedeck, 

Joseph, 
Sanford, John H. T., 

Nathan J., 
Sargent, Joseph, 
Sawyer, David, 

David E., 

Joel, 

John, 

Jonathan, 

Stephen, 
Sayward, Theodore, 
Scamman, Edward, 

Edward A., 

Frederick D., 
Scarborough Strip, 
School districts, 

houses burned, 

m fort, 
Scott, John, 
Scouts under Capt. Berry, 

under Capt. Hill, 
Sears, James L., 346. 



350. 
65, 122, 



375- 

224, 226, 269, 
308, 310, 314, 

344. 



397 
230 

347 
283 
366 
260 
27s 
350 
352 
126 

65 
351 
122 

352 
123 

147 
316 

375 
341 
376 
301 
280 
316 
223 

35' 
60 
61 

352 



INDEX. 



857 



Seaver, Dr., 

Sebago Wood Board Co., 

Second settler in town. 

Selectmen, 

Seminary, Maine Female, 

Senators in the General Court of 

Mass'., 
Senators in the Legislature of Maine, 
Separation of Maine and Mass., 



350, 
341, 
350. 



316, 346, 349, 

342, 344. 
3U, 



Shackford, Joseph F 

Theodore, 

William H., 
Shaker buildings, 
Shakers, 
Shallon, Adam, 
Shaw, Carlyle W., 

Chauncey C, 

Chester B., 

Clinton I). W 

John, 

Josiah, 
Shirley grant. 

Shoe manufacturing at Little Falls, 
Sias, Horace, 
Silla, William, 
Simpson, Jonathan, 
Singing school. 
Sixty Nine Society, 
Skillings, Benjamin, 373, 374, 

Isaac, 257, 

John, 

Thomas, 

William T., 350, 

Slaves, 103, 296, 

Small, Benjamin, 

Francis H., 348, 352, 

John, 

Joseph, 348, 

Samuel, 
Smiley, James, 343, 

Smith, David, 343, 

Edmund, 

Edward, 

Edwin R., 

E. H. Foster, 

Francis L., 

Frank W., 

Hezekiah, 

Horatio F., 347. 

H. P. A., 

Jacob S., 158, 

James, 344. 

James A., 345, 

John F., 

John Tyng, 

Silas M., 344. 346, 35°. 

Stevens, 294, 

Thomas, 346, 

Wendell P., 368, 

William, 

William H., 347. 



282 

275 
76 

373 
242 

377 
377 
167 
351 
343 
35' 
219 
217 
141 
375 
343 
353 
349 
215 
318 
276 
279 
344 
374 

135 

412 

319 

375. 
271 

123 
122 
351 
564 
347 
354 
83 
354 
514 
351 
345 
351 
344 
344 
375 
345 
343 
211 

353 
287 
286 

351 
354 
3" 
158 

354 
309 
352 
376 
132 

354 



Snow, Thomas, 

Soap -making. 

Soldiers' Monument, 

Some facts about the town in i 780 

Sons of the Veterans, 

Southernham, Mr., 

Sparrowhawk, Col , 

Spaulding, William M., 

Speakers of the House, 

Spear, William, 

vSpeed, Frederick, 

Spinney, George R., 

John D., 
Stackpole, Augustus J., 

David, 

Theodore, Jr., 
Stacy, Clinton, 
Stage routes, 
Stanwood, Capt., 
Staples, Samuel, 

Samuel, Jr., 
State and County officers 
State St. opened, 
Stephenson, David, 

John, 

Neptune, 

Samuel, 

Stephen L., 

William, 
Stephenson's bridge, 
Stevens, Benjamin, 

John, 



313. 



268 
361 

353 
33(> 
3'^7 
262 

94 
348, 354 
378, 379 



347: 



346, 352 

343. 345 

375 

365 

311. 343 

157 

350 

284 

293 

314 

65.318 

374 

376-9 

263 

351 
141 

299 

167, 378 

295.371 

318 

271 

147 
275 
344 
348, 354 
122 



93- 
131. 



John C, 

John M., 

Nathaniel, 

Stiles, Albion P., 345 

Stock and hay, 103-4, 249, 251 

Stocks, 331 

Stone, Ansel, 315 

Joseph, 129, 132 

Storer, Ebenezer, 153 

Stores at Village, 263 
Story of the prison ship " Jersey," 134 



Stoves, 

Straw, O'Neil R., 

Strong, Stephen C. 

S. C, Dr., 
vStrout, Elisha, 

George, 

Prince, 

William E., 
Stuart, Joseph, 

Wentworth, 

377 
vStubbs, James, 
vSturgis, B. R., 
John, 
Jonathan, 
Marshall C, 
William H., 
William P., 



4. 236, 331 

284 

197 

283 

132 

95. 147 

124 

346, 366 

122, 123 

65,69, 122, 123,373, 



105, 
308, 
270, 309, 
121, 
345 

310. 315. 



147 
379 
375 
271 
366 
344 
344 



858 



INDEX. 



Summersides, John C, 
Sutherland, James P., 
Svveetsir, Augustus, 

Henry E., 
Swelt graveyard, 

Clark, 

George W., 

Joseph S. K., 

Joshua, 

Joshua L., 

Josiah, 

iMark D., 

Stephen, 
Sykes, Charles H., 

Tanneries, 360, 445, 

Taverns, 

Teachers' Institute, 

Temperance, 

Tenney, Hiram, 

Thomas, 
Thacher, Josiah, 187, 227, 

Peter, 
The " dark hole," 
Thomas, James S., 

Tufts, 
Thomas, Amos, 

Charles, 

Ebenezer Scott, 

Moses, 

Samuel, 
Thompson, Henry, 

Lorenzo D., 

War, 
Thorn, Bartholomew, 

Israel, 
Thorndike, Dr., 
Thurrell, Asa, 

James, 

John, 

Richard, 
Tingley, Peletiah, 
Tinney, George, 
Tinware, 

Titcomb, Benjamin, 
Tithing men. 
Tomatoes, 
Topliff, Dr. A. P., 
Tories, 

Total Abstinence .Society, 
Town clerks, 

clock, 

farm, 

house, 

road, discontinued, 
Townsend, Ebenezer, 
Town treasurers. 
Traders at W. Gorham, 

Horse Beef, 

Little Falls, 

Great Falls, 



341. 343' 373 
347 
350 
3('5 
261 

275.374 

3421 344- 347 

346, 347 

275' 309 

375 

147.375 

344 

142, 151, 281 



450, 567, 581 

317 

242 

319 

321 
242 
292, 376, 377 
286 
271 

365 
132 
n,2 



345' 



132 

95 
213 

346, 352 

350 
117 

41, 6i 
69 

282 

131. '47 

124 

123, 124 

'3° 

186 

65 
361 

69 
33' 
304 
284 
149 

320 
373 



175, 217 

445 
171, 184 

373 

272 
276 
279 
269 



Trick ey, Zebulon, 
Tripp, Moses B., 
Troops sent to Halifax in i 
Trundy. John, 
Tryon, James, 
Tucker, George, 
Tukesbury, Jonathan, 
Turner, vSamuel G., 
Tuttle, Sylvanus, 
Twombly, William, 

Wilson M., 
Tyler, James, 

James E., 

Mary, 
Tyng, Edward, 

Madam, 

W' illiam. 



761, 
174, 



f sher, William H., 
.Sidney B., 



267 

344' 354 

94 

132' 534 
408, 794 

351 
3'7 

349. 352 
350 
357 

347. 350 
256 

347 

3" 

■ 47 

307 

n8, 134. 376, 749 

373 
346, 352 



Valuation of town for 1772, 103 

of town for 1780, 336 

Value of different articles as fixed by 

the Concord Convention of 1779, '44 



Velocipede, 
Vestries, 
Vickery, David, 

Visiting in Gorham in early times, 
Vose, Dr. 

Votes for Governor of Mass., 
for Governor of Maine, 



175. 



356 
216 
124 
326 
284 
379-80 
-,80-81 



Waite, John, 
Waldo, Samuel, 
Walker, Nathaniel, 
Wallace, John C, 
War of 1812, 

Civil, 

with vSpain, 
Ward, Charles M., 

Isaac, 

John, 

William W., 
Warning out of town, 
Warren, Benjamin, 

Henr)' A., 

James, 

James G., 

Samuel, 

William, 
Waterhouse, A. A., 

Ai, 

Eli L., 

George, 

Horace F., 

Samuel S., 

Thomas, 
Waterman, Charles F. 

John, Dr., 

John A., 



275 

46, 248, 275 

225 

347. 366 
156 

340-55 

355 

343. 353 

347 

268 

345' 354 
334 

348, 352 
347 
256 

347 

256, 374 

375 

311 

344. 349. 350 

301 

121 

350 

375 

350 

350. 354 

283 

287.351' 376,377 



INDEX. 



859 



Waterman (continued). 






White Rock (continue 


d). 






John A., Jr., 




287, 373 




post office. 






294 


Malachi, 




'32 


Whitman, Harrison F 


.^ 




347 


Waters, Anna G., 




294 


Whitmore, Daniel, 


129, 


130, 


132, 147 


Cornelius, 




294 




Samuel, 


13'. 


269, 


318, 373 


Reuel W., 




349 




Samuel, Jr., 






286, 293 


Willlani G., 




350 




William, 






122, 132 


Watson, Benjamin A., 




375 


Whitney, Abel, 




126, 


132, 147 


Colman, 




132 




Adams, 






161 


David F., 




373 




Ai F., 






347 


Eliphalet, 




128, 131 




Alonzo M., 






345. 354 


Greenlief C., 




71 




Amos, 






•21, 373 


John, 122, 147, 


257. 


271,308 




B. Frank, 






366 


Lydia, 




225 




Daniel, 




121, 


125, 147 


Oliver C, 




351 




David, 






122, 132 


William H., 




284 




Ebenezer, 




125. 


128, 147 


Watts, David, 120, 124, 


125. 


127, 132 




Frank I., 






376 


Webb, Edward, 




273 




Frank R., 






346, 352 


Eli, 


273. 


346, 352 




Gershom S., 




345. 


j52, 355 


James, 




123 




James, 






125 


Josiah B., 




243-351 




Jennie P., 






Z^l 


Seth, 




374 




Jesse, 




125, 


129, 132 


William W., 




350 




John, 




121, 


124, 125 


Webber, Thomas C., 


344, 


348, 350 




Jonathan S., 






351 


Webster house. 




3'4 




Joseph, 






95. 262 


Weeks, William, 




132 




Josiah, 






130 


Welch, Martin, 




343' 351 




Keziah, 






334 


Wentworth, Horatio, 




344 




Moses, 


95. 


123. 


130. 132 


Royal W., 




347. 352 




Naphthalim, 






121, 132 


Thomas E., 


342, 


-344, 345 




Nathan, 




94, 


257.373 


Wescott, C. P^ugene, 




379 




Paul, 




121, 


125, 132 


Daniel, 




351 




Peter, 






256, 308 


Daniel M., 




343 




Phineas, 






131 


Edmund, 




374 




Samuel, 






147 


Everett, 




308 




Stephen, 






147 


Seward, 




350.351 




Uriel, 






M7 


Wescott, William, 128, 


^283, 


292,819 




Zebulon, 






375 


William F., 




344 


Whittier, Edward N., 






349 


West, Desper, 




122 




George W., 






349 


John C. F., 




351 


Wi 


ght, Joseph, 






343 


Westbrook, Col. Thomas, 




248 


Wild animals, 






328 


West Gorham, 




270 


Williams, Charles, 






344. 355 


Westmore, James, 




123 




Hart, 


65. 


, 120, 


124, 129 


Weston, Abigail, 




225 




Jeremiah, 






132 


Edward P., 242, 


312, 


377. 379 


Wi 


His, Richard, 




315. 


350, 351 


Joseph, 


132, 


178, 373 


Wi 


Ison, Edward, 






147 


Zachariah, 




147 




Elbridge M., 






375.379 


Weymouth, Joseph, 


121, 


131. 132 




Horace, 




345' 


348, 352 


Whalen, Edward, 


346, 


34S, 35' 




James, 






345. 351 


Wheeler, Thomas, 




131 




James K. P., 






345. 352 


William H. H., 




344 




Joel, 






348, 375 


Whipple, Lucius, 




274 




John, 






361 


Oliver M., 




274 


Wing, Nathaniel, 






148 


road, 




269 


Wingate, John, 






373. 375 


White, Charles M., 




346 


Winship, John O., 






343. 350 


John, 




131 


Winship's Corner, 






273 


Mark, 




301 


Winslow% Joseph, 






275 


Peter, 




147 




L. H., 






366 


William, 




240 


Winter, Charles, 






346 


White's Mills, 




312 




Isaac, 






95 


White Rock, 




270 


Winters, William G., 






350 



860 



INDEX. 



Wiswell, Luther, Jr., 

William, 
Witches, 

Woman's Relief Corps 
Wood, Warren H., 

William, 
Woodchuck hill. 
Woodman, George M. 

Capt. Joseph, 
Woods, George, 

Margaret, 



346, 350. 



347 


Woodsum, A. E., 




243 


132 


Wool-combing, 




329' 532 


333 


Workshop, Academy, 




241 


366 


W^ormvvood, Samuel P., 




350 


352 


Wreck of the " (Jen. Arnold," 


555 


147 


W^right, John A., 




344 


289 


Wyman, Benjamin, 




242 


285 








65 


Young, Amos, 




347 


242 


l.ydia. 




261 


242 


York and Cumberland R. 


R., 


586 



D 1.13. 










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